Farewell to a legend... 
We all know Mr Walker loves a good dad joke:
Why did the scarecrow win an award?
Because he was outstanding in his field!
From one job where we often find him out standing in a field, to another where he will still be out standing in a field. From Tumuaki to coach, we celebrate and farewell our principal, Ngatai Walker.
Seven and a half years ago Ngatai came to Puketapu School from Inglewood with a vision and passion for education, and in that 7½ years he has donned many costumes, cracked plenty of jokes and encouraged untold numbers of students and teachers.
He brought our school values of Kia Manawanui, Kia Kaha, Kia Māia, and more recently, Kia Ora into the fabric of Puketapu. We see these values embedded into the very beings of all of us at Puketapu, and we are better people for living them.
The physical spaces in the school have changed and then some colours have changed again in that time. The list of songs played at the gate in the morning and the number of high fives given are countless.
A Principal’s job is varied, from crossing duty at Mangati, to property, to strategic planning, to human resources, to contracts, to planning inspiring staff hui, and the list goes on.
Many people wouldn’t understand the scope of the mahi. It’s often unseen, but makes all the difference to the culture, strategy and direction of a school.
There is a whakatauki that says: Mā mua ka kite a muri, mā muri ka ora a mua Those who lead give sight to those who follow, those who follow give life to those who lead.
There have been many ups and downs through these years, big challenges faced, growth from lessons learned and joy that you spread around. It’s not easy being the person who looks to fill everyone’s buckets every day but you do it and that
inspires us all to do the same.
Every leader we have builds on the success and foundations the previous leaders have laid and Puketapu is undoubtedly a better place for the layer that Ngatai has
built and added.
We thank Mr. Walker for the leadership, energy and care he has given to Puketapu School.
We wish him well on his next adventure.
Kia Māia, Kia Manawanui, Kia Kaha, Kia Ora 
