In the early 1960s a group of Christian parents recognised the increasing need for a Christian school in Hamilton. It was not until May 1982 that this dedicated group established Hamilton Christian School, which opened with nine children. Located on Cate Road, the new school shared buildings with the Open Air Campaigners.
The school gained registration in May 1983 and has continued to grow steadily.
In 1988 the school was blessed with the current four hectare (10 acre) property. The first four-classroom block (B) was completed at the beginning of the Third Term. Later, a smaller block (A) was built, in time for the 1990 school year. This included an office area for administration, a new classroom and the staffroom.
A second four classroom block (C) was built in time for the 1992 school year and included a fully equipped science laboratory.
A new principal’s office was built for the 1998 school year. The school gained full registration as a Combined Primary and Secondary School in March 1998.
During 1998, construction started on a new classroom block (D) to meet the blessings of a growing roll, particularly for secondary school places. Sir Michael Hardie Boys, Governor General of NZ at the time, officially opened D block on 25 May 1999. D block featured three classrooms, a technology room and a music suite.
To properly cater for the continuing growth of the secondary school roll, three new classrooms and a senior science laboratory (T block) were built and ready in time for the 2002 school year.
Major improvements were made to the school’s car parking facilities in 2002, and also saw the addition of changing rooms and tuck shop/kitchen facility. The large shade structure and the new senior student’s toilet block were completed in 2003.
During 2003, God’s gracious leading and provision directed the Board to build the Library/Classroom Complex, which was completed in early 2004. The new complex features a spacious library, two classrooms, a large multipurpose room, and an audio-visual suite.
Later in 2004, construction started on a new twin classroom block (E), which was completed for the start of 2005. At this same time the second section of the shade structure was completed. Then, at the end of 2005, new car parking facilities were completed for an additional 50 cars. This was sealed in 2006.
The school’s section of Cate Road was renamed “North City Road” and a new street number allocated “4”.
In 2006 a re-locatable building was sited behind E Block to cater for increased secondary school options.
2007 saw the remodelling of the administration area, relocation of the staffroom and computer room, completion of a further two classrooms for E Block, the arrival of another re-locatable building (S5), and a new hard-court area. New changing rooms were placed in 2008, and our front gateway and the music suite were upgraded in 2009.
S Block and the central grassed areas underwent renovations in 2010. A new exit door was added to the multipurpose room in 2011, along with enhanced security lighting for the car park. A container for sports equipment and several heat pumps were also installed.
As our school continues to develop, we see God’s hand on the growth of Hamilton Christian School over the years. We thank Him for His guidance as we continue to seek His will for the school.