On the tough days - the ones where the paperwork piles up or the ministry shifts the goalposts - John Prestidge’s remedy has been simple: step away from his desk and spend time with students.
Whether it was a walk through the playground or a visit to a classroom, the Motueka High School principal says it didn’t matter who he bumped into. The students are consistently warm and friendly – and invariably hilarious.
Now, after 10 years at the school’s helm, John has switched off his computer, taken down the “Happy Principals Day” artwork pinned to his office wall, and is preparing for his next role as a regional leadership advisor for the Ministry of Education.
Closing the chapter on Motueka High School – where he himself was once a student – is bittersweet, but he feels a decade is “a decent chunk of time for a school leader”. After that, it is probably prudent to make way for someone with “a fresh eye and fresh energy”, he says.
He is leaving the school in a strong position.
“It’s got a great team of staff, it’s sound financially… the kids are wonderful – such good heart. They’re such a joy to be around. The community’s connected to the school, mana whenua is connected to the school. There’s a whole lot of positives, and I’m not going to take credit for all that stuff, but it’s in a good place.”
The rangatahi, in particular, have reminded him of the bigger picture amid what he calls a high burnout career.
“I think the students are warm, caring and wonderful,” he says. “If we had a visitor wander in, there’s not a classroom or a class in the school that I wouldn’t feel happy to take them into.”
The role has come with frustrations and challenges. Covid-19 in 2020 and then widespread flooding earlier this year were two distinct hurdles that took careful navigation. In the background are governmental decrees that necessitate frequent adaptation.
“Education in New Zealand is by and large political, and therefore subject to rapid and sometimes quite dramatic changes.”
His antidote has been keeping his focus on students, families and the community.
“Those needs don’t change, and good teaching and care of students looks the same under any government.”
John began his teaching career at Taihape College and Tapawera Area School before moving to Nelson College, leaving his assistant principal role in late 2015 to take up the mantle at Motueka High.
He says one of the school’s strengths is recognising student success beyond the narrow lens of just sports and grades.
He is also fiercely defensive of Motueka’s lingering reputation as the “poor cousin” of Richmond and Nelson.
“Coming back from Nelson College, I was always very aware of the snobbery – and I’ll call it snobbery - that Nelson schools offer more or better [opportunities] than Motueka High School, and I know that to be not true,” John says.
