Principals Panui

Kia ora te whanau o te Kotuku The Law of the Garbage Truck One day I hopped in a taxi, and we took off for the airport. We were driving along when suddenly a black car jumped out of a parking space right in front of us. My taxi driver slammed on his brakes, skidded, and missed the other car by just inches! The driver of the other car whipped his head around and started yelling at us. My taxi driver just smiled and waved at the guy. And I mean, he was really friendly. So, I asked, "Why did…

Kia ora te whanau o te kotuku Mistakes are inevitable but we should never let them define us. We grow and learn from these moments and learn what is important to us and what we will be kaitiaki or guardians of. What we aim for is to grow young people who know their responsibilities and are active in pursuing what is right, what is fair and what enhances the community that we are part of. Everybody will be at different points on that journey, but we can all learn to be brave and own, accept and take responsibility for where…

Kia ora te whanau o te Kotuku Grasp the Nettle The berries were ripe and juicy and the children couldn’t resist picking them. But they did not see the nettles among the berry bushes and soon one of them was stung and a painful red rash appeared. The children ran home to their mother who dried their tears and soothed the rash. The children cried, “We hardly touched the nettle but it stung us." Their mother replied, "The nettle stung you because you touched it so lightly. If you had held it firmly, it wouldn’t have hurt you. You can't…

Kia ora te whanau o te Kotuku We farewelled our senior students today ahead of NCEA exams starting Monday. For our Year 13 students it has been five years like no other for them. Their first year of NCEA was COVID disrupted as was year 12 and now they are sitting external exams for the first time. No doubt this is daunting, but I encourage them to focus on the process and not stress about the result. Its one exam at a time. It's not easy taking my problems one at a time when they refuse to get in line…

Kia ora te whanau o te kotuku It has been an absolute pleasure to be able host in person our awards ceremony evenings throughout this week. The chance to celebrate as a community is something that has been missing throughout the last couple of years. I have thoroughly enjoyed being at the Pasifika Awards, Cultural Awards and again this evening at our Sports Dinner and having students being recognized for their accomplishments. I would like to make special mention of any of our senior students who in 2022 graced the stage, field, court, or arena at Rutherford as students for the…

Kia ora te whanau o te kotuku Earth school – The school for our lifetime. Life on earth is full of opportunities to learn. Often, these opportunities don't feel pleasant. Sometimes they feel downright awful! Here are some relevant words on this topic from an Oprah Winfrey interview with author Gary Zukav. "Even if you're in an encounter that feels uncomfortable, or that brings anger or disruption, that encounter has happened in your life in order to grow you, or provide an opportunity for you to grow, to whatever is the next level of your own personal evolution." Gary Zukav…

Kia ora te whanau o te kotuku I share this particular story because sometimes we are surrounded by fog (tiredness) and can be blindly holding fast to a destination or way of doing things when there might be a better alternative. Facing up to the truth Sometimes the truth is staring us in the face but we cannot see it.  When our assumptions are challenged, we need to face reality and, if necessary, adapt to the way things really are instead of trying to hide from the truth.  We have to change when change is inevitable. There is a story…

Kia ora te whanau o te kotuku 1. GIVE UP 2. GIVE IN 3. GIVE IT ALL YOU'VE GOT Ever since I was a teenager I have loved and lived by inspirational quotes and motivational messages like the one above. I've come to realise recently that there's more than one way of looking at these messages. I realised that the message that one person perceives from a quote, may be completely different to the message someone else receives. The message -  You've got 3 choices in life: GIVE UP, GIVE IN, OR GIVE IT ALL YOU'VE GOT has been a…

Kia ora te whanau o te kotuku Tournament Feedback After a two year absence it was so good to be able to have 5 teams from Rutherford heading off to enjoy what tournament week has to offer. For the record we had Prem Netball at UNISS (Upper North Island Secondary Schools) at Lloyd Elsmore Park. Boys 1st XI Football in Whanganui at the Trident tournament. Girls 1st XI Football at the Maurice Hulme Tournament in Rotorua. The Junior Boys Football at the North Island Championships in Tauranga 1st XI girls’ hockey played in an Upper North Island tournament in Whakatane.…