Auckland Grammar School was endowed by then Governor of New Zealand, Sir George Grey, in 1850. Grey made a series of land grants to set up and maintain a grammar school in Auckland that was to be “for the education of all New Zealanders”.In 1869, the School was officially opened by the Duke of Edinburgh in Howe Street with 78 boys on the roll. During the Depression of the 1880s, girls from the Girls’ High School joined the Auckland College and Grammar School as it was then known, mainly out of economic necessity.In 1899, the School once again became Auckland Grammar School, but girls remained on the roll until 1909. Having made several moves throughout its first four decades, the School’s current Mountain Road site was acquired between 1911 and 1913.During World War I, the School embarked upon an ambitious and far-sighted building programme, which included the Spanish Mission style Main Block, listed with the New Zealand Historic Places Trust. The War Memorial was built to pay tribute to those who served and lost their lives while serving in World War I and II.Often referred to as ‘The Grammar Way’, Auckland Grammar School sets its standards very high, demanding excellence across all aspects of daily life.While providing young men with a rigorous education, each young man in turn is expected to pursue excellence in acquiring knowledge and skills while embracing the School’s values. These values – integrity, excellence, respect, courage, pride, commitment and humility – are core to upholding the School’s position and vision of pre-eminence in boys’ secondary education.