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Principal's Report

Ms Elizabeth Koni, Principal —

Tēnā koutou, Malo e lelei, Tālofa lava, Bula vinaka, Good afternoon.

As we come to the end of Term 1, it is timely to reflect on a term which, thankfully, has provided opportunity, learning, challenge, success and hard work. At our Excellence Assembly a few weeks ago I shared an anecdote from a book called Authentic Happiness which tells the story of the author's pet lizard who wouldn't eat. No matter what it was offered — fruit, pork, dead flies — the lizard refused. But then one day its owner tossed a newspaper down on top of a ham sandwich. The lizard pounced on the newspaper, shredded it to pieces, and devoured the sandwich beneath it. “Lizards have evolved to stalk and pounce and shred before they eat,” the author writes “So essential was the exercise to the life of the lizard that its appetite could not be awakened until this behavior was engaged.”

The lizard anecdote raises the question of whether there are true shortcuts to pleasure or gratification. For the lizard, the answer was no. While human beings are immensely more complex than lizards, our willingness to bypass effort in favor of “snatching up” as many easy pleasures as possible is now all too common and may partly explain why so many people feel dissatisfied at a time when life has never been so comfortable and pleasure so abundant.

Contemporary life often prizes convenience and ease above all else. Anything that requires effort is framed as “work,” and work nowadays is sadly often misrepresented with negative connotations. Yet it has been proven time and time again that the parts of life from which people derive the most durable and profound sense of happiness, are the ones that require effort. Because effort promotes perseverance, accomplishment and satisfaction, and these — as well as the process of actively working toward a personal goal — are all associated with greater happiness and well-being. Perhaps here at Waitaki Girls’ we have known this all along. Our 134 year old motto, Dulcius ex Arduis, ‘’Satisfaction from hard work’ encapsulates this concept perfectly.

The takeaway from this isn’t that life should be wholly consumed by toil or a constant striving for self-improvement - everyone deserves a good dose of fun in their lives. Nor is it that we are more like lizards than we realise. It is that committing to activities or experiences that require effort - school work for instance - is a proven essential component of a truly happy life. What I want our young women to remember as they reflect on their first term and contemplate the terms to come, is that the only limit to the height of their achievements is not intelligence or natural talent. It is the reach of their dreams, their goals, and their willingness to work hard for them.

With the school holidays upon us, I wish to thank everyone who has contributed so much to the life of our school already this year; the PTA for their hard work organising the Gala, the teachers and coaches who have supported our young women both in and out of the classroom, and of course thank you to our parents for the role you play in supporting your daughter’s education and our school. No doubt Term 2 will present new opportunities and challenges, but until that time, I hope the term break provides some time for rejuvenation and relaxation for you all.

Elizabeth Koni

Principal