Principal In Person with Anna Voyce, Otaua School

How long have you been an educator, and where did you train?

I have been in education for about 18 years. I trained in Hamilton at the University of Waikato and then carried on with postgraduate study at the University of Auckland.

When did you become the principal of Otaua School?

I have recently had my first anniversary being principal of Otaua School, and what an amazing year it has been.

What’s the best thing about being an educator and principal?

For me, the best thing about being an educator and principal is the relationships that I have with our students, staff and wider community. These relationships are very important to me as together we can achieve so much, and a friendly chat and a bit of a laugh can make a busy day a whole lot more positive.

What’s special about Otaua School?

Ha, what isn’t special about Otaua School? You would only need to come and spend a day with us, and you possibly wouldn’t want to leave. It’s the automatic warmth and care that people feel when they come into our school that we cherish, as we want everyone to feel welcome and like they have a place within our community.

Being a rural school, we are very connected to the whenua and we see ourselves as kaitiaki of our local environment. This is embedded into everything we do, and it’s a mindset that is
prevalent throughout our community.

Our “Nature Warriors” are a very highly sought-after group to become part of.

Our staff have a strong focus on academic achievement, and we are continually refining our
teaching practice to ensure our students are getting the best educational opportunities while having a lot of fun along the way.

I’m often told that people can hear me laughing before they see me, and I could say the same thing about a lot of our staff and students, which I think contributes to a positive school culture because schools should be fun places to attend.

Is there anything you’d like improved in the education/school management sector?

Within any education sector around the world, there are always going to be strengths and
challenges and possibly one challenge that I believe we have as a nation that we are currently working on is the consistency in education that all students receive throughout New Zealand while still maintaining unique school identities. Through the introduction of the refreshed curriculum documents, I believe we are on our way to achieving this.