Wellington College Foundation

The Wellington College Foundation was established in 1989 to provide long-term sustainable financial support for the teaching, learning, and capital improvements of Wellington College.

The vision of the Wellington College Foundation is to keep the special character of Wellington College shining bright today and for future generations. Your gift makes this vision a reality and you become part of this legacy that ensures every student has the opportunity to learn, participate, and achieve during their time at Wellington College.

Receive The Light and Pass It On

Leave A Gift in Your Will

Thank you for passing the light. Your gift to the Wellington College Foundation creates a lasting legacy that will live on in future generations of Coll boys. The importance of your generosity cannot be overstated. You are providing the light that will guide boys, staff, and families through good times and challenges. Because of you, the Foundation will have the ability to provide opportunities to every student who spends their days learning, participating, and achieving at Wellington College.

To ensure your gift has lasting, long term impact, it will be carefully managed in perpetuity by the Wellington College Foundation, in accordance with best practice ethical investment. The principal of your gift will never be used. It will be continually reinvested. Ensuring the enduring power of your generosity.

An agreed percentage of the interest earned from the Fund, that your gift is part of, will be provided annually, as an operational grant, to Wellington College. This grant will be used across the core priority areas of:
• Learning support and opportunities for our students.
• Wellbeing of our students.
• Arts opportunities for our students.
• Sporting opportunities for our students.
• Capital projects.
• Development opportunities for our teachers.

Careful management ensures your gift lasts forever and becomes part of the legacy of Wellington College. You have committed a truly selfless act of receiving the light and passing it on.

Thank you for your generosity.

Mark Clare

Chair, Wellington College Foundation

For more information about leaving a gift in your Will download our Pass The Light booklet

Support Our Current Campaigns

FAQ

We have provided some frequently asked questions to help guide you.

Pass the Light recognises and honours those who have committed to leaving a gift in their Will to the Wellington College Foundation, offering them special acknowledgment, event invitations, and updates on the impact of their generosity.

Your Will is a personal reflection of your life, values, and the people and causes you care about most. It allows you to decide how your assets—whether a home, car, investments, or personal belongings—are distributed. Gifts in Wills provide long-term financial security for organisations, helping to sustain their mission and vision for future generations. Your Will offers a unique opportunity to continue helping others, even after you’re gone.

Gifts in Wills left to Wellington College are invested in the Wellington College Foundation, which is governed by a dedicated Foundation Board. The Board manage the funds wisely in strict adherence to all ethical and legal obligations including charity laws and accounting practices. An agreed percentage of the interest will be provided annually to the school and used across:

  • Learning support and opportunities for our students
  • Wellbeing of our students
  • Arts opportunities for our students
  • Sporting opportunities for our students
  • Capital projects
  • Development opportunities for our staff.

When planning your Will, you need to seek expert legal advice to ensure that your instructions are legally binding and easy for your executors to administer. Your lawyer will keep a signed copy of your Will for you. You will also receive your own copy to keep in a safe place along with your other legal, financial, and personal records.

You can leave a gift to the Wellington College Foundation in several ways: a specific amount of money or percentage of your estate (a pecuniary gift), a particular item such as property, artwork, or shares, or the residue of your estate after other gifts and expenses have been settled. A residuary gift is especially valuable, as it maintains its relative worth over time, ensuring lasting support for the Foundation’s work. This is the type of gift we encourage supporters to consider, as it upholds their intended impact for future generations.

Thank You

Thank you for considering the ultimate gift as a member of Pass the Light. If you would like to discuss this further or arrange a face-to-face meeting, please contact our Advancement team, Pam Francombe Phone (+64) 027 2169282 Email p.francombe@wc.school.nz

Pam Francombe

Advancement Team

Rebuild The Terraces

The whole school coming together as a family is very important. With nearly 1900 students the only place we can be together as one is on our Terraces. These humble steps are a symbol of unity for the boys who walk the halls and grounds today and for our boys of the past. They are a place of great joy and pride as we cheer on our sporting teams, give back to the community during run-a-thon, enjoy friendly competition and banter during house events, and honour the contribution of our year 13 cohort. At times the Terraces have been a place of reckoning where we have had to face the consequences of poor decisions. They are a quiet refuge on a sunny day, to sit, and eat lunch with friends. They have been the backdrop for promotional photos, wedding photos, school photos, and even a successful proposal of marriage! They are the constant of tens of thousands of boys’ time at Wellington College.

Our Terraces are not looking their best right now. The brickwork and steps are crumbling. The west bank is described as being in poor condition and is undermined by an underwater stream with insufficient drainage. The steps are too narrow to navigate safely. It is now time for us to give back to our Terraces and rebuild them to their former glory. Your support today will help rebuild the Terraces.

International Donations

We are so grateful to have generous WC Old Boys and friends around the world. To help you support the College you care deeply about the Wellington College Foundation has partnered with Chapel & York to accept international donations. This partnership allows you to support Wellington College with tax-effective donations from the USA and UK. Your gift stretches further allowing us to accomplish even more together.

We remain committed to providing an easy donor experience and will continue to communicate what is happening here at the College and the positive impact of your generous support.

If you have any questions or concerns about this, please do not hesitate to contact Karla Paotonu, Director of Advancement, at k.paotonu@wc.school.nz or 0274528058.

You may also speak to the Executive Director of the Chapel & York US Foundation, Kevin Smith, info@chapel-yorkusfoundation.org, or the Executive Director of the Chapel & York UK Foundation, Kurstin Finch Gneham, info@chapel-yorkukfoundation.org

We are excited about this new partnership and hope you are too.

Please contact us anytime you wish to discuss your support for Wellington College.

Karla Paotonu

Director of Advancement

Meet our Foundation Trustees

The control, management and conduct of the affairs of our Foundation are vested in the Foundation Trustees. The Trustees comprise of:

  • Cameron Harland – Wellington College Board Chair

  • Ted Thomas – WCOBA President

  • Mark Clare – Foundation Member
  • Andrew Allan – Trustee

The Foundation Trustees meet regularly to review overall progress on the goals of the Foundation.