Welcome from the Housemaster
I have been teaching in some form or another for the past 20 years.
Until 2017, that teaching was all outside the classroom, and included SCUBA instruction, study-abroad adventure programmes, university tutoring and field courses, and postgraduate student supervision. Most of that teaching was just a part of life as a marine biologist, and I spent 2010–2017 working around the world, investigating the responses of coral reefs to climate change. After noticing that the best parts of my week were always the times spent teaching and mentoring students, I made the switch to secondary school teaching while living in the Cook Islands in 2017. And I have not looked back.
Since moving to New Zealand in 2018, I have also developed a passion for the outdoors, tramping, and mountaineering. I re-established the Venture Group as a summer sport option at Christ's College in 2019. I have also organised numerous Duke of Edinburgh trips for boys completing their Gold and Silver Hillary Awards. I still get out into the Alps whenever time and weather permit. My wife, Anita, a school primary teacher, and I have three young children, Sam, Charlotte, and Sophie.
Dr Tom Hawkins
Housemaster
Welcome from Head of Somes House
I am excited to take on a leadership role in Somes House in 2026.
When I joined the House in 2022, I immediately felt a strong sense of community as the then Year 13 students welcomed me with support, jokes, and friendship. I look forward to upholding this House culture and supporting the boys, building a strong sense of community and encouraging everyone to get involved and give their best in all areas of College life. Somes House is an extremely welcoming place where boys can feel comfortable, make long-lasting friendships, and help shape their future.
Jack Howard
Head of House 2026
House Staff
Nikki Bleyendaal
Mentor
Nikki Bleyendaal
Mentor
Nikki has relished being part of the Drama Department in a variety of roles over the past decade, and now brings her skills and experiences to her role as the Assistant Director of Drama. Whether she is teaching in the classroom, coaching Theatresports, facilitating the Sheilah Winn Shakespeare Festival or directing productions, Nikki always revels in the joys and challenges provided by the dynamic and collaborative world of the Performing Arts.
She directed the junior plays, Puffs (2024) with Shannon Small, and Rainbow’s Ending (2022), and co-directed Peter Pan for the 2023 senior production. She also works as a Teaching Artist at The Court Theatre, was a director for Original Scripts Theatre School, and has directed and performed with the Top Dog Theatre Company for over a decade, notably at the Isaac Theatre Royal as Dogberry in Much Ado About Nothing, and most recently as Buckingham in Richard III for their outdoor Summer Shakespeare. Nikki’s other roles at Christ’s College include coaching as a Head of Teaching and Learning, and a mentor in Somes House.
House booklet
History of Somes House
Somes House is the sixth dayboy House at Christ’s College. It was opened in 2000 with an intake of 32 boys, 16 of whom were in Year 9. Some boys moved from other Houses while others who came to College at various other year levels were also included.
It was decided to call the House “Somes” in recognition of Mrs Maria Somes, second wife of Joseph Somes, Governor of the New Zealand Company and an English member of Parliament. It appears that Mrs Somes was persuaded by the Bishop-Designate, Thomas Jackson, to purchase a land order in England from the Canterbury Association in memory of her husband. She gave the land order to Christ’s College and when the lots for the land were drawn, John Robert Godley and William Guise Brittan selected two pieces of land. The first was a quarter-acre town site adjacent to the Port of Lyttelton and the second was 50 acres of what was then rural land on the edge of Lyttelton. These lands are the basis on which the Somes Scholarships and Exhibitions continue to be awarded annually and, until Mrs Somes died, reports were sent regularly to England about the holders of the Scholarships.
The Somes House symbol is a fouled anchor — an anchor with a rope twisted around the shank, and comes from the arms of Sir Joseph Somes.