Waitakere Primary

Heather Atkinson

Principal, Waitakere Primary

While Heather grew up in Mt Albert she’s always thought of herself as a Westie and we are truly fortunate to have a principal of her calibre as you will learn in this column. “I was always going to be a teacher. From age five I was leading and coordinating children, it was always something I was going to do.” As for most principals I have interviewed, Heather went to Auckland College of Education and her PA (first) year was at Royal Oak Intermediate, then known as Manukau Intermediate. “Country service” was Fergusson Intermediate in Otara, “a most challenging and rewarding experience where I really learned to teach! You have to have a passion for children to excel in this sector - to see that spark when the child learns is so motivational.” Next Heather moved to Panmure District Primary as a senior teacher and then in 1989 became deputy principal of Pt Chevalier Primary when Tomorrow’s Schools was initiated. In the mid nineties - at the time of a teacher shortage - Heather was seconded to Multi-Serve Education Trust. Among other things Multi-Serve pay school teachers and Heather’s role was to train recently-arrived international teachers who needed to be integrated into the New Zealand curriculum and teaching pedagogy. In 1999, missing the daily teacher, child and school interaction/ownership Heather applied for and secured her present role at Waitakere Primary School. “It’s all about kids learning, about taking responsibility and growing them holistically.” And then last year (from March to July) out-of-the blue Multi-Serve rang and within three weeks Heather was in Qatar in the Middle East, “helping set up a girls school in the way New Zealand does. Qatar is going through a huge education reform and in spite of formal links to a name US University they want our pedagogy and curriculum. Being a Western woman in the Middle East is obviously not easy but the experience was both thoroughly rewarding and very humbling. New Zealanders are held in great esteem there!” Back home Heather only sings in praise of her wonderful staff and the incredible parents of the school’s pupils. “You have to get out and see other things and other people to realise how good we really have it here!”