A Rotorua teacher has been recognised nationally for the hard work and dedication shown to his pupils and profession.
Otonga Rd Primary School teacher Shaun Wood was recently named runner-up in the primary school category in the New Zealand's Most Inspiring Teacher campaign.
Mr Wood said he was shocked to learn of the win.
"I can't believe so many pupils thought greatly of me. I closely connect with the kids themselves as individuals, not just where they have come from, or their previous class, or what other teachers think of them," he said.
"I do a lot of e-learning, so I try to make the learning really fun and relevant for all of my students. I find the interesting things to connect their learning to [is] what gets them going, and they love that because they are engaged and having fun."