Drew Pouniu

Talofa lava, malo soifua, kiaora koutou katoa,
It is an honour to be a Deputy Principal at Hokowhitu School and I’m excited to be a part of the Hokowhitu whanau.
My journey began in South Auckland, at Papatoetoe North, and it is there that I became a Teaching Assistant Principal and gained a Master’s Degree in Education. My wife and I  have travelled the world together and taught English in South Korea. When we returned to Aotearoa we built our first home in Feilding and welcomed our first child into the world in 2017.
At Riverdale School, I was a lead teacher of a Flexible Learning Environment. We adapted our combined teaching experience to develop collaborative practice to highlight kaiako strengths in order to reflect Modern Learning Pedagogy because at the core of our practice was student agency and the promotion 21st Century tools.
I am passionate about the Performing Arts and I encourage akonga to gain an appreciation and confidence in Music, Drama, Dance, Kapahaka, Siva Samoa and other Pasifika  dance.
I believe school is the sum of its community, akonga, heritage and context. Knowing this, and valuing what has gone before, enables a leader to build, rather than to compare with the past.   My goal as Deputy Principal is to tautoko our BOT, ariki and kaiako to maintain the richness of Hokowhitu, and continue to promote 21st century opportunities for akonga.