Principal moves on to fire challenge

• Published date: 06 October 2021

While his then-teenaged self thought that was a great idea, ironically, the decision directly led to Chris spending nearly 30 years of his adult life back in class.

“They had various people come and talk to us senior students about career options, the army, various universities, things like that.

“I originally put my name down as a way to get out of class. Then a few weeks later I had a short interview and was offered a place at teaching college.”

Chris accepted the offer and trained as a teacher at Palmerston North teaching college, going on to teach in five different schools over the next 29 years, with his most recent role as principal at St Joseph’s Stratford since 2015.

Chris says he had always loved school, right from his first days as a new entrant at St Joseph’s in Hāwera.

“I’ve always loved learning, and that hasn’t changed, even as an adult.”

Part of learning is being open to taking on new challenges, and as term three came to an end last week, Chris left school for the last time, ready to take on a new challenge, and a new career.

Chris has taken on a new role as senior adviser community readiness and recovery (Taranaki) for Fire and Emergency New Zealand (FENZ), a job he says fits in with his love of service and community.

“Ever since I was young, as a cub and then at scouts, I have seen value in helping the community, in living a life of service, and that is what teaching has always been. This new role is another way to serve.”

While the role is new, Chris has a long-standing connection to the fire service, having served as a volunteer firefighter for more than a decade.

“I started with the fire brigade when I was teaching at Ngaere School, and it is something I have always enjoyed. When this new role came up, they were looking for someone with experience in teaching and mentoring and it felt like the right fit for me at the right time in life.”

Chris says his youngest son’s school journey is also coming to an end, as he finishes his Year 13 studies and prepares for university.

“Kay’s and my three children have all moved on to the next stage in their life, so it was the right time for me to do that as well.”

Walking away from the whiteboards and lesson planning was a tough decision, says Chris.

“I have had plenty of highlights in my teaching career, it’s been an exciting time in education overall, some of the new pedagogy, the ideas, it’s been great to be part of it.”

From a large urban school in Levin, to a small rural school in Kapuni, from...