This week we get to know Rory Robinson. Rory has been teaching at Māpua School for 5 years, he can be found in Rimu class or behind the guitar supporting Kapa Haka. He is also our resident ICT expert.

When were you happiest?

• For our honeymoon, my wife and I went on a 9 day cruise around Vanuatu and New Caledonia. We got to wear ridiculous clothes the whole time, there were always quizzes on, and the shows that were on every night were awesome!

What was your most embarrassing moment?

• I once presented an assignment in one of my university classes, which was already nerve wracking enough. To make matters worse, once I sat down, I saw that my fly had been open the whole time…

Describe yourself in three words

• Flexible, Dynamic, Enthusiastic. Thanks ProWritingAid.com

What is the worst thing anyone’s said to you?

• My daughter called me a Honky the other day. I think she was trying to call me a donkey, but I can’t be too sure.

Which words or phrases do you most overuse?

• Awesome. It’s a disease, I’m sure of it. I don’t even know I’m doing it. But whenever I’m being observed and I read my transcript, it’s nearly once a minute that I blurt it out.

Who would play you in the film of your life?

• Steve Buschemi. I would have liked to have said Ryan Gosling, but I’ve got to be realistic. Plus I think Steve would bring a good range, and present a well rounded character.

What is your most unappealing habit?

• According to my wife I have plenty. But the one that grinds gears the most is probably when I’m concentrating hard on something, I swish saliva around in my mouth. If I get caught doing it again at home I may as well pack my things and go.

What did you want to be when you were growing up?

• I really wanted to be a Rugby Commentator, I used to play a Rugby video game when I was younger and commentate whilst I was playing. My darling mother told me to pick again, so I landed on teaching. Thanks mum.

Would you choose fame or anonymity?

• Fame. When I was 7, my sister was in a TV show competition about the ‘Girlfriend Magazine’. A film crew came over and filmed the whole family and we got to go bowling. I’m pretty sure I spent every single minute trying to get in the camera shot. Safe to say the final cut did well to avoid me.

What do you owe your parents?

• $20. I once pretended to be my dad and text my mum saying “we should give the boy $20 for his hard work today”. Mum believed the text and I pocketed the $20. I felt guilty, but man the pizza I bought with it tasted great.

What is the worst job you’ve done?

• After I had finished my teaching diploma, I cleaned a music studio once a week for 2 months. It was about 3 hours of hard work for not very much at all.

What has been your biggest disappointment?

• At university I was really keen to learn Spanish. My favourite country in the world was Mexico and was always excited to go there one day. Unfortunately I didn’t put enough effort into it and failed the paper. Me no hablo español.

If you could edit your past, what would you change?

• I’d be more open to all the opportunities that I was afforded during school. Kapa haka, sport, productions, everything and anything. I know I would have enjoyed everything and the experiences would have been ‘awesome’ (I said it again).

If not yourself, who would you most like to be?

• Paul Rudd. Seems like a nice guy.

What is the closest you’ve come to death?

• My dad used to work nights as a truck driver. It was an unspoken rule not to wake him up as he went to bed at 3:00pm during the week. One time I was getting over excited, and despite the warnings of my sister and mother, I continued to be noisy. The ominous footsteps down the hall were enough to make me scarper.

What single thing would improve the quality of your life?

• Time. Time for my family, time for my friends and time for myself.

What is the most important lesson life has taught you?

• Be patient and things will happen.

What is your greatest fear?

• A bit sombre, but I don’t like the thought of being alone. I think this stems from my childhood when my older sister would pretend I didn’t exist. Thanks sis.

What is your earliest memory?

• Being dressed up as Dopey from Snow White to accompany my sister to a book character day.

What is your most treasured possession?

• I have an extremely precious Inuit and Walrus Statue which I inherited from a cousin's house. Every single person in my family thinks it is hideous and thinks it is bringing our family bad luck.

If you could bring something extinct back to life, what would you choose?

• The Haast’s Eagle. Imagine seeing one of those flying above your house!

What scares you about getting older?

• My children calling me names like ‘boring old fogey’.

Which book are you ashamed not to have read?

• Silmarillion. I’m a massive Lord of the Rings fan, and I’ve tried to start the Silmarillion a bunch of times but never got through it.

What is your guiltiest pleasure?

• Tight pants.

What did you dream about last night?

• My lovely children don't very often give me the chance to reach a dreamlike stage of sleep. Bless them.

What has been your closest brush with the law?

• Being a massive Rugby fan, I was ecstatic when New Zealand was hosting the World Cup in 2011. My favourite team at the time was Italy, which was awesome because Nelson was hosting Italy. I went to both of Italy’s games at Trafalgar Park. The first game I was so passionate that I stripped down and painted myself fully blue and covered myself with my own Italian flag. The police saw me doing this and were adamant that I was gearing up to streak the pitch…

Tell us a secret

• My mum thinks I’m cool, but she’d deny it if you’d ask her.