The school is named after St Peter Chanel, who was a French Marist priest killed on the Pacific island of Futuna in 1841.

It resulted from the amalgamation of two schools, St Joseph's College for Boys (founded in 1945) operated by the Marist Brothers and St Bride's College for Girls which had been established in 1898 by the Brigidine Sisters.

The College, which is located on the old St Joseph's College site, became an Integrated School in November 1981.

It is owned by the Wellington Archdiocese with the Archbishop of Wellington being named as its proprietor in the college's integration agreement with the New Zealand Government.

This New Zealand school-related article is a stub.