In term three, Taupo-nui-a-Tia College will welcome new principal Ben Claxton. Photo / Rachel Canning
In term three, Taupo-nui-a-Tia College will welcome new principal Ben Claxton. Photo / Rachel Canning
Taupō-Nui-a-Tia College has appointed a new principal.
Long-time principal Peter Moyle resigned at the end of last year and Ben Claxton will take up the position next term. Ben is currently a deputy principal at Papatoetoe High School.
Ben, 39, grew up in South Auckland and is proud to have been a student at James Cook High School in Manurewa, where 85 per cent of the students identify as Māori or Pasifika. As a teacher, Ben also taught health and physical education at the school.
"As a New Zealand Pākehā I was in the minority at school. But in the outside world, I was in the majority. It was a catalyst to me becoming a teacher."
A love for Māori and Pasifika cultures led to a post-graduate Master of Professional Studies in Education about why there is an academic achievement gap between Māori and Pasifika students compared to students identifying as Asian or New Zealand European.
An influence was Mere Berryman and the Te Kotahitanga Effective Teaching Profile project that seeks to improve the educational achievement of Māori students in mainstream schools.
He says students at Papatoetoe High School come from culturally diverse backgrounds and many different ethnicities.
"In Taupō it's more a bi-cultural [student population] with a few minorities. It will be quite a change," Ben says.
Ben is looking forward to engaging with community leaders in Taupō to get the best outcomes for students.
In term three, Taupō-nui-a-Tia College will welcome new principal Ben Claxton. Photo / Rachel Canning
He is currently one of four deputy principals at Papatoetoe High School, a co-ed school with 1400 students. He says the most influential person in his career to date is Papatoetoe High School principal Vaughan Couillault.
"I learned a lot from him about leadership, empathy and balancing my personal and professional life."
Vaughan's references helped him get an interview for the principal's position at Taupō-Nui-a-Tia College.
"I don't know how often you get a current employer advocating for you to leave."
He says a good leader needs to make themselves vulnerable.
"It will be clear to others the leader is steering the ship, but the leader may not have all the answers. This allows other people to be creative and empowers others to make decisions. It's okay if mistakes are made as long as people grow."
His immediate plans are to look, listen and kōrero with senior staff, teachers and students at Taupō-nui-a-Tia College.
"I'll be looking for the good, to breathe life into the good stuff that's going on."
Ben says he wants to acknowledge the legacy of work done by previous principal Peter Moyle and continued by acting principal Richard Murphy and deputy principal Alistair Froggett.
Ben makes the move south with his wife Megan and their three sons aged 6, 4, and 18 months. He is looking forward to his children getting into the outdoors, "having adventures and taking risks".
He follows all sports and his hobbies are running, surfing "and all oval-shaped ball sports".
Ten years ago he was the lead singer for a Christian punk band Mumsdollar. The band got its name when Ben was at the worship and creative Hillsong Conference and at offering time only had $1 dollar, his mum's dollar. Mumsdollar released several albums and was a favourite at the New Zealand Christian music festival Parachute.
In 2009 their album Ruins won a Vodafone New Zealand Music Award and was 15th on the New Zealand album charts in late January, 2009.
Ben was born in Te Kuiti, and lived there until he was 6 years old and the family moved to Auckland.
"It's a bit of a circular thing to have returned to the Central North Island."
