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Feilding High School is a co-ed Secondary School (Year 9-13) in Feilding, New Zealand.
In 1919, 20 acres was purchased on North Road. On this land in 1921 a brick building of four classrooms and a chemistry laboratory was erected. This was the birth of Feilding Technical High School, latter named Feilding Agricultural High School.
The founding of the school is celebrated annually on Commemoration Day in March.
In September 1931 Mr Tolley died. He was the real force behind the establishment of the school and a scholarship is available to past students in his name. Scroll down to see further information on Mr Tolley's driving force.
First Headmaster Dr. Wild, the first headmaster of FAHS held degrees in science and the arts. He was also a prominent geologist and had been a lecturer in chemistry at Lincoln and at one time been on the staff of Christchurch Teachers' College.
Motto and Crest The school motto "Kia Toa Kia Ngakaunui" was given to the school by Sir Hector Booth, one of the founders of FAHS - Feilding High School. Translated from Maori this motto means "Have Courage, Desire Greatly". Our crest was gifted by Sir Peter Buck (Te Rangihiroa) in 1922. The Huia feathers represent chieftainship and honour.
School Council The School Council is operated by the students, for the students. It was the first of its kind in New Zealand, paving the way for students to have a say in school issues across the country. The student council is responsible for the allocation of funds for the school's many clubs. The School President and Vice President are voted in annually by staff and students.
Name Change Feilding Agricultural High School was renamed in 2000 to FAHS - Feilding High School to acknoweldge our agricultural heritage and reflect our growing diversification.
Farms Feilding High School is proud to have two farms, Manawanui and Ngakaunui, used for teaching. Both farms are run in conjunction by the farm manager. Students who take Agriculture courses at Years 10-12 are rostered onto Farm Duty which involves working on the farms throughout the day for 2 days a week. Students carry out the daily tasks required to run the units: assisting with the running and cleaning of the robot milking system, setting up break fences to control grazing on the 3 way grazing system that the robot system , rearing calves, docking, drenching, crutching, shearing, and fencing. etc Owning farms and offering hands on aspects of Agriculture courses is one of many significant points of difference that Feilding High School has to to offer. The introduction of a DeLaval VMS (Voluntary Milking System) robot has added a new dimension to the history of the school. When introduced in October 2016, Feilding High School was the first school in the Southern Hemisphere to have adopted this amazing technology.
Manawanui is an 81.3 ha sheep and cattle farm on flat to steep hill country on the outskirts of Feilding. The dairy herd from Ngakaunui is wintered/summered on Manawanui and returned just prior to calving.
Ngakaunui is a 16 ha dairy farm adjacent to the school on Churcher St. Presently it is carrying 60 Friesian cows and we are now milking all year with split calving. Students on farm duty start their day here at 8am to assist setting up the break fence for an 8am gate change, clean the yards and from there continue with the daily tasks of the season. It is run in conjunction with Manawanui, where replacement stock are raised, supplements made and the dry cows carried after drying off through to calving.
Boarding School L J Wild House is named in recognition of the school's founding headmaster. In 1922 Dr L J Wild founded Feilding Agricultural High School, the hostel and farms with the vision of providing quality education for rural based students in the wider Manawatu District. He was regarded in the 1930's and 40's as one of New Zealand's foremost educators. Dr L J Wild was headmaster of the school from 1922 – 1946 LJ Wild House is a co-educational boarding house which caters for approximately 180 students. Facilities include: Girls Accomodation (Matatahi, South Wing, McKinnon and Francis House) Boys Accomodation (School House and Rangitane House) Digital Technology Suites Study Centre School Library Recreational Facilities (Fitness Centre, Full-size Sports Turf, 25m Swimming Pool, Gymnasium and Sports Fields
Rugby players Mitchell Crosswell and Nick Crosswell Sarah Goss, Black Fern, NZ Women's Sevens, Manawatu Cyclones XV and 7s representative Aaron Smith, All Black, Highlanders and Manawatu Turbos representative Codie Taylor, All Black, Maori All Black, Crusaders and Canterbury representative Adam Whitelock, Crusaders and Canterbury representative George Whitelock, Crusaders and Canterbury representative Luke Whitelock, Crusaders and Canterbury representative Sam Whitelock, All Black, Crusaders and Canterbury representative
Harry Tolley Mr Harry Tolley was born in England in 1867 and came to New Zealand, as a young man, with his parents about 1893, from Tasmania. He went into farming in the Apiti and Kimbolton districts. He then moved to Palmerston North where he started a seed cleaning business with Mr G. Kidd in 1898. Later Mr A.J. Palmer joined the firm, and three years later MR J.R. Hodder took over the business interests of Messrs. Palmer and Kidd, they then traded under the name of 'Hodder and Tolley'. The flour mill of Messrs. Chamberlain Brothers, at Feildidng, was purchased by the firm, with Mr Tolley moving to Feilding to assume control. From 1903 - 1905, while residing in Palmerston North, Mr Tolley held office on the Borough Council, not re-standing for re-election. He was also on the Feilding Borough Council from 1907-1911, and also a member on the Chamber of Commerce Committee, and for a term occupied the Presidential Chair. The late Mr Tolley had not been in Feilding very long before he distinguished himself as one of the town's most prominent businessmen, but his greatest public work was undoubtably in connection with the establishing of the Feilding Agricultural High School. He will be chiefly remembered in Feilding for his work in connection with Feilding Agricultural High School. From the year 1913 onwards the story of Mr Tolley is the story of the foundation of the School. Feilding had come to the decision that an Agricultural High School was its chief educational need and at a public meeting a special committee, namely, the old Technical School Committee, was given the task of persuading the authorities to have the School established. The first chairman of the Committee was not keen on the agricultural bias, and scarcely helped towards Feilding's ideal. He left the town and not long afterwards Mr Tolley was elected Chairman of the Committee. From that date he gave up practically all his other public activities and interests and devoted himself to the work of getting the Agricultural High School established. He was supported by members of his Committee, but these gentlemen would be the first to say that it is to Mr Tolley almost wholly that Feilding is indebted for the foundation of one of the most important educational institutions in New Zealand. The Agricultural High School having been established in 1921 the newly elected Board of Managers appointed him as Chairman and he held that position until his death on September 12, 1931. (Ten years). In his purely business career, Mr Tolley always manifested an interest in Municipal Politics. He was twice President of the Feilding Chamber of Commerce, first in 1908 and again in 1915. During his stay in Palmerston North, Mr Tolley was a member of the St. Paul's Methodist Church, and took an active part in the work of that congregation, being a local preacher and for some years leader of the Young Men's Bible Class. He continued during his residence in Feilding to be an active member of the Methodist Church and in his public and private life earnestly endeavoured to practice the percepts of his belief. He was a practical man of vision, a rare type of citizen. His chief personal characteristic was probably tenacity. He was a successful businessman and also engaged in farming in Hawke's Bay with his sons. There are left to mourn his passing his widow and three sons and four daughters. The sons are Messrs. Cliff and Howard (Pahiatua) and Richard (Palmerston North), while the daughters are Miss Frances Tolley (a missionary teacher in Suva), Mesdames Nairn (Halcombe), Coleman (Taumaranui) and Miss Merle Tolley, Feilding.
Dux of School 2010 Ross Tompkins