Editorial: Sir John Graham - a remarkable New Zealander

The late Sir John Graham at the book launch of his biography Sportsman, Master, Mentor. Photo / Richard Robinson

Sir John Graham was a remarkable New Zealander. Head of the country's most sought-after secondary school for 21 years, All Black captain and national fix-it man for a huge range of causes, he lived by example his unwavering belief that anything was possible if you got off your backside.

Sir John, who died from cancer on Wednesday at the age of 82, first came to national attention as a light but fast and clever loose forward, first for Canterbury, then the All Blacks.

He played 22 tests from 1958 to 1964 and showed an early willingness to swim against the tide.

When the All Blacks toured South Africa in 1960, he made a point of visiting black townships such as Sharpeville, saying afterwards; "If we had any conscience and feeling for humanity, we should not have been touring South Africa".

He later boycotted the controversial 1981 Springbok tour of New Zealand and announced to a stunned assembly at rugby-mad Auckland Grammar School that they would do the same.

As headmaster (never "principal") of Auckland Grammar from 1973 to 1993, Sir John cemented the school's reputation for academic and sporting results which were outstanding - his favourite word.

Enrolment at Grammar became a byword for social advancement in the city, as parents clamoured to get their sons enrolled and government zoning restrictions led eventually to soaring house prices.

While Sir John loved to celebrate his school's top achievers, he was even more fiercely proud of the success of many students who were academically well below average.

His classes were streamed from A to G or even lower and it was not uncommon for boys in 5G to pass School Certificate subjects against all odds.

With his firm belief in academic streaming, external examinations and traditional methods of teaching, Sir John was defiantly out of step with most educational trends, especially "child-centred learning" which he thought was nonsense.

He refused to employ female teachers at Auckland Grammar and once said Maori students did not succeed because they were lazy - a comment he later regretted.

After retiring from Auckland Grammar, he threw himself into improving the education of Maori and Pacific Island students as the commissioner of troubled Nga Tapuwae College in Mangere, where he amalgamated three schools into Southern Cross Campus.

The eight-year stint was a partial success but Sir John complained the Ministry of Education insisted on building a new classroom block when he wanted to spend the money on better teachers.

His post-Auckland Grammar CV reveals his extraordinary versatility and energy - including stints as Auckland University chancellor, founder and director of the Academic Colleges Group and New Zealand Rugby Union president.

He said the job that gave him most satisfaction was managing the New Zealand cricket team in the late 1990s, described by former captain Stephen Fleming yesterday as "a bunch of rock stars". His unorthodox team building methods included a daily crossword.

Sir John was knighted in 2011 for services to education and the community.

It seems right to give him the last word; "I don't think rugby union is anywhere near as important in this country as solving the problems of poverty and unemployment. We're happy, aren't we, when our rugby team goes well, yet we're prepared to let some aspects of our nation go almost ignored."

By New Zealand Herald