How did you feel when you learned you would be in this role?

I was super excited to be awarded with one of the prefect roles, but in all honesty, I was slightly disappointed to have missed out on the head prefect role. I think this is completely normal, as I don’t know anyone that was awarded deputy head prefect that wasn’t aiming higher. Knowing what I know now, and having worked with Julia so closely already, I am over the moon with my role and the way we work as a team. Initially I was nervous about what responsibilities I would have in this role, but I was mostly just stoked with the opportunity to lead in the school.

Why do you think you were chosen (what special leadership qualities do believe you have?)

I believe that throughout my time at Westlake I made strong connections with members of the school community, including my peers from all year levels, teachers, staff and other members of the Westlake community. This is what I believe was the strongest contributor to my appointment. I also had a really clear idea of my goals and what I wanted to achieve as a prefect, which helped in my interview. A few of the qualities that I think helped their decision are empathy, confidence, and humour. I just tried to showcase my strongest attributes, and a big one for me is empathy. Showing that I could put myself in others shoes and have different views I think is a big part of the way I lead.

What’s your main goal in this role? (Or, what would you like to change, this year?)

I just want to ensure I am really present at school, especially for the juniors. I want to be a recognisable and approachable person that really is the connection between staff and students. One of the goals that I always had for this role was to enhance the presence of Māori in the school. I think we are already taking so many steps towards this, with our new whare being built, regular karakia, and use of reo Māori. I aim to further this, to have Māori being an everyday occurrence for our students. I have been fortunate enough to be very involved with Te Ao Māori at our kura, so anything I can do to further this is a goal of mine. Apart from this, I just want to teach our students – especially juniors – to enjoy high school and learn to have a good time while they’re here.

In what ways do you think you and Julia will complement each other?

Despite not really knowing each other at all before our partnership, it is clear to see that Julia and I work well as a team. In my opinion, one of my roles as her deputy is to be the organiser and support for Julia as she fulfils her many responsibilities. She makes this incredibly easy, keeping clear and consistent communication. We definitely contribute equally in our partnership and can support each other when needed. Julia has done nothing but make me feel valued and supported and I look forward to the rest of the year together.