Pamapuria School appoints new principal

Lizzy Horlock, Rikki Horlock and their son Ryder Horlock.

A new principal has been appointed to troubled Pamapuria School.

The Kaitaia school was rocked last year by revelations of deputy principal James Parker's offending against children, and its principal also lost his job in the ensuing investigation.

The new headmaster is Rikki Horlock, 33, current deputy principal of the 66-pupil Maketu School near Te Puke.

His wife Lizzy Horlock (nee Igasan), is a double Olympian who played for the Black Sticks for 10 years.

Rikki Horlock has played and coached touch rugby at club, provincial and national level.

A commissioner has run the school since February when previous principal Stephen Hovell was dismissed over his handling of his disgraced deputy James Parker. Parker is serving an indefinite prison sentence for 74 charges of sexual offending against boys.

Horlock told the Herald on Sunday when he heard about the vacancy, although very happy at Maketu, he realised he was well equipped to help the school to move forward.

He felt a sense of responsibility to go for the job. "What kind of man would I be if I had the skills to support them but didn't?"

His Maori culture played an important part in his life and he could speak reasonably fluent te reo Maori.

"I know there's going to be challenges ahead, but at the moment I'm really confident in my own abilities and excited to get up there."

The couple have a 2-year-old son Ryder and are due with a baby daughter, to be named Ari, next Saturday.

Horlock starts at the beginning of the 2014 school year.