On The Up: Community asked for input on Rotorua Lakes High School principal appointment

Rotorua Lakes High School is looking for a new leader. Photo / File

It’s not just any old situation vacant.

A job is about to come on the market that’s got the potential to shape the futures of hundreds - potentially thousands - of Rotorua teenagers.

Rotorua Lakes High School is looking for a new principal following the resignation of Jon Ward, who has led the school for six years.

Ward, who could not be reached for comment as he is on an overseas sabbatical, is moving with his family to the South Island at the end of the year.

To ensure the school gets the right candidate, the school’s new board is on a mission to gauge the views of staff, students and anyone who lives on Rotorua’s Eastside.

A community consultation survey has been carried out, staff were beingconsulted and the 750 students at the school had been asked to complete a survey.

School board presiding member Ben Alton said he would have three children at the school next year, but his views were no more important than anyone else’s.

Rotorua Lakes High School principal Jon Ward will leave the school at the end of the year. Photo / Ben Fraser

“The board wants to do the community’s bidding, but to do that, we want to know what they want.”

Former Waiariki MP Tāmati Coffey has been co-opted to the school’s board as the mana whenua representative.

Coffey said his appointment followed a recent Memorandum of Understanding signed among Ngāti Te Roro o te Rangi and four schools in the Eastside community that aimed to have more iwi engagement.

He told the Rotorua Daily Post local iwi had told him they would like to see the school appoint a Māori principal.

“But that depends on the appointment panel, the feedback from the community, staff and students and the quality of the candidates that come through.”

He said Māori students made up 47% of those at Rotorua Lakes High School, with 42% being European.

Tāmati Coffey is an iwi representative on the Rotorua Lakes High School board. Photo / Supplied

“We owe it to our Māori students to see our Māori people in these leadership positions … Hopefully now in 2025, there is an ex-head boy or ex-head girl out there somewhere who wants to come back and contribute to their community.”

Coffey said such positions did not come along very often - pointing to last year’s retirement of Rotorua Boys’ High School principal Chris Grinter, who led the school for 33 years.

“We have only got half a dozen high schools in Rotorua, if those principals don’t move there is not that much room for growth and for the new generation of principals to come on.”

He said while he would like to see a Māori principal, the successful candidate needed to demonstrate they had the capabilities and experience to lead a school and not just win the role based on their ethnicity.

He said it was great to see more than 200 students had filled out the survey describing the type of person they would like to see, and everyone’s voice was important.

“There’s a perception that when you leave a school, you don’t have a say, but if you live in the Eastside community, we want our local high school to be the best it can be.”

A mana whenua consultation hui will be held at the school on Tuesday at 5pm for those wanting to give their views in person.

The online survey closed on Thursday

The job will be advertised from October 7 to 31 with the aim of appointing a new principal to start in term one next year.

Kelly Makiha is a senior journalist who has reported for the Rotorua Daily Post for more than 25 years, covering mainly police, court, human interest and social issues.