Takapuna Grammar School is a decile 10 secondary school located in the suburb of Belmont

Belmont, Auckland

Belmont is an Auckland suburb. The name, which means "good view or hill" derives from a farm estate called "Belmont" subdivided in 1885.The population of the "Seacliffe" statistical area, which is substantially the same as Belmont, was 3,297 in the 2006 Census, an increase of 162 from 2001...

, North Shore City, Auckland

Auckland

The Auckland metropolitan area , in the North Island of New Zealand, is the largest and most populous urban area in the country with residents, percent of the country's population. Auckland also has the largest Polynesian population of any city in the world...

, New Zealand

New Zealand

New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...

. Established in 1927, TGS currently has a roll of around 1600 students from the North Shore. It serves many communities such as Bayswater, Belmont, Devonport, Takapuna and Milford. The current principal is Simon Lamb.

History

The foundation stone of Takapuna Grammar was laid on 6 April 1926 with the school opening officially in 1927. Takapuna Grammar School was the first co-educational school under the auspices of the Auckland Grammar Schools’ Board, and established its own Board of Governors in 1955. The school retained the Auckland Grammar Lion and the motto “Per Angusta Ad Augusta” (“Through endeavour to greatness”).

Development

In the 2000s, a $6.4 million ministry-funded three-stage upgrade began at TGS. The three-level building houses social science classrooms, a new library, and student service and social support centres were completed in the second term of 2009.

Notable alumni

• Simon Poelman
  Simon Poelman
  Simon Poelman is a former New Zealand decathlete, who has been described as New Zealand's best ever all-round athlete. His personal best of 8359 points is still a New Zealand national record. This was set at the national athletics championships in Christchurch 1987...
  
   - Decathlete
• Sir Peter Blake
  Peter Blake (yachtsman)
  Sir Peter James Blake, KBE was a New Zealand yachtsman who won the Whitbread Round the World Race, the Jules Verne Trophy – setting the fastest time around the world of 74 days 22 hours 17 minutes 22 seconds on catamaran Enza, and led his country to successive victories in the America’s Cup...
  
   - yachtsman
• Finn Andrews - songwriter/musician
• Howard Charles Clark
  Howard Charles Clark
  Howard Charles Clark, F.R.S.C., F.C.I.C. is a Canadian chemist and university administrator.Born in Auckland, New Zealand, Clark was educated at Takapuna Grammar School and received a Bachelor of Science degree in 1951, a Master of Science degree in 1952, and a PhD in 1954 from the University of...
  
   - academic
• Danny Morrison
  Danny Morrison (cricketer)
  Daniel Kyle Morrison is a former New Zealand cricketer . He specialised as a pace bowler with a useful outswinger. He made his test debut for New Zealand in 1987 at the age of 21 against Australia....
  
   - cricketer
• Paul Hitchcock
  Paul Hitchcock
  Paul Anthony Hitchcock is a New Zealand cricketer. In 2008 he was recalled into the Black Caps team. The recall only lasted a game and he did not return for the 2008/09 season. He currently plays cricket for the Auckland Aces.-External links:...
  
   - cricketer
• Gary Hurring
  Gary Hurring
  Gary Norman Hurring is a former swimmer from New Zealand, who won the gold medal at the 1978 Commonwealth Games in the men's 200 metres backstroke...
  
   - swimmer
• Bert Sutcliffe
  Bert Sutcliffe
  Bert Sutcliffe MBE was a New Zealand Test cricketer. Sutcliffe was a successful left-hand batsman. His batting achievements on tour in England in 1949, which included four fifties and a century in the Tests, earned him the accolade of being one of Wisden's Five Cricketers of the Year...
  
   - cricketer
• Stephen Tindall
  Stephen Tindall
  Sir Stephen Robert Tindall, KNZM is the founder of New Zealand retailer The Warehouse, and of the Tindall Foundation.He attended Takapuna Grammar School and has a Diploma of Management from the Auckland Institute of Technology....
  
   - entrepreneur and founder of The Warehouse
• Gin Wigmore
  Gin Wigmore
  Virginia "Gin" Wigmore is a New Zealand singer-songwriter. In 2009, she featured on the single "Brother" by Smashproof, which reached #1 on the RIANZ singles charts for 11 weeks. In 2009 she released her debut album Holy Smoke...
  
   - singer/songwriter
• Pippa Wetzell - television presenter
• Juliette Haigh
  Juliette Haigh
  Juliette Haigh is a professional rower. Haigh was in the New Zealand Women's Pair from 2004 to 2008 returned to the event and partnered Rebecca Scown in the boat....
  
   - Rower
• The Checks (band)
  The Checks (band)
  The Checks are a New Zealand rock band formed in 2002 that are well known for their brand of blues-driven and high-energy rock, similar to contemporaries such as The Hives and fellow New Zealanders The Datsuns, and are at the forefront of the North Shore/Devonport sound, along with Brain Slaves,...
  
   - musician
• Hon Bruce Cliffe
  Bruce Cliffe
  Bruce Windsor Cliffe is an international business man and a former New Zealand politician. He was born in Auckland, and attended Takapuna Grammar School.-Member of Parliament:...
  
   - Cabinet Minister
• Brad Johnstone
  Brad Johnstone
  Bradley Ronald Johnstone , known as Brad Johnstone, is a former New Zealand rugby union footballer and a current coach...
  
   - All Black
• Marty Johnstone
  Marty Johnstone
  Christopher Martin "Marty" Johnstone was a New Zealand drug trafficker. The former Takapuna Grammar pupil was dubbed "Mr Asia" by the Auckland Star newspaper in August 1978 in a series of articles by Pat Booth.-Murder:...
  
   - (mr asia)murdered drug dealer
• Jacko Gill
  Jacko Gill
  Jackson "Jacko" Gill is a shot putter from New Zealand.At the 2010 World Junior Championships in Athletics, he won a gold medal in the shot put...
  
   - Shotputter
• Gary Cunningham - All Black

Head Students

• 2011 - Andrew Coshan and Hannah Brightley
• 2010 - William Godfrey and Amelia MacDonald
• 2009 - Bruno Offner and Vivian Hsu
• 2008 - Hanafi Zwart and Claire Sorrenson
• 2007 - Michael Tidbury and Victoria Woods
• 2006 - Rob Fenton and Dana Avram

External links

• Official school website