Mr Nelson said the welcome had been a bit daunting, with many parents there to check him out.
"It's a very, very supportive school and community, they obviously want the best for their kids and I don't want to let them down."
He said parents being a part of their children's learning was key to their success in education and strengthened the school.
"It breaks down barriers. If you meet the parents and get to know them, they're part of the school and when push comes to shove, people are more on-board with things."
Mr Nelson was deputy principal at Raroa Normal Intermediate School for the last eight years and said a principalship was the next step.
He said the first day had been a little chaotic and he was a bit nervous but it was all part of the excitement.
"Anxiety is a key performance indicator - if you're not worried about it, you're going to miss things."
He said having only been there half a day, he couldn't make any judgments yet about changes. But he did say the school's challenges were typical of any other school.
"I can't come in here and rattle any cages, not that I'm aware of any that need to be rattled. But I have some ideas about how teaching and learning can occur, and getting people to reflect on how they're teaching, and how learning is taking place."
Mr Nelson thinks the classroom should be fun and engaging.
"It's about kids' learning, that's the bottom line ... How teaching occurs is only limited by your imagination."