Dilworth School

05/06/2026

Our school community came together to honour the Samoan language, culture, and identity with a jam-packed lineup of events for Samoan Language Week.

The week started with the annual Ava Ceremony. During the rest of the week, students crafted beautiful Pale in the Library workshop, showcased creativity in the Tatau Design Competition, and brought energy to the gym for the annual Lape Competition. We were also privileged to host a captivating Siva Afi performance by the talented Tuitupou brothers.

The week wrapped up with a beautiful rendition of Vi'i o Kiliuati by Fortissimo (composed by Year 13 student Posala Tusa's father, Maoiautele P**e Tusa), and a traditional Siva in collaboration with Diocesan School for Girls.

What an incredible time we've had celebrating Samoan Language Week!

04/06/2026

It takes some people a bit to figure out what they want to do with their lives after school!

Not Dilworth Old Boy Tom McCondach-Burke (Class of 2021). From his days in the sandpit to becoming a Staples Education Scholarship awardee, he has had an interest in how things work and a particular fascination with diggers!

Tom’s long-held ambition to become an engineer came to fruition when he recently graduated from the University of Auckland with a degree in Engineering (honours). He credits the Staples Education Foundation with transforming his university journey.

It’s a massive achievement for Tom, now also a Graduate Engineer at Fulton Hogan, currently helping to project-manage the construction of the new airport pick-up and drop-off areas.

His story is testimony to taking every opportunity and a relentless work ethic, you can read it here - https://www.dilworth.school.nz/news/engineering-his-future/

While it takes some people a bit to figure out what they want to do with their lives, that definitely hasn’t been the case for Tom McCondach-Burke, from his days in the sandpit, to becoming a Staples Education Scholarship awardee and Dilworth Old Boy, he has had an interest in how things work and ...

02/06/2026

Last week, the 'Big Night In' brought our Senior Campus musicians together for a spectacular showcase in St Patrick's chapel.

With over 170 students taking to the stage, it was an impressive event that showcased the best our musicians have to offer.

Director of Instrumental Music, Mr Kingaby said, "This evening’s concert was a huge success for our musicians. Everyone performed to an incredibly high standard, and it was a great opportunity to bring our community into St Patrick’s chapel for a night of music-making"

29/05/2026

What does the future look like for Dilworth students? Everything from open-heart surgery to building America’s Cup boats!

This week, we hosted 25 incredible organisations at the Dilworth Careers Industry Connect Expo, giving our Year 9-13 students a firsthand look at the wide range of careers that could be theirs beyond the school gates.

Some highlights:

Full-Circle: Old Boy Michael Schriefer (Class of 2025) discovered his passion at the last Dilworth Future Pathways Expo. This week, he was back as an exhibitor with MAST Academy, where he is on a six-month pre-trade course - his dream to build America’s Cup boats.

More Than Just a Job: While Domino's "Spin the Wheel for Push-ups" was a game, it carried a clear message about career pathways into franchising.

The NZ Police – a popular stand: As Year 12 student Dylan Jones put it: "The police are all about keeping our streets safe, and students really care."

Helping students gain real-world experience is a key part of the Careers and Pathways Team at Dilworth; their absolute focus is on preparing students well for life beyond school by connecting them with real-world experiences.

A HUGE thank you to all the businesses that showed up and sparked new dreams:

Apprenticeship Training Trust, Building and Construction Industry Training Organisation, New Zealand College of Chiropractic, Colquhoun Construction, Cut Above Academy, NZ Defence Force, Domino's New Zealand, Drive, Food Stuffs, Icehouse Ventures, The International Travel College New Zealand, Lactalis & Restaurant Association, Mainfreight, MAST Academy of New Zealand, Mindflight7, MITO, Nexties, Oxexom, New Zealand Police, Puatala & Alignz Skills Trades Training & Skills Institute, StudyLink, Techtorium and ZEIL.

Read the full story, student insights, and business takeaways here: https://www.dilworth.school.nz/news/dilworth-careers-industry-connect-expo/

27/05/2026

Last Sunday, we hosted the final Open Day of the year at our Junior Campus – what a stunning autumn day it was for a tour of the school!

Visitors got to see our amazing staff in action, hear about the subjects they teach and the extracurricular activities they are passionate about, and to meet our young Year 8 tour guides and senior prefects.

Over the last two months, our campuses have been buzzing with prospective students and their whānau over three Open Days and several tours! It has been a pleasure to open our gates and show so many people our school.

A huge thank you to our whānau from Dilworth Family Connect. They have attended all our Open Days, ready to answer questions from prospective parents and caregivers, address other queries, and speak from their own invaluable experience.

Thank you to our young musicians and singers who have performed, and to everyone who took part. We have loved hosting so many great young men and their whānau.

Applications for a Dilworth scholarship close on 7 June.

Check out the link below to learn more

https://www.dilworth.school.nz/enrolment-scholarship/apply-online/

25/05/2026

Congratulations to Paora Tavake (Year 12), who was presented with his Race Unity Speech Awards at this morning's assembly by Speech NZ representative Stephanie Caisley and Auckland Race Unity Speech Awards Coordinator, Dr Adora Husseini.

Paora won the Auckland regional competition, then went on to win the Tohu Auahatanga – Speech NZ Award for Delivery at the finals of the Race Unity Speech Awards.

This year’s theme was ‘Listening to Understand - Whakarongo kia Mārama’, focused on creating an environment of respect and trust across diverse cultural and ethnic backgrounds.

You can listen to Paora's speech here - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KSes8zCHW7U

24/05/2026

Recently, our Year 10 Learning in the Outdoors (LiTO) students ventured on a long hīkoi through the Kaimai Ranges for their Duke of Edinburgh qualifying journey.

Over the three-day trip, the students hiked and camped in the forest, enjoyed cooking their own kai, learning about forest ecology, practising navigation techniques using maps and compasses and crossing rivers.

The group also spent last weekend climbing in Waitomo, including outdoor climbing at Pakeho crag and bouldering at the airstrip.

What a great experience!

22/05/2026

Our final Junior Campus Open Day is this Sunday - for Years 7 & 8.

If you haven't already, this is your last chance to see Dilworth now!

Click the link below to register.

https://www.dilworth.school.nz/enrolment-scholarship/open-days/

18/05/2026

A big Friday night for St Patrick’s Chapel! 🎶

Our new chapel was filled with song on Friday night as we hosted the Lower Voices Festival, Tama Waiata, Tama Ora. We were thrilled to host this event, welcoming 14 choirs and 10 schools, alongside Dilworth’s Foundation Singers and our Premier Choir, Fortissimo.

Recapping this wonderful event at this morning’s assembly, Xavier Jennings-Sio, Deputy Head Prefect and Head Chorister, said: “This is a fantastic platform for young singers, and their incredible performances gave our chapel’s acoustics a workout!”

To cap off an already amazing night, across town, the NZ Commercial Project Awards were taking place. St Patrick’s also came through with flying colours here, winning a Gold award in the SpecAdvisor Education Project category. Fantastic recognition for the Dilworth Trust and our brilliant partners at Jasmax, Cassidy and Rubix.

15/05/2026

Week two of the Year 10 LiTO programme saw students take on two days of mountain biking and an overnight tramp.

The group progressed well on the mountain bike track, gaining confidence and some even giving grade 3 trails a go! They then swapped bikes for packs and headed into the Coromandel Forest Park for their practice journey for their Duke of Ed. They planned creating menus, goals and understanding the terrain and track.

What an awesome week!