North Canterbury News: November 23, 2023
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2 The<br />
NEWS<br />
<strong>North</strong> <strong>Canterbury</strong> <strong>News</strong>, <strong>November</strong> <strong>23</strong>, 20<strong>23</strong><br />
Paul’sdays at RHS near an end<br />
The<br />
dedicated,<br />
local team<br />
are here<br />
to help<br />
Managing Editor<br />
Robyn Bristow<br />
027 312 1581<br />
robyn.bristow@ncnews.co.nz<br />
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DaynaBurton<br />
027 312 0089<br />
dayna.burton@ncnews.co.nz<br />
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ShelleyTopp<br />
027 404 6137<br />
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021 195 0284<br />
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022 024 3092<br />
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Get in touch<br />
Phone:03313 2840 or 03 3148335<br />
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2577925<br />
By DAVID HILL,<br />
Local DemocracyReporter<br />
Change has been aconstanttheme of<br />
Paul Donnelly’s five years at Rangiora<br />
High School.<br />
Mr Donnelly is retiring from his<br />
position as the school’s first associate<br />
principal.<br />
He was appointedin2018 with abrief<br />
of supporting innovative change at the<br />
school<br />
‘‘The school had just come out of a<br />
difficult period and education in<br />
general was navigating immense<br />
change, both nationally and<br />
internationally.<br />
‘‘The students that we serve, their<br />
world is quite differentfrom the world<br />
us older teachers grew up in, and so our<br />
response to our students’needs, desires<br />
and dreams has to be different.’’<br />
The school had justgone through a<br />
period of being managed by a<br />
commissioner, following the Board of<br />
Trustees resigning over adispute with<br />
then principal Peggy Burrows, who<br />
subsequently left.<br />
Mr Donnelly said school was no longer<br />
‘‘just about bells and periods being used<br />
to teachknowledge’’.<br />
‘‘It is about how do we create models<br />
to move away from an industrial model<br />
of education, and Ithink primary<br />
schools do it better than us with their<br />
holistic approach.<br />
‘‘At high school we move into<br />
specialisation which is important, but it<br />
has to be balanced.’’<br />
He said it was about building<br />
relationships and gettingtoknow young<br />
people, ‘‘what makes them tick and what<br />
drives them’’.<br />
He believed there were ‘‘three<br />
fundamental premisesofeducation’’ <br />
gentleness, truth and beauty, which<br />
transcended culture,age and gender.<br />
But there was adanger of getting stuck<br />
Paul Donnelly<br />
in amindset of passingexams and<br />
gettingcredits.<br />
Education had lost touch with<br />
spiritually, but the introduction of Māori<br />
tikanga was helpingyoung people to<br />
reconnect, which could improve<br />
wellbeing.<br />
New technology was a‘‘wonderful<br />
tool’’, but it could also be abarrier for<br />
those unable to access it.<br />
‘‘We don’t know what the future is<br />
going to hold, we have some indications,<br />
but we are really alittle bit blind to it,’’<br />
Mr Donnelly said.<br />
‘‘So recognising who we are now as<br />
good and beautiful people allows us to<br />
develop the skills and knowledge for<br />
tomorrow.’’<br />
During his time at the school, Mr<br />
Donnelly worked with other agencies<br />
including the Ministry of Social<br />
Development, Ministry of Education, the<br />
Waimakariri and Hurunui District<br />
Councils, ComCol <strong>North</strong> <strong>Canterbury</strong> and<br />
local schools to establish Youth Futures<br />
<strong>North</strong> <strong>Canterbury</strong>.<br />
Rangiora High School hosted three<br />
Youth Futures careers expos, with next<br />
year’s expo moving to Mainpower<br />
Stadium.<br />
This year he has been involved in<br />
revitalising the school’s sports and arts<br />
programmes.<br />
‘‘My leadership has simply been about<br />
giving people the freedom giving them<br />
the funds and the space to do it.’’<br />
Mr Donnelly said he would be taking<br />
some time out before deciding on his<br />
next career path, but he was not ready to<br />
retire.<br />
One concern he did have was the<br />
pressures on principals.<br />
‘‘The life span of amodern principal is<br />
pretty short and that is saying something<br />
to us as anation.’’<br />
He said Rangiora’s principal Bruce<br />
Kearney needed to be ‘‘nurtured, cared<br />
for and loved’’.<br />
Board of Trustees presiding member<br />
Simon Green said the associate<br />
principal role was created due to the<br />
complexity of leadership in aschool of<br />
1600 students.<br />
‘‘Paul quickly established astrong<br />
desire to help Rangiora High School<br />
promote its kind and nurturing learning<br />
environment, while at the same time<br />
challenging ākonga to be the very best<br />
they can be.’’<br />
Mr Green said Mr Donnelly would be<br />
remembered for quoting Henry David<br />
Thoreau’s words: ‘‘suck the marrow out<br />
of life’’ and encouraging others to live in<br />
the moment.<br />
Public interest journalism funded<br />
through New Zealand on Air.<br />
Police Station’sfuture in limbo<br />
By SHELLEY TOPP<br />
The future of Rangiora’sformer police<br />
station remains in limbo as<br />
negotiations between NgāiTahu<br />
Property and New Zealand Police<br />
continue.<br />
The building was closed in<br />
September 2019 for aseismic<br />
assessment after safety concerns were<br />
raised about the building during<br />
refurbishment work.<br />
It was found to be nonrepairable and<br />
condemned.<br />
In 2021 the building was declared<br />
‘‘surplustopolice needs’’, and the fourstep<br />
Crown disposal process began.<br />
After it was deemed the land was not<br />
needed for any other public works, and<br />
Land Information New Zealand<br />
confirmed the property was exempt<br />
from abuyback requirement, the<br />
property was offered to NgāiTahu<br />
under theTreaty of Waitangi<br />
settlement process, Right of First<br />
Refusal.<br />
ANew Zealand Police spokesperson<br />
says the property has been offered to<br />
NgāiTahu, but nine months has lapsed<br />
without adecision being made, so areoffer<br />
is now required.<br />
‘‘NgāiTahu have been working<br />
constructively with NZPolice on this<br />
matter and we are in regular<br />
communication.''<br />
ANgāiTahu Property spokesperson<br />
declined to say whether adecision on<br />
the future of the property was likely to<br />
be made soon.<br />
‘‘Due to commercial sensitivities,<br />
NgāiTahu Property does not comment<br />
on potential development<br />
opportunities,’’ the spokesperson said.<br />
If NgāiTahu Property decides not to<br />
accept the reoffer, the property will be<br />
sold on the open market.<br />
New Zealand Police do not intend to<br />
demolish the building as part of the<br />
divestment. ‘‘This decision will be<br />
made by the new owner,’’ the<br />
spokesperson said.<br />
Lot 3, FixedPrice$925,000<br />
FixedPrice RangioraPackages<br />
With Guaranteed BuildTimes<br />
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Lot 91, FixedPrice$875,000<br />
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