Our Tumuaki/Principal

Derek Linington was appointed as our tumuaki/principal in May 2017. Prior to that he held two other principal positions. The most recent being at Royal Oak Intermediate where he led the school for four years; and before that at Bailey Road School (Years 1 to 8) for almost six years.  

Derek holds a Post Graduate Diploma in Educational Administration, a Bachelor of Arts, a Diploma in Educational Management and a four-year Higher Diploma in Education. Despite having taken a break from university study, Derek continues to learn, and he accomplishes this through pertinent professional development. 

He is a firm believer that schools should have a strong focus on values and that these should be taught to, and modelled for, our tamariki/children. Derek believes that schools need an aspirational goal that is neatly condensed into a story that underpins the values. Those who join Papakura Normal School as ākonga/learners, kaimahi/staff, or as ngā mātua/parents are all on a journey together. Our journey is to become the best we can over the course of our time here at Papakura Normal School. We must all achieve the highest standards possible. Our school is the waka/canoe in which we travel on this journey. The tāngata/people in the waka must work together using oars/paddles to propel the waka forward. It is a set of common values that bring people together and at Papakura Normal School the OAR forms our values; Others, Achieve and Respect.