Craig Haggo didn’t really want to be a teacher.

But his mum thought he would make a good one, and said her opinion was one he should listen to.

He wasn’t sure about retiring either, but his doctor’s opinion was that he should, and it was also one he should listen to.

Haggo retired as Pongakawa School principal last week after 25 years in the role, quitting before the job takes too much of a toll.

“My doctor pretty much said to me if you want to have a good third stage to your life, it’s time to pull the pin,” he said.

“He’s dealt with a lot of principals who haven’t when they should have, and their retirement life was pretty depressing.”

For some, the news came out of the blue, but it wasn’t the sudden decision it appeared to be.

“I’ve talked to Lachie [McKenzie], my board chair about passing the baton, but had anticipated it wouldn’t be for a year or so.”

Haggo said still “loves the place” and still felt he was vital to the school, and “in myself, I think I was doing a good job”.

But there were warning signs on an overseas trip last year.

“I realised how tired I was.”

Since the announcement, he has had people asking if he is at peace with the decision and said he is.

“I think the school is in a really good place and whoever follows me will have a good run.”

Haggo said principals were unable to retire on the basis of stress.

“But the thing is, the way that education is structured, it’s a very stressful role and that stress catches up with you after a while.”

Even after a break earlier this year there was no change and, despite Haggo wanting to carry on, his doctor advised against it.

“For the first time in my life I followed his advice.”

A family of teachers

While there were many teachers in his family, including his mum, when it came to a career choice, it was not one Haggo was interested in following.

His mum, who he describes as a pocket rocket, asked him what his plans were.

“I said: ‘my mate Paul and I are going to get on our motorbikes and go on a bit of a cruise’ and mum said ‘no, you’re not doing that’.”

She even filled out the application forms for teachers’ college and, despite his protestations that he wouldn’t do well at the interview because he wasn’t interested, she was confident he would get a place.

“She said ‘that’s okay because I know two of the three people on the panel’ so that’s what happened.”

His very first lesson, under supervision, he admits was far from inspirational but his second, a lesson about adrenaline, had a bigger impact.

With a monotone delivery, he could sense the students were drifting, so he thwacked a metal ruler on a desk, giving everyone in the room, including the supervising teacher sitting at the back, a good, practical demonstration about its effects.

“I heard the teacher yell out ‘holy shit, what was that’, at which the kids burst into laughter.”

“Afterwards she said that was a better lesson [than the first], but. ‘I know what you were trying to do, but don’t ever do that to a teacher again’.”

Even now Haggo’s unsure how he got through teachers’ college.

“I’d only had about a day’s sole control before I started my first job at Greerton School, but once I was there, I loved it.”

Job hunt

Unable to find another job in Tauranga, he moved to Te Kuiti which was an eye opener and was where he really got into his stride.

“I’d not been to Te Kuiti in my entire life, but it was best thing I ever did because I really learned how to teach and started to get a bit of responsibility.”

By the time of his next move, Tomorrow’s Schools had ushered in the era of boards of trustees and, after being interviewed for a role at Pillans Point School and waiting in the staff room, he saw a job advertised at Te Puna School in the Education Gazette.

“I rang the principal, and he invited me out and I ended up teaching at Te Puna, not at Pilllans Point. I loved it and stayed there for four or five years.”

Haggo’s next move was to Katikati Primary School, and a deputy principalship.

Used to turning up at school wearing Levis, basketball boots and Billabong sweatshirts, he had to change his wardrobe, but it was worth it.

“I thought I’d really made it, but on the first day I wandered in, turned off the alarm and did it wrong and the whole school had fire alarms and bells and whistles going and I realised how little I knew.”

It soon became obvious he needed to test himself more.

Principalship

The opportunity of a principalship at Pongakawa came up and there was a “tell” at the interview.

“I’d been here in couple of times with sports exchanges and I brought stuff that I’d done at Katikati so they knew I had some clue. Then at the end of the interview Joyce Cobb, a lovely lady who’s passed away now, came up to me and whispered in my ear and said, ‘you’ll do’.”

The late 1990s and early 2000s was a tricky time for boards when asked for details on their schools’ buildings.

“If you were in a rural school like here, there was always the thought that, because the Government of the day was quite keen to shut schools down, boards probably tended to minimise the work that needed to be done at their school.

“So, arriving here, the kids were magic, the staff were supportive – although they were tough on their new principal as you had to prove yourself - but the buildings and things weren’t what I was used to.”

Former Pongakawa School principal Craig Haggo in front of the TECT Pongakawa Action centre. The school raised the most money of any school in New Zealand at the time to get it built.

He was also told the school roll would be around 255, but it was 205 when he arrived.

“I remember saying to the board, ‘I haven’t even started, and I’ve lost 50 kids from the school!”

The scene was set for a series of battles has even included the school being the subject of questions in Parliament.

“I guess, all things considered, it became clear the ministry needed to spend some cash here and they weren’t particularly inclined to, so that took quite a bit of persuasive work.

“We started getting roll growth and it was quite a battle to get the ministry to understand that we qualified for funding.”

He said then Bay of Plenty opposition MP Tony Ryall made a real difference, and it was he who raised the issue in the House.

Haggo also made a cheeky, although accidental, phone call to then Education Minister Trevor Mallard’s office which was not “the done thing”.

Eventually there was success with funding forthcoming for an arts centre and later towards the Pongakawa Action Centre that was also supported by TECT, other grants and $130,000 raised by the local community.

“We raised the most amount of money of any school in New Zealand in 2012-13.

“We’ve also had a number of other buildings and a number of other things as well, but it’s always been a battle to get enough modernisation.”

But the fight wasn’t about getting the buildings, it was about the impact the buildings would have on children’s learning and opportunities.

Legacy and history

Haggo said the school has plenty of history and is built on strong values but has also embraced change and the future.

“One of the things I would say is we’ve never followed trends, but we do set them.”

He believes his greatest legacy is that the school has continued to grow under his leadership.

“That and the fact that that kids are hugely successful here. We don’t let kids slip though the net, we have long-standing staff members, and the biggest vote of confidence is the kids that were here when I came have come back and brought their kids.

“And because we’ve got good strong parent support, not just in the PTA, not just in board of trustees, but in the wider community, everybody is actively engaged in ensuring that the very best learning opportunities happen for their kids.”

With a raft of hobbies that beg the question how has he found time to be a principal, and a supportive family, Haggo will have no shortage of things to occupy his time.

“I’m pretty lucky. I’ve got a wife [Gaylene] who’s hugely supportive and kids and extended family who are really supportive of me.

“Gaylene has encouraged me to have fun and do the things I want to do and lets me pursue the hobbies I have and it would be fair to say I’ve been allowed quite a few toys.”

Putting those toys to more use is one of his retirement goals. He also plans to read.

“I realised a bit over a year ago that, other than things that are educational, I hadn’t read a book probably for over 10 years – that’s a bit frightening from a guy involved in education, especially as I was promoting it as such an important thing to do.”

Deputy principal Mike Judd has stepped up as acting principal while the board works through a full recruitment process while Haggo has taken on an advisory role through the transition.