Hamilton Boys' High School (Māori: Te Kura Tamatāne o Kirikiriroa) is a boys' secondary school in Hamilton, New Zealand and is the largest secondary school in the Waikato region. The school was established as Hamilton High School in 1911 but was later split into separate boys' and girls' schools, with the current school opened in February 1955. Its sister school is Hamilton Girls' High School. The school crest features a lion, sash and star, and bears the motto "Sapiens Fortunam Fingit Sibi" which translates to "a wise man carves his own fortune". The school colours are black and red.
Most of the school's approximately 2400 students are day boys from Hamilton and surrounding townships such as Cambridge, Te Awamutu, and Morrinsville. Around 170 boys are housed in an onsite boarding hostel, Argyle House, which forms one of the six houses into which the school is divided. The boarding house is located on the school grounds, but is essentially a private institution, with students paying approximately $17,000 per year to attend.
In 1999, the school appointed Susan Hassall to head the school. In doing so the school became one of the first boys' schools in New Zealand to appoint a female headmaster.
Contents
Enrolment
Like all previously selective state schools, Hamilton Boys' High School operates an enrolment scheme.
Enrolment was traditionally by academic examination followed by an interview. Alternatively a student might be enrolled if he had a family connection to the school. The school still examines new students but only for the purposes of streaming students.
As of July 2026, Hamilton Boys' High School has a roll of 2,281 students, of which 519 (22.8%) identify as Māori.
As of 2026, the school has an Equity Index of 429, placing it amongst schools whose students have few socioeconomic barriers to achievement (roughly equivalent to decile 7 under the former socio-economic decile system).
Academic
The school offers both the state run NCEA and external Cambridge International Examinations for students to undertake.
Sport
In rugby, Hamilton Boys’ High School has the best record in New Zealand at the National 1st XV. It has also won the international Sanix World Rugby Youth Invitational Tournament more than any other school.
Hamilton Boys’ High School has won the Maadi Cup for rowing eights 11 times, and the Springbok Shield for fours 16 times.
Hamilton Boys' High School competes as part of the Super Eight group of boys' high schools from eight provincial cities in the central North Island of New Zealand. Their 1st XV Rugby team has won the Super Eight Rugby 1st XV competition twelve times, as of 2019.
Houses
Hamilton Boys' High School currently has six houses. All of the day boy houses (all houses except Argyle House) are named after former headmasters of the school.
Tait – Red
Taylor – Green
Wilson – Blue
Steel – Grey
Baigent – Yellow
Argyle – Black
After every House competition, the new scores will be added to the previous scores. The House with the highest number of points at the end of the year gets to have its House name on the yearly House win list. No House has won more than twice consecutively.
Notable alumni
As well as a number of All Blacks and All Whites, the following people are Old Boys of Hamilton Boys' High School:
The Arts
Vincent Burke – film producer
Daniel Gillies – actor
Tony Martin – Australian-based comedian and writer
Frank Sargeson – author
Stan Walker – winner of Australian Idol
Muroki – singer, songwriter & musician
Public Service
Sir Colin Allan – former Governor of Seychelles
Air Vice-Marshal Graham Lintott – Chief of the Royal New Zealand Air Force
The Hon. John Luxton – Cabinet Minister 1990–1999
Dr Shane Reti MP – MP and deputy leader, NZ National Party
Doug Woolerton MP and former President, NZ First
Sport
Craig Baird – multiple New Zealand and Australian motorsport champion
Aled de Malmanche – former Chiefs (rugby union), Waikato Rugby Union and NZ All Black, now playing for Stade Français in France.
Warren Gatland – former Waikato Rugby Union player and coach, coached the Wales national rugby union team from 2008 to 2019, former NZ All Black
Daryl Halligan – ARL football player and TV commentator
Ron Hemi – head boy at HBHS, former NZ All Black
Tawera Kerr-Barlow – former New Zealand national under-20 rugby union team, Waikato Rugby Union, Chiefs (rugby union) and All Black player
Josh Lord – current New Zealand All Black
Scott McLeod – former NZ All Black
Sean Maitland – former New Zealand national under-20 rugby union team, Canterbury Rugby Football Union, Crusaders (rugby union), Glasgow Warriors and current Saracens and Scottish Rugby Union player. Also played in the 2013 British & Irish Lions tour to Australia
David Nyika – boxer
Richard Petherick – current New Zealand Black Stick
Dick Quax – Olympic Games silver medallist, 1976 5,000 metres and later world record holder 5,000m, Auckland City councillor
Sam Rapira – Former New Zealand Warriors player and New Zealand national rugby league team representative
Sevu Reece – current New Zealand All Black
Other
Peter James Bethune – anti-whaling activist