Farewell speech

Tēnā kōtou katoa

Ki a Raki e tū nei, ki a Papa e takoto nei, tēnā kōrua (Mihi to Ātua)

Ki te mana whenua Ngāi Tūāhuririri, e mihi ana ki a koutou (Mihi to Mana whenua)

Tēnā tātou kua huihui mai nei (Mihi to those gathered)

Ko Tākitimu te mauka whakaruruhau

Ko Ōreti te awa

Ko Annette tāku wāhine

Ko Claire, rātou ko Tom, ko Julia āku tāmariki

Ko Paige tāku mokopuna

I whānau mai au ki Waihōpai (I was born in Southland )

I tipu ake au i Te Kohurau (I grew up in Kurow).

Kei Ōtautahi tōku kainga ināianei. ( Christchurch is my home now).

Ko Tīpene Fraser tōku ingoa

He Tūmuaki Tuarua ahau ki Te Kura o Ngā Tamatane o Ōtautahi.

He takata tiriti ahau.

Nō reira, tēnā koutou, tēnā koutou, tēnā koutou katoa

My pepeha – it feels strange to stand here on the last day of my teaching career and my last formal day at CBHS and deliver a full pepeha for the very first time.

But in a short space it tells my story – where I came from, where I stand now, my family and who I am.

I sent greetings to Raki and Papa, to the Ngai Tuahuriri people who lived on this land long before the Deans family, and to all of you gathered here today.

You may have picked up the words Takitimu, Oreti and Waihopai which tell that I was born in Invercargill (on Mother’s Day, as it happens, and I kept reminding Mum I was her best present ever) and spent time in Te Koherau or Kurow as you might know it.

Most asked Question – so you know Richie McCaw then?

My Answer – No, but I knew his grandparents!

And, finally, that I stand here as Deputy Principal of this “School of the Boys of Christchurch”

I also did it in honour of the “first four” - not the First 4 ships that brought English colonists to Christchurch but the four boys who wanted to learn te reo in 2002 when I arrived here. The Headmaster of the time showed remarkable insight, or maybe a flawed view of things, when he said to me – “You’ve taught at Aranui High. Maybe you can arrange a teacher for these boys.”

So I pulled some strings and our first teacher of te reo here was Te Huaki Puanaki, son of Tihi and Wiremu who both taught with me at Aranui.

Te Huaki left an impression, not only as a teaching tutor to those boys. He wrote and gifted us the words and actions of our own school haka.

Next year, those 4 will have grown in number to nearly 300.

To the boys

Be a committed learner all your life – Always being open to learning, both at school and outside of it. In my life I have learnt:

• respect when I worked in the family store at Kurow, (there’s that Richie Mccaw question again),
• practical skills as roofing contractor during school holidays (the Aoraki village A frames near the Hermitage – I point them out to Yr 12 Geographers as a project I worked on 50 years ago),
• discipline and self-management during 5 years as a part-time soldier in Territorials,
• the value of hard work over 5 summers working as a presser on shearing gangs in Southland. I’m still proud of the 18 sheep I shore one day when a shearer was injured and left me his gear for the day – not sure how proud the sheep were though?

Be a good and honourable person – surround yourself with good people and be wary of those who will lead you astray. Join a team, a cultural group, a music band – anything to keep you busy. Remember it is a small world – the boy you give a hard time to today may end up being your boss tomorrow. I recall the Year 10 girl who, on my first day teaching at my first school, told me forcefully to “F… off, you’ll never last in teaching.” Yet here I am 44 years later, finishing a career that has brought me joy and fulfilment. The irony was that, 20 years after that remark, she arrived at CBHS to enrol her son. She didn’t recall the incident – but I did!!

Be happy for those who succeed – like those who will cross stage today and, more importantly, try to emulate them (Tim Bateman - Senior Monitor 2005 – talked at Leavers dinner of his previous school (he came here in Year 11) where boys and girls going up for prizes and awards had sniggering comments made behind their backs. He loved it here at his first assembly in 2003 when a boy getting recognised for a Maths award was applauded and the boys Tim was sitting beside made really positive comments about how bright he was.

Always be Brave and ready to help and Serve others – good deeds are always rewarded, be they at home, in the playground or in the community. I love the 5 seconds of courage message that we talk about here at CBHS. Know when your mates need someone to talk to. Be prepared to listen. Have the courage to help when you see someone in trouble.

To the parents

Thank you for supporting your sons to come to this school, for being here today and for supporting the school and its staff.

Raising children and educating teenagers is a difficult vocation, and one we need to do together.

I have relished my years as a teacher and working alongside parents, but even I was a bit taken aback when a colleague reported on a boy who was causing a lot of trouble at school and we reached out to the parents. Their reply was:

“You discipline him at school, we just want to be his friend.” Now that didn’t end well.

Boys, in my words to you there are a few key ones that stand out for me:

Commitment, Bravery, Honour and Service – say them to yourselves, picture them in your minds, work out what links them, listen for them in the years to come.

Watashinonamaewa Steve de, kyoshidesu.

Je m’appelle Etienne, et je suis un professeur

Ko Tīpene Fraser tōku ingoa

He Tūmuaki Tuarua ahau ki Te Kura o Ngā Tamatane o Ōtautahi.

Nō reira, tēnā koutou, tēnā koutou, tēnā koutou katoa