A spine tingling haka is what greeted Dr Ralph Pim and I when we entered the school hall on Monday morning. The haka was performed with such passion and pride that it was clear to see that we were in the presence of some of great junior and senior Rutherford Colleges leaders. Being an international frontrunner in leadership development Ralph said that although he had only made a handful of visits to Rutherford he has seen huge amounts of growth within the students in understanding what it takes to be a great leader. He said that the great work that is being done in the school by the staff to help the students “be the best they can be” has not gone unnoticed by him. After being presented with a taonga from the kapa haka group, Ralph couldn’t stop shaking as the power and energy from the students came through in a final haka to say thank you and see you next time. Thank you to Gary, Gill , Jeff, the junior and senior sports committee, the sports academy and the Rutherford kapa haka group for making the visit so special and unique for Ralph and I.

Dan Keepa (Community Coach Advisor, Sport Waitakere)