New Zealand - Nelson - Nelson College - Form 3 - 1980 Do you have more information about the school or the people in this photo? Please use the comment section below to share. To search for other photos from this school, please type the schools name in to our search engine. Nelson College - Established 1856 - Nelson College is the oldest state secondary school in New Zealand - It is an all-boys school in the City of Nelson that teaches from years 9 to 13. In addition, it runs a private preparatory school for year 7 and 8 boys. The school also has places for boarders, who live in two boarding houses adjacent to the main school buildings on the same campus - In 1876, the first inter-College rugby match in New Zealand was played between Nelson College and Wellington College - On 7 December 1904, the College was almost completely destroyed by fire - In the 1929 Murchison earthquake, the main building of the College was once again severely damaged, although only two boys were injured