Earlier this term we welcomed Mr Luke Kemeys back to his old school to speak at assembly.  Mr Kemeys attended PNBHS from 2001-2005 and was in Albion Club. 

In introducing Mr Kemeys, the Rector commented that his reports from throughout his time had excellent attitude grades. Another thing that was commented on was Mr Kemeys' excellent attendance record throughout his five years at Palmy Boys’. Mr Kemeys was involved in the school’s co-curricular programme, playing football and indoor cricket during his time here.

On Mr Kemeys’ testimonial, Mr Drake wrote, “…an able, pleasant, diligent young man. Very well-motivated and will achieve his goals,” while Dr Smith wrote, “Luke will do well at whatever he chooses.”

And that has certainly been the case. Since leaving school, Mr Kemeys has become a chartered accountant and is the Director of a market-leading accounting and advisory firm, Next Advisory based in Auckland. He is also one of the founding members leading a community of people called ‘Boys Get Paid’ within the horse racing industry.

‘Boys Get Paid’ is New Zealand’s biggest ever Punters Club. Luke provides leadership for one of New Zealand’s most engaged Facebook Group communities with over 17,000 members with a focus on Horse Racing and giving the younger generation an insight into the industry.

Mr Kemeys has also set up ‘Keep the Change’, an organisation that helps people improve their financial literacy.

He is an active speaker, both on an online platform and at events. He has a passion for Men’s Health, starting the ‘Big Boys Breakfast’ hosted on International Men’s Day, designed to get everyday men talking about everyday issues that we all encounter during life.

Mr Kemeys used his experiences at school and beyond to highlight some important messages for our young men.  He recounted long school days catching the bus to school from Dannevirke on a daily basis and how this set him up with good habits for the future.  He highlighted the importance of attendance at school and in life in general – show up.  When things get tough, as they inevitably will, dig in and make sure you continue to show up.

Mr Kemeys highlighted respect and punctuality as two key attributes that are often overlooked but are incredibly important for success in life.  He spoke about his time at PNBHS helping him to develop these qualities and encouraged our young men to do likewise.

He emphasised the importance of applying yourself and doing the best you can in any situation,  Mr Kemeys explained that when we face setbacks the best response is to stay consistent in our attitude and effort so that we can make progress.

Practice is important if we are to achieve the things we want to.  But we need to be deliberate in our practice.  Make a plan and work hard to improve.  Mr Kemeys used his own development as a public speaker as an example to support this message.

He also gave encouragement that “whatever you choose to do, stick to the things you are interested in” as this makes it easier to keep showing up.  Alongside this was a but – also recognise that there are things in life we don’t enjoy but need to do anyway if we are to be successful.  We need to make sure we show up and make the necessary effort with these things too.

Mr Kemeys emphasised that some of the things you do at school will not become relevant until later on.  He talked about the habit he has developed of picking up at least one piece of rubbish each day – set an example for others – and the good habits will extend into other areas of your life.

Mr Kemeys concluded with some financial advice.  He explained the journey he went through in setting up Keep the Change (https://www.keepthechange.co.nz/ ) when he had to keepshowing up and putting in the effort for the first three years before his followers grew and he began to attract sponsors.  He had a message about the importance of starting saving and investing as soon as you can – the earlier you start the more you will make.  He explained the importance of compounding - $100 invested every month will become $400,000 by the time you retire and you will have contributed less than $50,000.  He also offered encouragement to get into KiwiSaver as early as possible.

After assembly, Mr Kemeys presented to our Level 3 Business Studies and Accounting classes.