St Paul's chairman Denis Wood explained that the board had been charged to revitalise the school and reconnect with the local community. "Kieran has helped St Peter's build up an enviable reputation. We are sure he has the knowledge, the expertise and the gravitas to make our school attractive."
St Paul's former principal, Mark Rice, had resigned, so the appointment was "an obvious thing", Mr Wood said.
Mr Fouhy's challenge will be to rebuild the school roll, which is now 260 but could reach 1000, to lift achievement, and to encourage local parents to send their sons there.
Most of the school's pupils come from South Auckland, and only 20 per cent live nearby.
Mr Fouhy, who is married to a teacher and has five daughters who are also teachers, said he hoped to use what he had learned from teaching in boys' schools his entire career to help St Paul's.
"Parents of boys want their sons to be good men," he said. "In my mind, character trumps achievement. And if you've got good character in the student body, you've got good achievement."
He was extremely proud of his time at St Peter's, particularly of some of the initiatives he had introduced, including all boys taking music, and the requirement for each student to do a service outreach.
But he doesn't expect to cut-and-paste the St Peter's model to his new school.
"There are some things that will be the same - you need routines, structure, rituals of belonging - but this is a unique school with its own history," he said. "I don't know much about it yet but I do know it has potential."
Thoughtful, eloquent and passionate, Mr Fouhy lights up when talking about what more can be done for boys' education in New Zealand.
He said that with declining male achievement rates and high levels of male suicide, the country "sorely needed" good boys' schools.
"You need depth - sports, music, academia. There needs to be purpose to why we are at school; it's not just to get extra credits. That's why I like the Catholic model; it doesn't discount human potential, it's about more than just ticking boxes."
A recent sabbatical to Harvard University in Massachusetts had taught Mr Fouhy more about equity, which he had tried to achieve at St Peter's by refusing to have a zone, and by its commitment to taking students from across the academic spectrum.
He hoped he would be able to transform St Paul's into a school that catered for its community, as he didn't think importing students was sustainable.
Mr Fouhy's appointment will coincide with a $7 million classroom redevelopment to be done by 2017.
5 things learned from a life in boys' schools
1 To be successful, you need to enrol families, don't just enrol kids.
2 Have a single gate. That way you can meet each student as he comes in for the day.
3 It's important to gather each morning. It helps to create a sense of belonging.
4 University Entrance is a key indicator of success, whether or not students go on to university.
5 Boys never ask for help, they act for help.
- Kieran Fouhy
