Yesterday we celebrated Neil and thanked him as a school for his incredible input as our Principal over the last 14 years. Liz Ussher from the Board of Trustees shared a beautiful speech with the support of Rachel Stanton. Unfortunately due to level 2 restrictions you, our parent community were unable to attend and hear this speech. Please see what the Board of Trustees had to say about Neil below.

Kia Ora Koutou Katoa

My name is Liz Ussher and this is Rachel, we’re two of the parent representatives on our School Board. Today we stand here representing the full board and I’d like to say it is an honour to be here doing this.

Now I’m stepping into some very large boots here and public speaking isn’t something I feel that comfortable doing but Neil, I do this for you and I hope I do it justice.

From my perspective, today is definitely not a sad day but one for celebration as we celebrate YOU Neil and recognise all that YOU have done for Mapua School and all of our tamariki and the many that have gone before them.

This is no small thing.

Neil, we celebrate you as our leader. Rangatiratanga.

You have led this school for 14 years.

Being a leader in a school and within education is a very special and vital role.

We, the school board and wider community charge you with setting a path, forming the vision and then stepping back and allowing people to try, to innovate, to succeed, but also to fail, and to learn along the way.

A good leader guides and listens and like good people they have substance over style, and they show and expect, respect.

Neil, you have been all of this and more and we are very lucky to have had you as our leader.

We celebrate you for our common unity and purpose. Kotahitanga.

He aha te mea nui o te ao
He tangata, he tangata, he tangata

What is the most important thing in the world?

It is the people, it is the people, it is the people

What an amazing team of staff we have here!

Each one of them goes above and beyond what is expected of them.

They all are passionate about what they do.

They all care so much about the school and the tamariki.

Neil, you are someone who has always valued everyone who works alongside you. You are someone that has trusted in the abilities of each one of them and allowed them to grow.

You have built this team and we thank you for this.

We celebrate you for your knowledge and understanding. Maramatanga

You have worked tirelessly, and I mean tirelessly, for the betterment of this school and all our tamariki.

Hauora, or well-being is paramount to you.

You care about people and it shows.

It’s true that only when people have strong hauora, that they can truly grow.

Through the nurturing our children get at Mapua School we see them flourish as awesome individuals and to ‘Be All They Can’

Your door has always been open to everyone.

I am sure there are plenty of times when you’ve really been wanting or needing to get on with other pressing matters, but you never ever let that show. You’re a great listener, and you remain calm and considered always.I among many others, have valued learning from you. You have always given a balanced perspective, one that is based on research and vast amounts of experience and we thank you for this.

We thank you for caring about what happens to every single child and for your passion and commitment to Mapua School.

We celebrate you for building our sense of belonging. Whanaungatanga

Neil, the stand out memories of many are:

· Hand delivered birthday cards to each and every child.

· Your bunny suit and Easter eggs – an annual tradition!

· You at the school gate to regularly welcome and farewell students and parents alike

· You at the school crossing ensuring our students are safe and an opportunity to speak to community members that you may not otherwise see.

· I don’t think I ever expected to see secondary school students coming back to visit their primary school on their teacher only days. But I have seen this time and time again and it is welcomed here. This is testament to the strong sense of belonging these students have.

These memories along with many others are what have developed a wonderful and unique school culture.

A culture that celebrates each person as an individual – this isn’t just the children – it’s the staff and the families beyond.

It helps make everyone feel part of something bigger, something they will always be a part of, something that gives them lifelong memories and fuzzy feelings.

Neil, we thank you for this.

We celebrate as a board

That you leave us in a very good position to now move forward under a new leader.

You do leave a pair of extremely large boots to fill, but it’s with a green meadow and flowers to pick along the way and not a swamp to wade through in those big boots and on behalf of all the board we thank you for this.

Finally and most importantly I feel. We celebrate you getting the chance to live life a little slower.

We celebrate you getting the chance to relax.

To breathe.

To spend more quality time with those gorgeous girls of yours, your lovely wife and your family and friends beyond.

You finally get time to finish building that pool of yours.

To re-discover old passions such as your artwork and to explore new ones whatever they may be.

We are all happy to see this happen for you.

You deserve it!

To show that we all continue learning, among others that I reached out to in my quest to do this speech the justice it deserves. Whaea suggested that I end with a whakatauki - which is a Maori proverb or a saying that has a message.

I learnt a lot from my research that followed. Each one is able to be interpreted in so many different ways. I love this!

I also learnt that I still have work to do on my decision making and so I leave you here today with not one but two!

Neil the first is about you as a person:

Kaore te kumara e korero mo tona Ake reka.

In English this translates to: ‘the kumara does not boast of how sweet it is’.

Neil, this is you to a tee! You are a kumara!

Like the kumara that isn’t flashy on the outside, you’re happy to slide by under the radar and let others shine in the spotlight.

BUT, the kumara has played a vital role in New Zealand’s history since the first pacific voyagers brought them here. It’s a crop that people have fallen back on in times of drought and war.

Now by this I’m not meaning you are old but you have played a key part in Mapua School’s history and more than that you have been vital and reliable in the hard times. You are someone that has been there to nourish and support all people.

Finally, when you bite into the kumara what a surprise!

You wouldn’t believe how sweet it is.

You are like this Neil.

You have so many wonderful qualities – you are dependable, sweet, kind hearted and generous to everyone. Just like the kumara.

The second whakatauki is:

He manu hou ahau he pi karere

This translates to “I am a fledgling ready to take flight”

This struck a cord for me as I feel this relates to a few aspects relevant here today:

It relates to you Neil, in your role as an educator, and I will add that this goes well beyond your years at Mapua School. You have helped nurture and guide the way for thousands of children to enable them to one day take flight and choose their own path. Neil we thank you for doing this so well.

It also relates to what you are doing here today for the school, but this time your role is that of a parent. You have worked tirelessly often with no gratitude shown, in both the good times and the bad. You have nurtured and guided the school and now like the parent, you are releasing it onto its next stage of life.

I want to acknowledge here that while, yes, there must be a little bit of excitement about the freedom it will allow give you, there must be other strong feelings and emotions as you adjust to your changed role. Neil, please know I speak on behalf of everyone, that we are here for you as your community and your friends to support you during this process.

And finally, Neil, you are also like the fledgling about to take flight. It is a new stage of life ahead for you. An exciting but also scary one and we, like parents are both sad to see you leave us but excited for what the future holds for you beyond this safe nest. Neil, it’s time for you to spread your wings and fly a new path, but rest assured we’re all here supporting you along the way.