3 minute read
Welcome home
Cathy Kirkman and her team of duty deans are all part of the family at Innes House, Diocesan’s boarding facility, which Cathy has managed for the past five years.
History of Innes House
Boarding first started at Diocesan School for Girls in 1903, with dormitories originally located in the main school house, and later expanding to include other buildings.
After boarding facilities were closed in 1984, a group was formed to establish a small, independent boarding facility in a Clyde Street villa bought by Dio alumnae Margaret Tapper (Innes) and her mother Doris Innes (Inglis).
Innes House opened for boarders at the start of 1988, with an additional two-storey building added four years later. Further expansion over the years increased it to the 57-bed boarding facility it is today.
Innes House, which is a quick twominute walk from School, caters to Years 7-13 students and offers daily, weekly, monthly and annual boarding options.
The facilities are available 24/7 during term time, and students have the option of staying in over the weekends, depending on their sporting and extracurricular commitments.
A day in the life of a boarder
Innes House also offers non-boarding students the chance to experience boarding, with girls encouraged to come and stay for a couple of nights to see if it would suit them and their families.
“Boarding appeals to those students who have a lot of sporting and extracurricular activities after school,” Cathy says. “It means they’re not having to travel home after evening practices and events, often for long distances.
“It provides a more relaxed schedule for both the girls and their parents, and they can get more out of the activities the School has to offer.”
Emma Cunningham and Eve Finlayson, Head boarders.
are expected to make their beds, do their own laundry, keep their rooms tidy and clean up after meals – just like at home.
“As with all families, there are chores that need to be done and Innes House is no exception,” she says. “But they still have fun!”
Breakfast is at 7am during the week, and all girls are expected to do homework after dinner, with younger students in bed – with devices handed in - by 9.30pm.
Lifelong friendships formed
Some students struggle with inevitable homesickness to start with, says Cathy, but she always pairs new starters with a senior student to help smooth the transition process, and ensure a warm, compassionate introduction to boarding life.
“For a lot of girls, boarding may be the first time they’ve spent any time away from home and feeling homesick is only natural,” says Cathy. “But once they settle in, they realise they’re meeting lots of new people and having a different experience. “Girls form lifelong friendships here – the bonds they make tend to go the distance in life.”
The global COVID pandemic has had an impact and several students from China haven’t seen their families since 2020, with border restrictions limiting travel both in and out of the country. Cathy says they kept Innes House open during all exeat weekends and holidays last year, and arranged homestays over the summer holidays for those girls who weren’t able to return home.
Eve Finlayson
Seventeen-year-old Head Boarder Eve Finlayson comes from a dairy farm near Kamo in Northland. Being an hour’s drive from the nearest school meant boarding was always going to be the easiest option for her and her family.
A competitive hockey and tennis player, Eve is busy with sports practices and matches during the week. Living just across the road from School means transport isn’t an issue.
“I’ve developed a great sense of independence in the five years I’ve been at Innes House,” she says. “I’ve learnt self-management skills and it’s great being able to organise my life the way I want it.
“I’m really grateful for the lifestyle I grew up with. I miss my family and being able to walk around the farm, but I love being in Auckland – there’s so much going on here.”
Innes House staff Cathy Kirkman, Sam von Melville and Orini Hahipene
