Rowing

Physical Education teacher Henry Smith is head coach for College’s rowing programme. As a former New Zealand rower, from 2003–2008, Henry achieved a world university rowing medal. He has coached three winning Maadi crews, including a historic Springbok U18 four and a record-breaking U17 eight, at the New Zealand schools' regatta.

Mathematics teacher and rowing coach Tony O’Connor emigrated to New Zealand in 2004 and is now enjoying his third stint at Christ’s College.

From Dublin, Tony is a former world champion and Olympic finalist. He was on the Irish national team for nine years and spent two years coaching the national team. Last year he coached Old Boy Sam Bosworth (coxswain) and the New Zealand’s men’s eight to gold at the Tokyo Olympics.

Tony says rowing requires total commitment – “you learn a lot in the classroom, but you learn a lot on the river, too. You learn how to lose, and that can teach you more than winning.”

At the time he joined the police in 1984, Malcolm McIntyre also started to coach rowing. First, at Westlake Girls High School, Auckland, and since then wherever he has been based.

Malcolm has coached girls' age groups from U15 to U18, and boys' U16 to U18 Maadi Cup crews. He has also coached New Zealand Universities and New Zealand U23 crews and, more recently, high-performance rowers from all around the world who come to New Zealand for intensive training.

After leaving the police four years ago, Malcolm now coaches full-time in summer and repairs and prepares boats during the winter.

Andrew Taylor took up rowing with the Union Rowing Club while studying in Christchurch for his PhD. He was swiftly drafted to coach the new rowing team from Avonside Girls' High School, taking them to their first Maadi Cup regatta in 1988 – coincidentally the first year that Christ's College won the event. Andrew continued to row and coach, both school and university crews, as his life journeyed around the world: Canterbury (UK), Adelaide (Australia), Durham (UK), Canterbury (again in the UK) and eventually back to New Zealand initially with St Margaret's College and, for the last decade, at Christ's College.

His more diverse rowing background includes meeting his wife while undertaking sea trials on the Hellenic Navy warship, Olympias; a 170 oared, 40 tonne, 42 m long replica of an ancient warship with a ram on the front. Honeymooning up the Thames River on a Victoria camping skiff was a highlight, something his Durham School Boat Club boys readily adopted as a Duke of Edinburgh Gold Expedition option.

Liam is a PE & Health and Wellbeing teacher, along with being an Immerse & Inspire tutor, and an U16 Rowing coach at College.

Originally from Whanganui, Liam rowed throughout secondary school and for a year while at the University of Canterbury. He began coaching Rowing at College in 2019 while studying for a Bachelor in Sports Coaching, majoring in Physical Education, and a Postgraduate Diploma in Teaching and Learning. During his first three seasons with College, Liam was the assistant coach of the U15s. For two of those years, the College U15 top eight crew won the South Island Secondary Schools Regatta but, unfortunately, did not race at the Maadi Regatta because of Covid-19. Liam is currently coaching the U16s, along with Henry Smith.