Message from our Principal / Tumuaki
He tapu ngaa tangata katoa -
Every Child Matters
You always know your son or daughter is capable of great things. At Wesley College, we can take them beyond that to be among the best in the world. In the words of John Wesley, ‘every child matters.’
Our Methodist ethos makes us more than ‘just a school’. We help children like yours become the best they can be and our history is rich in educating young people based on Christian values and service.
John Wesley was as much an educator as a preacher. Methodist involvement in education stems from his passion for education. What Methodism has perhaps most drawn from Wesley’s thinking about learning within formal institutions, is the importance of making them real communities, that have a “family‟ feel to them.
Wesley’s emphasis on Christians caring for each other by encouraging each other to learn more can still be found in the Methodist Church today. “Our Calling says that the Church exists to help people to grow and learn as Christians, through mutual support and care‟.
Some of the key ideas John Wesley had about education:
- Education should promote self-discipline.
- Education should promote understanding and wisdom
- Education should encourage a life-changing encounter with Christ
- Education should encourage living according to our needs and not our wants
- Education should encourage a strong work ethic combined with a powerful sense of service to others
These ideas have been embedded since we began teaching life and leadership skills in 1844. We’re the oldest secondary school in the country and students from many generations of the same families have grown up with us. Many of them stay involved with the school and the friends they make here are friends for life.
But then, most students see us as being more than a school. In their own words, we’re “like a family,” supporting and encouraging them to succeed.
On these pages you’ll discover what we offer today; a spiritual life, high standards of academic education, music, arts, and cultural tradition; a wide range of sporting challenges; hostel accommodation; scholarships for boys and girls; fee subsidies and more.
We’re here to help your children make the most of their potential …in a non-sectarian, but Methodist Christian atmosphere.
Dr Brian Evans
ONZM
BA, Dip Tch, MEd, PhD
Principal / Tumuaki