Gisborne Principal Honoured

Gisborne Principal Honoured

Gisborne principal, Keriana Tawhiwhirangi has today been honoured for her contribution to education.

She was made an Associate of the country’s largest education union, NZEI Te Riu Roa at awards ceremony in Wellington.

NZEI Te Riu Roa has 42,000 members and represents teachers and principals in primary schools, teachers in early childhood education centres, support staff in primary and secondary schools, special education staff in primary and secondary schools and advisers in the tertiary sector.

The awards were presented by Bruce Adin, NZEI Te Riu Roa National President, at the opening of the union’s 120th Annual Meeting in Wellington. They are given in recognition of the members contribution to education and the union.

“This award acknowledges a commitment to excellence in education,” says Bruce Adin.

“It is given in recognition for the hard work the member done to support their colleagues and to help the students they work with.”

Keriana Tawhiwhirangi is principal at Te Kura Reo Rua o Waikirikiri a bilingual school in Gisborne.

She began teaching 23 years ago and has taught or been at 11 schools. Her career began at Manutuke School in Gisborne in 1979 after a year she moved to Kamahi School in Lower Hutt then to Porirua School. She then had a year as an itinerant teacher of Maori in Horowhenua before returning to Porirua where she taught at Windley, Porirua East, Maraeroa and Russell.schools. Keriana then became a principal at Waipiro Bay on the East Coast, taught at Tolaga Bay Area School, and was then an ac ting Principal at Hiruharama Bilingual School. She spent a year as a school management advisor for Waikato School Services before becoming Deputy Principal at Waikirkiri School, a bilingual school in Gisborne.

For the last three years Keriana has been principal Waikirikiri which has 291 students virtually all of whom are Maori. Half are taught totally in Maori the other half are taught primarily in English, but at least 31% of their instruction has to be in Maori.

She has been a member of NZEI Te Riu Roa throughout her career and has served the union at branch and aronui tomua level and on the union’s Principals’ Council.

NOTE: The awards ceremony is at 1pm Sunday September 21. It is at the Duxton Hotel, Wellington, in The Ballroom on the 6th floor.