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Vaimoana Va'ai looks beyond the square when it comes to making a difference
Wearing a trendy T-shirt, fly jeans and the latest Chuck Taylors, she's not exactly your ordinary schoolteacher.
But Vaimoana Va'ai is getting the job done, helping students at West Auckland's Glen Eden Intermediate School to achieve through sport - and get a good breakfast.
Miss Va'ai, who has a daughter of her own and has been teaching for 14 years, has set up several sports teams - including touch rugby, tag, American football, soccer and netball - within the school and introduced students to sports clubs outside school.
A breakfast club she organised - held each week before school - is also a popular draw for students, who bring their homework while tucking into a hearty breakfast.
"It's not about just teaching them in the classroom," Miss Va'ai says.
"It's more about setting up a foundation for where these kids will rise to."
She is also the co-manager for hip-hop dance group the Lil Saintz and is involved with running a church children's programme, art classes, the school's cultural performance groups and entering students in dance competitions.
Focused encouragement and having an interest taken in their lives is what gets children working hard, Miss Va'ai says.
"I usually target the borderline kids - those that might get into trouble. Get to them with sport, involved in a team, excited about something, and a bit of toast and cereal - and watch their grades skyrocket," she says.
"If they can see that you want them to do well, trust develops and they do well."
A number of students who had been involved with activities and sports teams she set up have gone on to leadership roles at high school.
Others have stuck with sport and are now playing for representative teams in rugby, netball and league in New Zealand and Australia.
Friend and fellow teacher Kiri Laing was inspired to nominate Miss Va'ai after students began looking for a way to thank her.
"The kids know she has her own daughter yet she gives them the same time and encouragement as well. She's passionate for them to succeed and they know she's for real. We thought it'd be a good opportunity to give back to her."
Giving back to the community through sport and helping young people is what Miss Va'ai will continue to look forward to.
"That's what I always tell the kids. I want to see them create a positive pathway for themselves but at the same time never forget where they started," she says. "Always go back and give back, so that others, too, will succeed."
