Ian Morrison is leaving Mission Heights Junior College for the Education Review Office, and the school gym now carries his name.
Hundreds of students, staff and families turned out at Mission Heights Junior College to give principal Ian Morrison a rousing send-off as he left the Flat Bush school after 11 years.
Morrison, draped in a feathered korowai, held up a plaque naming the school gymnasium Te Whare Mana Ake, the Ian Morrison Gymnasium, under the words “Where mana rises”.
“MHJC is an amazing school and I feel privileged to have been able to serve as its leader for eleven of the most stimulating years of my teaching career,” he wrote in his final message to the school community.
He is moving to the Education Review Office.
“While I am excited about the next stage in my journey at the Education Review Office, I know I will miss the warm, caring and friendly culture that makes this such a special place,” he wrote.
The school called him “an extraordinary leader” in a message marking the farewell.
“Throughout his time with us, Mr Morrison has truly lived our values every single day as he grew our greatness – inspiring students, empowering staff, and shaping a culture where everyone felt supported to reach their full potential,” the school said.
“His wisdom, dedication, and warmth leave a legacy that will be felt for years to come.”
Morrison said his students had already given him a send-off of their own.
“I was given an amazing send off by the AIMS Netball and Tournament of Minds teams who, in the same week in early September, became National Champions,” he wrote.
The netball team won the school’s first AIMS Games gold medal in Tauranga.
The Tournament of Minds team won the national arts final in Wellington, the first time the school has taken that division.
Morrison said the community was “blessed to have a highly skilled and capable leadership team” who would keep guiding the school’s teachers and support staff.
“I look forward to visiting from time to time, and even though physically I will not be here, MHJC will always hold a special place in my heart,” he wrote.
He signed off with a final Principal’s whakataukÄ«, the Maori word for proverb, about renewal.
“Mate atu he tÄ“tÄ“kura, ka whakaeke mai he tÄ“tÄ“kura. As one frond perishes another grows in its place.”
