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Ko Jason Irvine toku ingoa.
Ko tumuaki tuarua ki te kura o Wainui.
My name is Jason Irvine and I am the Deputy Principal of Wainui School.

Eighteen years! To put it in perspective, most of you weren’t alive 18 years ago, the iPhone came out in 2007, and 18 is the age you can vote. That’s a long time. I can still remember coming for my interview and driving past the driveway a couple of times before I found it. There was no fence and no sign. Just a beautiful tree-lined driveway. I was probably sleep-deprived due to Reilly, my youngest daughter being born before my starting here. But here I stand, ready to head off on my next journey.

This school has been my second home, it’s been my kid’s playground, one of only two schools they’ve attended, and my battleground against rogue paper cuts, impromptu staff meetings, and the odd raucous fundraiser. I’ve seen this place grow into a place everyone wants to be. It has a special ‘vibe’ that just can’t be explained.

But it’s not just the memories that make this place special. It’s the quiet moments, the whispered dreams, the tears dried and the triumphs celebrated. It’s the faces in the crowd, the ones I’ve seen blossom from shy māhuri into confident young rākau. Past students that I bump into, the lawyers, the police officers, the nurses, and, of course, the teachers, who speak fondly of their time at Wainui. It’s the feeling that, maybe, we made a difference.

It’s also about the friends I’ve made, from the ones that could make it today – thank you – and many who can’t or won’t be here today – one very special person in particular. To the current staff, the leaders, the grafters, the experienced pros, the atmosphere changers, and the new kids on the block. You have all been crucial to helping me develop into the person I am today and will continue to develop into tomorrow. And of course, my family, Rachel, Taylor, and Reilly, who tautoko me with every step I take.

This school is woven into the very fabric of me. The Māori whakatauki goes, “Ahau te maunga, te maunga ko ahau.” I am the mountain, and the mountain is me. So even though I may wander to new pastures, my roots will forever be planted in this whenua. So, in this moment right now, Ahau te kura o Wainui, te kura o Wainui ko ahau.

So thank you, from the bottom of my sometimes slightly worn-out but always on-trend teaching shoes, for the laughter, the lessons, the love. This isn’t goodbye, it’s just a new chapter, and I can’t wait to see what the next verse holds. Ka kite ano.

This is Jason Irvine signing out for 2023.