"The opportunity to establish a brand new school from the ground up is a less than once-in-a-career opportunity," he says.
"When you're in a school that's got decades of tradition around it you can often use that as an excuse for not bringing about change. But here you really get the opportunity to create the schooling model you think is appropriate for young people today."
Just as in his working life, when it comes to sport Abraham has never been one to stick to his comfort zone.
"I had a background in cross-country and road running when I was a teenager and in my early 20s," he says. "Then I picked up marathon running, which became my real focus for about 15 years. But then I started to discover different sports that didn't exist when I was a young fella.
"The four-day multisport [events] really attracted me."
Abraham competed in Opotiki's gruelling Motu Challenge, first as a team member, then as a solo entrant. That led to other multisport races around the country as Abraham's repertoire of skills developed.
But his reputation as a local legend didn't fully come into fruition until he discovered adventure racing, a cross-disciplinary sport that Abraham describes as something akin to orienteering.
"You don't find out the course and the disciplines until just before the start," he explains. "Then you head off with your map and your compass and trek in the bush or the mountain, kayak in the sea or harbours, and [do] activities such as rifle shooting and caving."
Abraham's love of the sport prompted him to found the Opotiki Opossums, a group of like-minded amateur athletes dedicated to adventure racing. The group regularly enters in 24-hour races, and the members try as much as possible to live up to their name.
"We come out at night, [are] often caught in the headlights, and like many of our road-kill cousins are 'flat out'," he says, laughing.
As a long-time educator, Abraham knows first-hand how damaging sedentary and unhealthy lifestyles can be for children and teenagers. Because of that, he does what he can to inspire young people to be more active.
"Last year I ran an auction for kids adventure-sport racing, and I had 30 kids who opted into it," he says. "We went off and learnt how to navigate and mountain bike and explore.
"Schools have a particular responsibility, I think, because we've got kids for a long time. It's not necessarily about making sure they've got programmes during school time to do, but it's [about] infecting them with the desire to be active and to challenge themselves and develop good dispositions through activity. It's about trying to create a lifetime habit."
Abraham is looking forward to the Waihi Nugget, which he plans to do solo. There will be other Opotiki Opossums taking part, and Abraham says the competition between them will be friendly but fierce.
"I did it last year for the first time," he says. "It's brutal but I absolutely loved it.
"I can't remember my time last year but I do know that I was the fastest Opotiki Opossum. There's a lot of pride involved, so I don't really care what time I do so long as I'm the fastest possum."
Abraham says the regular exercise he gets from competing is great for his physical health and general wellbeing. "I'm trying to maintain a good level of fitness as I move through middle age. I think that's going to help me cope with the years ahead. The thing that has kept me motivated is that I've found a group of sports that are really social. I just love that."
The Waihi Nugget
When: Saturday, May 9
Courses: Various distances available, from the full multisport race to a duathlon to shorter runs and walks.
For more information: http://www.thenugget.co.nz/
