Thursday 2 July 2026
On Thursday 11 June, the Phillips’ Society and the King’s College community were incredibly privileged to host Dan Carter, one of New Zealand’s most accomplished, and influential sporting figures.
Dan spoke to students and staff members in depth about a wide range of topics, ranging from his adolescence to the struggles faced through his sporting career. Additionally, Dan spoke during our ‘Spirit Week’, an important week on our calendar that led up to our annual rugby fixture with Auckland Grammar School - there wasn’t a better time to host him.
Dan’s dream began in a very small town within Canterbury called Southbridge, which had only about 600 residents at the time. It was during the 1987 Rugby World Cup, at five years old, where he realised he had a dream to play rugby and be an All Black. Growing up in such a small town meant Dan had rarely stepped outside of his comfort zone. He first recognised pressure when playing his last year of college rugby at Christchurch Boys’ High, an unfamiliar feeling that was bound to show up in his future, given his career path. Dan lived by the quote “pressure is a privilege”, which changed his approach towards uncomfortable situations, and allowed him to be acquainted with the pressure of “having the weight of a country on your shoulders.”
As Dan learned to live with the pressure, he was faced with heartbreak. Just a day out from his first ever captaincy, Dan tore his adductor during a captain's run, from the same kicking action he had done thousands of times. Although this sent him into a dark place, he would mentor the younger players and the inexperienced leaders all because he lived by the All Black value that “no individual is more important than the team.” Dan also stressed the importance of processing these painful experiences and accepting them before moving on - a key stage that can be dismissed.
This hardship also helped to shape one of the most prestigious careers in history. Dan has won the Rugby player of the year three times and has twice been a Rugby World Cup champion as well as our leading all time points scorer: a career that was nothing short of memorable.
None of this, however, would have happened if Dan didn’t do what he loved; If he hadn't followed his dream since he was five years old; if he hadn’t pushed past pressure, injury or failure. In finishing what he loved, he was left a bit lost and confused but also wanting to make an impact after his retirement. For him, this impact was setting up the DC10 fund, a fund focused on providing safe water, sanitation and hygiene for children in the Pacific, where rugby was booming. This fund has raised over $2 million and helped thousands of children benefit from his programmes - a true act of giving back that has changed lives.
Dan’s talk was phenomenal, and the school would like to thank him again for the time he took to inspire students to follow their dreams, whether that requires accepting pressure as a gift, not falling to setbacks, or giving back to the community. Everyone in the audience left the auditorium with new lessons that can be applied to their own lives.
Jonty Batchelor (Year 12, Greenbank) Phillips Society