At 88 years old, Tauranga's Geraldine Reweti is New Zealand's longest standing and last junior teaching assistant.
"Nanny" Reweti is an integral and irreplaceable part of Bethlehem School after 58 years as an employee. She has spent most of her life at the school having earlier been a pupil.
She officially retired at the end of last year, but it would take more than retirement to keep her away from her second home.
I'm retired, but not finished.
Mrs Reweti said she might no longer be on the school's payroll but it would not stop her going to school three days a week as a volunteer.
"I'm retired, but not finished," she said. "I want to come back and work among the children again if I'm allowed to."
The school was on the other side of the road and known as Paeroa Native School when Mrs Reweti first arrived as a 6-year-old. It later became Bethlehem Maori School and then Bethlehem School.
She had seen the school grow from one building to 20 classrooms and had taught three generations in some families.
"I've taught their grandfathers and grandmothers," she said, as the new generation raced around the playground outside her office.
Past-pupils at a recent reunion would often ask, "are you still here Nanny Reweti?"
"I want to be here until I'm 90."
Mrs Reweti never quite became a qualified teacher despite her devotion to education. She applied for teacher's college after having her first three children but with each application came another pregnancy.
After the third application and her sixth child, Mrs Reweti figured it was simply not meant to be.
She spent three years working in Maungatapu before starting at Bethlehem School where she had become the junior assistant, librarian, the "go-to" lady for kids who needed any help, resident nana, part of the furniture and part of the family.
Lost property had found its home in the corner of her office, she was in charge of the Milk in Schools fridges and she had coached a number of sports teams and ran Maori culture groups.
Her office walls were covered from top to bottom in staff photos, class photos and aerial photos which mapped out the history of the school and her office window framed the view of the school's library which was named after her.
It was her connection to the children that kept her coming back, she said.
Her own six children went through the school and when one of her three daughters died of an asthma attack, Mrs Reweti, 60 at the time, brought up her 14-month-old grand-daughter while still working. "I'd bring her with me every day. Looking back now, I don't know how I did it."
Her first great-grandchild will start at the school in April.
I want to be here until I'm 90.
Upon her retirement last year, she was gifted a book of photos and memories from the 2014 students.
"I remember, Nanny Reweti, when I forgot my hat and you gave me yours," one student wrote.
"It brought tears to my eyes when I read that ... I'm not going to let it out of my sight."
She was every student's nana and the school was her second family, grand-daughter Te Ratuhi Clements said.
"She's had heart attacks at school and these are the people that are there for her. Knowing there's that support here, they're like a second family.
"If I can't pick her up or drop her off, one of the staff will ... Or the parents will see her waiting and pick her up."
Mrs Reweti said even the parents called her "Nanny Reweti".
"We used to sit out there on a bench and talk after school was over, parents would come in looking for their their child's lost item of clothing and they'd sit down for another chin-wag."
Mrs Reweti and her many years of service will be celebrated at a formal retirement party on Friday, March 13 from 11am to 1pm at Bethlehem School.