New Mount Aspiring College (MAC) principal Nicola Jacobsen was officially welcomed with a pōwhiri today (Tuesday February 2).

The former Pakuranga College deputy principal was recruited at the end of last year and comes with a strong teaching background and passion for excellence. 

Nicola said she was honoured by the reception. 

“Today's pōwhiri was a humbling experience. I am grateful for the warm welcome from Kai Tahu, the school and the community. The students today showed great passion for their culture and their school,” she said.

“I'm excited about the learning journey ahead, about providing excellent learning programmes for all of our students. I know that the partnership between the student, home, and school is crucial for young people to experience success, and today's pōwhiri showed the strength of that relationship.”

The traditional Māori welcoming ceremony was attended by members of the Wanaka community and local Ngai Tahu, and involved a ‘handing over’ of care for Nicola, led by Pakuranga principal Mike Williams.

MAC Board of Trustees chairperson Dr Ian Hall said he was thrilled with the formalities.

“Today was a wonderful way to begin the school year and it was heartening to see the college community come together to welcome Nicola. I would like to extend my sincere thanks to Mike Williams and his team for making the journey down here, to Ngai Tahu for their blessing and involvement, and to the school community for receiving Nicola so warmly,” Ian said.

Limited statutory manager Madeleine Hawkesby, who led the recruitment for Nicola, said the pōwhiri was the culmination of “a thorough process”. 

“I am thrilled at the warm welcome Nicola has received and confident in her leadership,” she said.

The pōwhiri was followed by a blessing of the new school building site, where preliminary construction will begin in the coming weeks.