Ōpua School principal Joe Tipene farewelled

Northern Advocate

9 Mar, 2023 04:00 PM3 mins to read

Current Ōpua Primary School principal Simon McGowan talks about the "unforgettable" legacy of his predecessor, Joe Tipene. Photo / Peter de Graaf

One of Northland’s longest-serving — and most loved — principals has paid his last visit to a school that says he’ll never be forgotten.

Joe Tipene, who led Ōpua Primary School for 35 years from 1968 to 2002, died on Tuesday at Kawakawa Hospital, aged 85.

On his way back to the family home in Maromaku on Wednesday, ahead of a tangi at Motatau Marae, he was taken to the school one last time so he could be farewelled by staff, students and local residents.

Followed by members of his whānau, a hearse carrying his casket made a circuit of the field — stopping outside the hall and swimming pool he had built — before pupils performed waiata and current principal Simon McGowan spoke of Tipene’s contribution to the school.

The karakia recited by the children was written by a previous generation of students and translated into te reo Māori by Tipene.

McGowan recalled the support Tipene had shown him when he was hired as principal, describing him as “the most incredibly kind, wise, gentle and humble man”.

Long after retirement, he continued to help pupils with te reo Māori and attended school prize-givings and events.

Tipene introduced the school motto — ‘manaakitanga me te awhina’, or ‘sharing and caring’ — which were values he embodied.

“That was Joe. We will never forget him,” he said.

He created a genuine family environment, with his wife and son working at the school and his mokopuna educated there.

“That whānau environment has expanded into how we like to be as a school,” McGowan said.

He also left the physical legacy, with a school pool built in 1969, opened by Tipene and the legendary swimming coach Myra Larcombe, and a hall completed in 1995.

Former principal Joe Tipene makes one last circuit of Ōpua School followed by members of his whānau. Photo / Peter de Graaf

School trustee Rochelle Nafatali recalled how Tipene had embedded kapa haka and tikanga Māori in the school when she was a child in the early 1990s — a time when te reo Māori had only just gained legal standing.

For her, that had “set alight” a lifelong interest in all things Māori, she said.

“A mighty tōtara has fallen indeed,” she said.

A death notice published by the Tipene whānau said he was “a loving husband, father, Pop, and friend who touched the lives of all who knew him with his humour, kindness, and love. He will be deeply missed, but his legacy of compassion and generosity will continue to inspire us all”.

A service will be held at Motatau Marae, south of Kawakawa, at 11am today, followed by burial at the nearby Takapuna Urupā at 1pm.