Rotorua Lakes High School’s retiring principal Jon Ward. Photo / Kelly Makiha
She landed a job teaching at Reporoa College and Ward was successful in getting the Lakes High role.
The Wards spent the three years before that living in the lower North Island, where Ward had taken on his first principalship at Tararua College in Pahiatua.
Prior to that, they spent 15 years in Christchurch.
Settling into the Rotorua role, Ward said he liked the diverse nature of the school.
“You have the Lynmore and Owhata crews and the lakes districts, and it all comes together in one big melting pot. I also felt confident sending our own children here, which is important.”
This year the last of his sons left secondary school, and time was ticking on what Ward believed was a good stint for any principal – between five and 10 years.
“We said to ourselves, ‘Where do we want to be in the longer term?’”
They realised Christchurch was where their wider friend group lived, and they had been drawn to the Southern Alps when they moved there from the UK.
“We are moving home in a sense,” he said
Ward said his wife would start 2026 teaching at Christchurch Girls’ College, but he was going to take his time before settling into a new job – potentially having a break before picking up relief principalships.
Wasn’t always a teacher
Ward has a giggle when he recites his working life.
After leaving school, he trained as a mechanical and materials engineer in the UK for four years.
Armed with that qualification, he did something completely different – he went to work for a beer company.
With the gift of the gab and a vivacious personality, he soon started excelling in sales.
A career with global consumer company Procter & Gamble followed, which eventually led him to become the national account manager for dog food company Eukanuba.
“So basically, nothing to do with my engineering degree.”
After moving to New Zealand, he trained as a maths teacher, and that’s when his engineering degree finally came in handy.
His first teaching job was at Shirley Boys’ High School and within six months, he found himself acting head of department in charge of 16 staff – a role that was later confirmed once he had more teaching experience under his belt.
They lived through the Christchurch earthquakes and his career included roles at Ellesmere College as associate principal and eventually deputy principal before they moved to the North Island, to Tararua College.
Ward’s six years in Rotorua
Ward is credited with building a stronger community relationship.
“The drawbridge was very much up around the school, I must say.”
He dove headfirst into roles such as being on the board of the Mokoia Community Association and being the education representative on the Eastside community collective Tatau Pounamu.
Alongside Rotorua Girls’ High School principal Sarah Davis, he also helped drive greater secondary school involvement in the Rotorua Principals’ Association.
Rotorua Lakes High School board chairman Ben Alton said Ward had worked tirelessly to build strong relationships between the school and other eastside schools, the Ministry of Education, iwi and the community.
Ward had not only looked after students academically, but he also opened more opportunities for those wanting to shine in the visual and performing arts.
“Jon has consistently advocated for student-centred decision-making, and he should be very proud of what the school has achieved with the alternative education and senior pathways programme and the academic performance of our mainstream students.”
The changing face of education
Ward said Rotorua Lakes High School students had always done well academically but he was a firm believer in “filling your kete”.
“We needed to grow our senior pathways programme. Education is changing. I won’t get political, but not just the curriculum but the kids coming into the school are changing too. We have to develop and adapt and we need to meet the needs of our community, not just deliver what we have always delivered. So I was pretty proud of that.”
He said he would miss the frenetic way that no two days were the same.
“I like the lack of consistency but high-energy stuff.”
He said he wanted to thank his support staff who helped “dot the i’s and cross the t’s”, including his former personal assistant Jayne Windell and current personal assistant Linda Huchinson.
He said he felt confident leaving the school in the hands of new principal, Gwyneth Cooper.
“The board have been very specific in what they were looking for in a principal and I am sure she will be highly successful in the role.”
Speaking to the Rotorua Daily Post as the clock ticked down to the final bell, Ward said he wished the school and the Eastside community all the best.
“I will never lose my affection for this place.”
Kelly Makiha is a senior journalist who has reported for the Rotorua Daily Post for more than 25 years, covering mainly police, court, human interest and social issues.