Sacred Heart College welcomes new principal Maria Neville-Foster with powhiri

Maria Neville-Foster was officially welcomed as the new principal at Sacred Heart College with a powhiri yesterday morning. Photo / Paul Taylor

In a "moving" powhiri yesterday, two school communities came together to welcome the new principal of Sacred Heart College.

Havelock North High School, led by principal Greg Fenton "handed over" their former deputy principal, Maria Neville-Foster, to the Catholic girls' secondary school.

"It was very emotional and quite spiritual as well. I could feel a connection between Havelock and Sacred Heart," Mrs Nevile-Foster said.

"I was overawed by the heart that came from the girls at Sacred Heart when they accepted me in as their principal. It was really powerful the emotion that came with that after I was passed over so I feel 100 per cent accepted in the school."

Since working as principal at the school for the past two weeks, she said, she had been "growing and learning so much about the school".

She notes that "it is a beautiful environment" that has got top-class teachers.

"I am really excited for the future of Sacred Heart College," Mrs Neville-Foster said.

"It has got really good solid grounding here, fantastic tradition and I intend to maintain the traditional qualities of the school but I am very excited to progress the school into the future and I'm looking forward to having an influence on ensuring there's a quality teaching happening in the classrooms and that the students are getting quality education and that they are filled with virtue and knowledge in order to continue their journey as adults in this ever-changing environment."

Kaumatua Jerry Hapuku and Mr Fenton spoke on behalf of the Havelock North community and were supported by senior staff, several board members and a number of students.

"Both of us touched on the fact that Sacred Heart have secured a real treasure in Maria, and it is up to the whole Sacred Heart community to get around and support her, to enable Maria to do the job she has committed herself to," Mr Fenton said.