History of St Hilda’s

ST Hilda’s Collegiate School takes its name from St Hilda (614-680AD), the first abbess of Whitby Abbey. She is considered one of the patron saints of learning and culture. St Bede described St Hilda as “a woman of great energy; all who knew her called her ‘mother’ because of her outstanding devotion and grace”.

The school was founded in 1896 by Samuel Tarratt Nevill, the Anglican Bishop of Dunedin. Bishop Nevill was committed to the church’s role in education, and the Sisters arrived from England to establish the school in what was described as ‘a venture of faith’.

The Sisters, Geraldine and Etheleen, were the first leaders of the school. The Sisters ran the school until 1931, when they were recalled to England. Miss Dorothy Blackmore was the first lay Principal of St Hilda’s.

At first, St Hilda’s was situated at ‘The Grange’, in Leith Street. However, as the school roll grew, larger premises were needed, and in 1900 the school moved to its current site on Cobden Street. In the early years, schooling was offered from kindergarten right through to the senior school, and boys could attend in the junior school. Over the decades, the school buildings have changed significantly, and none of the original buildings remain. A period of growth in the 1960s saw the addition of Tolcarne Boarding Residence in Tolcarne Avenue, a new classroom block on Cobden Street and a new Chapel. In 1979, St Hilda’s became an integrated school of 290 students, of whom 130 were to be boarders.

St Hilda’s has grown in size and new facilities have been developed over the past few decades. The school is committed to ensuring a positive, optimum learning experience for every student. The school’s values of Be You, Can Do, Better Together, and Explore Faith reflect the traits that have existed at St Hilda’s since the school’s founding 125 years ago.