​​​​​​​Aidan House
​​​St Aidan was sent as a missionary from Iona and when asked by Oswald where he wanted to establish his church, he asked for the island of Lindisfarne within the sight of the King’s castle.  He became known for his evangelism and built churches and schools around Northumbria.  Aidan House was one of the two original Houses (with Cuthbert) established at Lindisfarne College in 1953.

Cuthbert House
St Cuthbert is the most famous Bishop of Lindisfarne and became the patron saint of Lindisfarne.  He was the son of very humble parents and in early life he was a shepherd boy.  He lead a life of great sacrifice and his corpse became a religious relic believed to have healing properties.  As with Aidan House, Cuthbert House was established in the first year of the College’s existence, 1953.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​

Durham House
Durham Priory was home to a community of monks who looked after the shrine of St Cuthbert and cared for all the visitors and pilgrim to the shrine.  The monks were good stewards of the property and brought wealth, security, education and welfare to the region. The youngest of the four Houses at Lindisfarne College, Durham House began as a dayboy house in 1977.

Oswald House
St Oswald was restored to the throne of Northumbria after heathen occupation. He asked for missionaries from Iona to restore the Christian faith and one of those sent was St. Aidan. Oswald was  killed by pagan invaders at the battle of Maserfield and his body was dismembered.  Begun as a dayboy House, Oswald House was named as the third of Lindisfarne College’s four houses in 1974.

​​​​​​​The Good Man window was installed In 2007 as part of a full chapel refurbishment. The concept of the window had arisen from a project undertaken by the late Celia Lashlie in which she travelled around New Zealand encouraging boys’ schools to explore their understanding of masculinity and define what makes a “good man”.  Mr Graham Stewart from Christchurch was commissioned  by Rector Grant Lander to create five stained glass windows depicting the houses of the college and the school values as represented by “The Good Man”concept. The four men depicted in the window are Sir Edmund Hilary, Charles Upham,  Sir Ernest Rutherford and John Rangihau, each of whom is considered to represent different aspects of being a “good man”.

​​​​​​​The values depicted in the window echo the school’s core values of Respect, Integrity, Courage, Kindness, Service and Humility. " Past Rector Grant Lander said "The people selected for the window represent many of his own qualities - the things boys need to aspire to in future. The four men, representing qualities such as adventure, courage and humility, were chosen after consultation with the school's Parents and Friends Association, local iwi, pupils and staff."

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Homage to our Heritage
​​​​​​​The 'DIBBLE' Statues in the College

The College is fortunate to have three significant statues created by world renowned sculptor, Paul Dibble.  These were commissioned by the College Foundation and each unique piece has been designed to represent aspects of the college's culture. The scuptures also highlight the importance of the arts and cultural pursuits in the school.​​​​​​​

The most recent piece is a bronze and Corten steel, seven-piece sculpture  inspired by changing seasons, the various different kinds of arts and great artists both past and present.  A large heart signifying the school's motto Highways in the Heart - has the names of famous artists engraved in it.

The colour of the Lindisfarne blazer is a very distinctive aspect of the College’s uniform and one to which the founders of the College gave great consideration. Before establishing Lindisfarne, Mr Alex Kirkpatrick and Mr R D Brown had visited Scotland as part of a fact-finding journey and had seen the smart young students of Loretto College in Edinburgh. Impressed by the colour of their blazers, they were determined to follow suit but it was a difficult colour to replicate. “Not orange, not red! It must be crimson,” was the instruction given by  Mr Alex Kirkpatrick.

Sourcing manufacturers was no problem as the ‘House of Blackmore’ was already outfitting Hereworth School and Wanganui Collegiate. It was coordinating the correct colour to ensure that the cap, the blazer, the football jersey, and socks, all from different manufacturers, were of the same crimson hue. There was some initial opposition to the brightness of the colour from the wider community but it has now become an integral part of the distinctive Lindisfarne uniform.

Lindisfarne College was established as a boys’ boarding school under the auspices of the Presbyterian Church. This is a connection which remains strong today and the College values its links with both the Presbyterian Church and Lindisfarne Island or The Holy Isle as it is known.  The College’s Māori name Motutapu Kāreti, was chosen to reflect the connection with the Holy Isle as is the case with many of the College traditions.

​​​​​​​Lindisfarne Island is considered to be one of the holiest sites of Anglo-Saxon Christianity and was founded by St. Aidan, an Irish monk who converted Northumbria to Christianity at the invitation of its king, Oswald. St Aidan founded Lindisfarne monastery in 635, becoming its first abbot and bishop. The Lindisfarne Gospels, a 7th century illuminated Latin manuscript was written on the island but is now held in the British Museum. The threat of Danish raids caused the monastery to be abandoned in 875, and the monks fled inland with the body of St. Cuthbert (the sixth bishop), eventually settling at what became the cathedral city of Durham. The College houses reflect this strong connection with the origins of Anglo-Saxon Christianity.

The incredibly successful Lindisfarne College Gala  began in 1957 and was organised by the staff, boys and parents  as there was no Parents’ Association at the time. It was held on the final weekend of the school year and raised the princely sum of £370.

 As part of its intensive fundraising activities, the Parents’ Association decided in 1967 that the gala would become an annual event for the Parents’ Association and it is a highly anticipated community event. Funds raised by the gala have contributed to nearly every major enterprise at the College including the Chapel Hall, swimming pool and the library.

All students of the College contribute to the gala by being involved with one of the stalls. These have varied considerably over the years and in one memorable year, included a gambling game! This was very well supported by the parents and raised a record amount of money but the enterprising student who had promoted the game found himself gated for his efforts!