What you can expect at St Peter's
1. A distinctly rural ambience. Established in 1936, St Peter’s Cambridge is now one of New Zealand’s leading co-educational schools. Today’s modern campus is truly magnificent - a forty-hectare domain of mature trees, colourful gardens and multi-use sports fields, with original buildings designed in the architectural style of an English country estate. Several new complementary buildings, including modern classrooms and extra-curricular facilities, have recently been added.
2. Education with inspiration. At St Peter’s, every student is respected, challenged and inspired. Our solid education foundation (Motto: Structa Saxo - Built on a Rock) quality staff and our first-class facilities for education, performing arts and sport combine to ensure that all students can discover and fully develop their academic abilities and their individual talents, creativity, intellectual and athletic.
3. Body, mind and spirit. St Peter’s offers all students an integrated education based on our school’s holistic commitment – embedded by our founder in 1936 - to enhance the whole person, body, mind and spirit. Emphasis is placed on the promotion of respect, tolerance and integrity within a friendly, caring community. At all times, we encourage inquiry, curiosity and independence. It is a relaxing environment that is conducive to good learning. Teachers are friendly and students find it easy to participate.
4. An inclusive community. Students at St Peter’s come from every walk of life - from the largest cities and smallest towns in New Zealand and from around the world. They are drawn to a school with a proud record of high academic achievement and a worldwide reputation for excellence in education. Our performing arts and sporting facilities are among New Zealand’s finest and most modern.
5. Home away from home. Our boarding school is the second largest in New Zealand with accommodation and amenities of the highest standard. Of the school’s 1050 students, approximately forty-five per cent are boarders, mainly New Zealanders, but we’re also welcoming a growing number of students from other countries. At St Peter’s, boarders form enduring friendships and share experiences that will be remembered for the rest of their lives.
6. A school for the world. St Peter’s offers education on a global scale. We offer the International Baccalaureate Diploma programme to Year 12 and 13 students. The IB Diploma is recognised by all leading world wide universities. We also offer some Cambridge International exams and New Zealand’s NCEA qualifications including scholarship.
7. Everyone’s a winner. St Peter’s students are accomplished and extremely competitive in a number of sports, notably equestrian, tennis, golf, rugby, soccer, hockey, netball and rowing. The school boasts a first-class golf academy, a leading gymnasium with excellent facilities, and several quality sports fields. Being a neighbour to Waikato’s successful thoroughbred breeding industry, we have one of the best equestrian training centres of any school in New Zealand.
8. On stage – live! St Peter’s is widely recognised for its excellence in music and the performing arts. From our magnificent auditorium, on any day, strains of music – whether orchestral, jazz, choir or contemporary rock and pop - are likely to be heard permeating the country air. Behind the scenes, preparations could also be under way for a new production, a dance performance, theatre sports, Stage Challenge an upcoming debate, poetry reading or chess tournament. The strength of the curriculum and extra curricular programmes sees more than half of the students involved in instrumental tuition.
9. Central Waikato location. The picturesque campus at St Peter’s is located in the heart of the Waikato province, where the main industries are dairy farming, horticulture, tourism, thoroughbred horse breeding and education. We are just five minutes from the busy Cambridge town centre; fifteen minutes from the major city of Hamilton, home to Waikato University; ten minutes from Hamilton International Airport; and just over an hour from Auckland, New Zealand’s largest city.
10. Close to the action. The naturally diverse landscape of the Waikato region provides opportunities for a wide range of outdoor adventures and sports. St Peter’s, is just a fifteen-minute drive from Lake Karapiro, venue for the 2010 World Rowing Cup; twenty minutes from Maungatautari Eco Mountain, a natural heritage environment; forty minutes from Raglan’s west coast beach, so popular with the under-20s for its beach culture and especially its world famous, left-hand break for surfers; one hour to Mount Maunganui, rated one of New Zealand’s top five beaches; and two hours to ski fields.