This is a statement which I wrote for our recent school newsletter:

 "Kia ora koutou katoa

Warm greetings to you all

Some of our school community have already heard the news that just over the week ago, I informed our Board of Trustees of my resignation as Principal of our school. While this has come as a surprise to some, it has been in my thinking and planning ahead for many months. 

I have been very privileged to be the Principal of Papakura High during a period of tremendous expansion and growth. Not just in numbers, but also in our school culture, levels of academic achievement and in the overall perception of our school in the wider community. Along with the rest of our staff, I can honestly say that we have much to be proud of. 

The Board of Trustees will be starting the process of recruiting a new principal for our school very shortly. This will be a very exciting time for our school. I have every confidence that there will be a strong field of applicants for the role, and that the successful candidate will work very closely with the school’s leadership team, the whole staff and the Board of Trustees to build on the school’s progress and move the school forward for the next phase of its development. 

After five years (the full time at high school of a “generation” of our students) it is time for me to move on to new challenges, and also to return to my home town of Otautahi- Christchurch, where my whānau is based. My departure is not only the end of my time as educational leader in this school, but it brings to a close over 40 years of working in varying roles in schools around the country. I have been very fortunate to have had a senior role as a Head of Faculty at Hamilton Boys’ High School for some years, as well as Assistant Principal at Lytton High School in Gisborne, Deputy Principal at Melville High School in Hamilton and Principal at Aranui High School in Christchurch for ten years before taking up my current role here in Papakura. I have treasured my love of teaching  and in the five schools in which I have been professionally active, I have always been looking to learn new things about teaching and learning. 

I have been contacted by many individuals since the announcement of my departure from Papakura High, and I have deeply appreciated all the kind messages I have received. It has been very difficult to make the decision to leave the school which I love and the community which I feel very much part of. I will miss my colleagues and students very much. However, there comes a time for all of us when we know we have given our best, and then it is time to move over for a new individual, with fresh energy and vision, to take over the reins. As I still have a number of months before I leave, can I assure you all that the next few months are very focused on the achievement of our NCEA students in particular, and that this message to you is not yet goodbye!

Ngā mihi mahana ki a koutou katoa"