From the Principal: 25 June 2021

Mā mua ka kite a muri. Mā muri ka ora a mua.

Those who lead give sight to those who follow. Those who follow give life to those who lead.

Kia ora katoa

Not quite the week any of us were expecting!

I would sincerely like to thank staff, students and whānau for their calm and thoughtful response to the announcement last week that we had moved into COVID-19 Alert Level 2.

I would like to remind whanau that there are some critical things that we need to remember at this time:

• Stay home or get tested if you are unwell and have symtoms that could be regarded as COVID-19 related

• Regular handwashing and had sanitising

• Coughing etiquette – using the inside of the elbow across your face

• Wearing of masks on public transport (school buses are exempt)

• Using the COVID tracer app

These are all responses that can help minimise any spread of infection and enable us to return to normality – albeit a little fragile at this point in time.

Te Pūtahi Nui a Hau – XŌtaki College Alumni Trust Hall of Fame

On 12 June, after a number of failed attempts due to COVID, the XŌtaki Alumni Trust were able to finally induct two new members into Te Pūtahi Nui a Hau – the XŌtaki College Alumni Trust Hall of Fame.

It was an honour and a pleasure to see the work of Jackie Sutton, QSM, and Peter Housiaux recognised at the induction.

Jackie Sutton (née Peter) came top of her nursing training intake at Wellington hospital in the late 1960’s. Since that time she has worked tirelessly for the local community as a health professional. Jackie worked for the Ōtaki Medical Centre for 49 years and has cared for generations of local families. She worked both as a practice nurse and as a District Nurse, building high levels of trust, respect and understanding within the community. She also volunteered as a palliative care worker at nights and weekends, finding it hugely rewarding to be able to assist in providing patients and their families with comfort and dignity at the end of life.

In 2002 Jackie was awarded the Queen’s Service Medal (QSM) for public services. Although she officially retired in 2018, Jackie continues to be involved in a raft of volunteer services, including, most recently, Cobwebs, Friends of the River, the Rotunda Restoration and the Ōtaki Women’s Network.

Peter Housiaux has been an active member of the Ōtaki community throughout his life. He has shared his skills as a surf lifesaver, kayaker and canoe polo player with hundreds of young people. Peter has served on the Ōtaki Surf Lifesaving Club for 45 years and was a competitor and instructor for 25 of those. He was a founding member of the Ōtaki Canoe Club in the early 80s, has coached at local, national and international levels, and is now a Life Member. Peter is a current member of the Wellington/Palmerston North Marine Search and Rescue Call Out Squad and he also spent many years as a Land Based Search and Rescue Member.

Peter is also a successful businessman, setting up his company, the Concrete Doctors, in 1988. He has developed the business to the point where it is recognised as a national leader in concrete repairs. He was inducted into the Kāpiti Horowhenua Business Hall of Fame in 2017.

Opening of Ngā Pito e Whā

On Saturday 19 June we had the formal opening of our all-weather facility that has been constructed to allow students to stay warm and dry during the winter and sit in the shade during the summer. The XŌtaki Alumni, led by Chairperson Max Lutz, have again played a key role in the fundraising and organisation needed to bring this project to fruition. The formal opening was led on behalf of Ngā Hapū o Ōtaki by Rawiri Rikihana, College Kaumatua, and Matua Ricki Baker, who outlined the thought behind the name given to this whārau (shelter). Matua Ricki explained that the whārau will become a central point of connectivity for both junior and senior students, hence the beginning of the name - Ngā Pito. Ngā Pito is a central point for feeding a child in the womb during pregnancy and this whārau is next to our wharekai, a feeding point of our tamariki at College, nā te taha tinana.

E whā is representative of the body of students within the College now being from all corners of Aotearoa and the globe. Nō reira tātou mā, kei a koutou ētehi atu whakaaro, homai koa.

Following the blessing and opening Max Lutz was able to outline the history of the project and thank the many volunteers that made the project possible. It is heartening to see the ongoing support that we have from our community to continue to build the College into a space and place that our young people and community can be proud of.

Ōtaki College Production: Second Afterlife

Despite our concerns around the COVID announcement, a decision was made to go ahead with our production of Second Afterlife, written by Ralph McCubbin. Although this has been with a limited number in the audience, who are socially distanced, I have to say that I, along with 58 other members of the audience, thoroughly enjoyed the opening night on Wednesday 23 June. A highly talented young group of actors and dancers were able to send a powerful message around the safe use of the internet and social media. This was ably supported by the technical crew of sound and lighting. A huge thank you to Tamsin Dashfield-Speight who has led the development of this production, supported by Joanna Devane, cast and crew.

Visit to German Embassy

Over the last three years we have built up a strong relationship with the German Embassy through their attendance at the SS Otaki Commemoration Service which also acknowledges the role of the merchant navy in theatres of war. As a result of this, Ambassador Krawielicki hosted our Head Boy, Donald Hall, Head Girl, Krisha Modi, and Larissa Haeussler, our last remaining German International student, at the German Embassy in Wellington. The students were able to engage in conversation with the German Ambassador, who took the opportunity to outline his role in New Zealand and Pacific politics. We found this to be a really interesting and informative conversation over morning tea. At the conclusion of this, Jürgen Settje, First Secretary and Head of Administration, hosted us for lunch in Wellington before taking us for a tour of the Goethe Institut. This was a fantastic day and has led on to looking at the possible extension of the Everiss Scholar tour to Scotland into Germany.

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