We are proud to announce that we are the first girls’ school in New Zealand to be accepted into the Round Square Global Network, marking another incredible milestone for Iona College as we strengthen our commitment to Empowering Girls For Life.

We join three other high-achieving New Zealand Special Character schools, King’s College, Whanganui Collegiate, and Christ’s College, on this inspiring and transformative Round Square journey for our students and community.
 

WHAT IS ROUND SQUARE?
 

Round Square is a worldwide network of 280 schools in 50 countries dedicated to enhancing Special Character education and experiential learning. Our membership will connect Iona with this global community of like-minded schools, providing authentic opportunities for our students to grow into courageous, compassionate, and globally minded young women and future leaders.

Round Square schools collaborate around six themes – the Round Square IDEALS – of Internationalism, Democracy, Environmentalism, Adventure, Leadership, and Service

During our first two years as a candidate school, students will gain immediate access to Round Square international conferences, exchange programmes, collaborative service projects, and leadership initiatives — all grounded in the above ROUND SQUARE IDEALS. These opportunities are designed to foster courage, understanding, teamwork, confidence, and purpose — qualities that align with Iona’s own values and Graduate Profile.
 

WHAT’S NEXT?

Over the coming weeks, Iona will:
• Appoint a Round Square Coordinator
• Introduce a Round Square Prefect role to lead Round Square initiatives from 2026

Parents are encouraged to follow Round Square on Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn to explore the global community we are now part of.

We thank Deputy Principal of Student Support, Stephanie Russell, for leading the working group on our Round Square application, as well as all the supporting staff and students who contributed to the evaluation process. We look forward to this Round Square partnership enriching so many aspects of our students’ Iona journey.

During our initial candidacy period, the school will also work to fully embed the Round Square Ideals and culture into the curriculum, AKO, and our extracurricular programmes as we progress towards full membership.



Roundsquare.org                                                                  #RSIDEALS #RSLeadership #RSAdventure #RSConferences

Article added: Thursday 13 November 2025