Our School Shield
The most important, defining, treasured, and truly “iconic” symbol of Rotorua Boys’ High School is our historic School Shield. This is proudly displayed on our uniform, sportswear, the school letterhead and stationery, e-mail, school badges, our website and social media accounts, vehicles, and buildings. It is the principal visual symbol of our school that immediately – and uniquely – identifies “us” as Rotorua Boys’ High School.
The School Shield is also an early, successful, and very effective example of a bicultural symbol in New Zealand.
The four English heraldic symbols, which are depicted in the three quarters and at the centre on a heraldic shield, were the first five features of the overall design to be chosen. These features were chosen by the pupils in 1915, but it was not until 1927 that the School Shield (as it is shown here) actually came into effect as a design. It has not been changed since then.
The central shield with its four English heraldic symbols on it and the Motto Scroll were given their colourings in 1927. The red, black, and white colourings for the Māori Head were not finally determined and then implemented until 1991.
There are seven key features in total which together form our School Shield:
The Heraldic Shield – This is a traditional English heraldic device, and it was chosen by the pupils in 1915. The shield itself derives from medieval times, when it formed part of a knight’s armour in battle. His coat of arms was later displayed on the shield to identify his family’s lineage or ancestry (whakapapa).
The Open Book – This is a traditional English heraldic symbol, and it was chosen by the pupils in 1915. This symbol is representative of knowledge, wisdom, learning, and of education.
The White Rose – This is a traditional English heraldic symbol, and it was chosen by the pupils in 1915. This symbol is the badge or emblem of the royal House of York, a cadet branch of the House of Plantagenet, which ruled England from 1385-1485.
The Lion – This is a traditional English heraldic symbol, and it was also chosen by the pupils in 1915. This symbol is representative of strength, courage, honour, the determination to never to give up, and to overcome adversity.
The Crown – This is a traditional English heraldic symbol, and it was chosen by the pupils in 1915. This symbol represents the Sovereign, His Majesty King Charles III, his Ministers and Government – referred to as “the Crown” or the Executive – in his Realm of New Zealand. A crown is representative of royal majesty, of authority, status (mana), and of leadership.
The Māori Head Tane Raukura – This uniquely New Zealand symbol proudly identifies and symbolizes the School’s long and special relationship with our Mana Whenua, Ngāti Whakaue, of Rotorua. He acknowledges their gifting, under the terms of the Rotorua Township Agreement of 25 November, 1880, of the land – which includes the site of our school – for a new town, the Town of Rotorua, to be established on the Pukeroa-Oruawhata Block and the five “Local College and Grammar School Endowments”, which are now known as the Ngāti Whakaue Education Endowment, created as part of the first survey of the new town made in 1881. At the express wish and request of H. Tai Mitchell, who was a Foundation Governor of the Rotorua High School Board of Governors in 1926, Tane Raukura was added to and placed atop the centre of the heraldic shield in 1927. His position there indicates the high value – and the mana – that our school gives to this relationship. In 2020, this symbol was officially given the name Tane Raukura.
The Latin Motto Ad Astra Per Aspera – This is our school’s original Motto. It was officially adopted, as the Motto for the Rotorua High School, in 1927. It translates in English as “To the stars through the rough.” Since 1980, the Latin word Aspera, meaning “the rough”, has been interpreted to mean “hard work.”
