Arahoe Primary

Richard Limbrick, principal, Arahoe Primary

Richard's a country boy who grew up in the Wairarapa. After attending Carterton School he was a boarder at Wellington College before finishing his schooling at St Joseph's College in Masterton.

When I asked Richard what led him into teaching he responded, "My grandmother was a teacher, my mother was a teacher, my wife is a teacher, my sister is a teacher, my cousin's a teacher and my daughter is now a teacher! There was nothing specific, it just happened.

I went to Wellington Teachers College and my first schools were all in Masterton. I built a couple of houses along the way - growing up on a farm develops your practical skills."

In 1986 the Limbrick family decided to move to Auckland.

"With three daughters we wanted the best for them and the move enabled me to take the deputy principal's role at Long Bay Primary."

After six good years the opportunity arose for Richard to become principal of Laingholm School, which he was for two years prior to moving to Arahoe School, just after Labour Day in 1993.

"It's a peaceful school and I like children with character. We have very strong relationships between our teaching staff and children which greatly enhances the quality of our learning environment.

"The school's roll has grown strongly in recent years and we have over 640 children attending., We are a progressive school, and have a strong futures focus in our strategic plan.

" With no suggestion of arrogance Richard maintained that schools need to lead, not to follow, to be innovative, not to be too conservative.

"We value our traditions, like our senior camp but you need to be thinking about the world our children will be living in and the preparation they'll need for that. I always wonder what the ‘wow' factor is for kids in their learning and how we might achieve that. There has to be an intrigue feature for kids.

Our school community is very diverse and this is reflected in the cultural groups that children are involved in at school. Importance is placed on children celebrating and sharing their cultural heritage with eachother.

When not at school Richard is a yachtie; it's his hobby and passion!