| Nelson College | |
| Motto | Pietas Probitas et Sapientia (Loyalty, honesty and wisdom) |
| Type | State single sex boys secondary (year 9-13) with boarding facilities |
| Year established | 1856 |
| Address | Waimea Road, Nelson |
| Coordinates | |
| Principal | Gary O'Shea |
| School roll | 1062 |
| Socio-economic decile (10 is highest) | 7 |
| Ministry of Education Institution no. | 294 |
| Website | www.nelcollege.school.nz (requires plug-in) |
Nelson College is a boys-only state secondary school in Nelson, New Zealand. In addition to the secondary school it runs a Preparatory School for year 7 and 8 boys [1], and it also hosts boarding students. The current headmaster is Gary O'Shea, who replaced Salvi Gargiulo at the end of Term 3, 2006. A team from Nelson College took part in the first game of rugby played in New Zealand, against the Nelson Rugby Football Club on May 14, 1870 at what is now known as the Botanic Reserve, Nelson. Each year its rugby team plays against Christ's College, Wanganui Collegiate School and Wellington College in a rugby tournament called the "Quadrangular", which began in 1925.
Notable alumni
- Ernest Rutherford, 1st Baron Rutherford of Nelson (Nobel Prize, Chemistry)
- Sir Wallace (Bill) Rowling (Prime Minister of New Zealand)
- Sir Geoffrey Palmer (Prime Minister of New Zealand)
- Don McKinnon (Deputy Prime Minister, now Commonwealth Secretary-General)
- Simon Mannering (New Zealand Rugby League International)
- G. F. J. Dart, Headmaster of Ballarat Grammar School 1942-1970
