Year: 1947 - 1952
Occupation: Businessman

Jack came to NZ at 13 and unable to speak English when he started at WHS. But he worked hard and topped his class each year. In 1958 he took over the near bankrupt family business and turned it around in 9 months He then introduced springs rolls as a snack food to NZ before starting his own business. Firstly a small corner shop which he grew into a highly successful business by lowering profit margins and involving customers in purchasing decisions. He went on to own a major supermarket, invest in property and then opened Chan’s down by Chaffers which he finally closed when he retired in 2007. Today he is part owner of the Bolton hotel and regularly accosted in the street by old customers who want to talk.

Year: 1947 - 1951
Occupation: Maori leader & Maori All Black

Ihakara Porutu Puketapu has excelled in two careers, the first as a path breaking senior public servant, the second as an inspirational leader in community and economic development. His first career began as a probation and welfare officer, after which he served for a the States Services Commission, becoming Assistant Commissioner and was then Appointed Secretary of Maori Affairs. His innovations include Hui Taumata, Kohanga Reo movement and the Tu Tangata (stand tall) programme, Kokiri, or community based training centres, reforms of the Maori Land Court, important programmes for the development of Maori assets, and the encouragement of Maori to join the public service and fill significant positions there. The most visible accomplishment was the exhibition Te Maori, which brought Maori art and New Zealand’s wider culture to international attention. In 1983 left the public service and helped establish and became Chief Executive Officer of Te Runanganui o Taranaki Whanui Ki Te Upoko o Te Ika a Maui, a health provider, manager of customary fisheries, broadcaster and trading organization. He chairs the Te Aroha Hutt Valley Association, the Waiwhetu Marae and Kohanga Reo, leads the Hauora a Iwi Trust for regional Maori health services, has served on the boards of Hutt Valley Health and Quality Hotels New Zealand, and was responsible for an updated version of Tu Tangata. A Wellington rugby representative and Maori All Black, Kara has coached the Wainuiomata Rugby League team to a national title, chaired the Te Aroha league club when it won the Wellington championship, and is currently working to establish a sports academy.

Year: 1946 - 1950
Occupation: Typeface Designer

In 1962 Joseph started his freelance practice ‘Advertising Art Studio’s’. which grew into Churchward International Typefaces, and, at one point, New Zealand’s largest typesetting firm. In 1969 his first break-through in the commercial application was an original design typeface ‘Churchward 69’, designed specifically for Woolworths supermarkets advertising. To date, Churchward has handcrafted over 600 original typefaces and his letter designs feature on billboards, record sleeves, newspapers, and in digital media all over the world. In 1971 he was awarded seven merit prizes in the American Lettergraphics International Design Competition and in 1984 a Silver award in the Japanese Morisawa Award Type Design Competition. The Kling­spor Museum of typo­graphy and calligraphy in Germany lists Churchward amongst the world’s most eminent typographic artists. In 2008, a special exhibition was set up for his art at the Museum of New Zealand?, Te Papa Tongarewa, in which they have also acquired a selection of his works; and a biography on his life and work was published early in 2009. He also received the New Zealand Design Institute’s ‘John Britten Award’ for lifetime achievement. Joseph has published a book of his designs and recently gave one to the school library – the Librarians came running across the library to see it as it is so sought after.

Year: 1946 - 1949
Occupation: Entrepreneur & Inventor

At Wellington Tech, Barrie undertook an engineering course in which he revelled. He says it him set up with for skills for life. He went on to get a grounding in economics, and spent several years farming during which he obtained an agricultural diploma at Massey College. When television began, he developed a repeater system that included 37 trasmitter stations so back country Taranaki got TV long before NZBC supplied the service Following on from that he developed the Electronic Dog Training Aid – which was featured on Country Calendar at that time. He established a manufacturing facility initially in the little village of Awakino and went on to market the Training Aid worldwide. Numerous other farming products followed. In the 1980’s he established New Zealand’s first and subsequently the largest thick film microcircuits manufacturing facility- Precisionmicro. Thickfilm technology is used wherever high reliability is required, such as in space satellites and heart pacemakers. Circuit elements are physically printed on to thin ceramic sheets and then fired at high temperatures to form working electronic modules. When he started, Thickfilm technology was not known to be suitable for high temperature applications. However raw research and development, normally undertaken only by large multinationals, yielded a dream result in a relatively short time. This was largely due to an Barrie’s intelligent initial choice of raw materials – a measure of native instinct and good luck – which combined to produce working prototypes within just two years. Now Precisionmicro is supplying the larger NZ manufacturers, but the majority of the microcircuits are exported China. Barrie has won innovation and manufacturing awards for his inventions. He says “At 78 I am not particularly interested in retiring. Having too much fun. Thanks for the great years I had a Wellington Tech. Loved Mechanics, failed English! – Poor old Max Riske.

Year: 1944 - 1946
Occupation: OBE, FNZIA Architect, Yacht designer and Olympian

Hal began private practice as an architect in 1959. In the 1980’s Hal was a member of the governmental Building Industry Advisory Council. In 1987 he was awarded Fellowship of the NZIA to mark his contribution to architecture and the institute. He served two terms as the councillor of the Borough of Eastbourne. All his life Hal has been a keen yachtsman. He served on many committees of Yachting New Zealand (YNZ), and elected President in 1989. In 1998 he was awarded the ISAF Gold medal and individual life membership. As an ISAF International Judge and Umpire, Hal officiated at more the 50 major international or World championship regattas. Hal raced yachts until 2009, winning national, South Island and North Island titles along the way. He also designed yachts. His designs have won most of NZ’s centreboard-boat national events and many New Zealand and overseas keel-yacht trophy races. The Dorling-Kindersley ‘Encyclopaedia of Yachting’ (1989) listed Hal among the world’s top designers. In 1994 Hal was awarded membership of the NZ Olympic order in recognition of outstanding service to the Olympic movement.