Andrew Jones steps into principal role at Waimate High School

Waimate’s new principal Andrew Jones steps into a principal role officially for the first time, but he’s no stranger to school leadership. He was deputy principal at Craighead Diocesan School, and before that at Roncalli College, where he also spent time as acting principal.

We caught up with Andrew to talk about where he’s come from, why he’s here, and why he believes South Canterbury is a great place to raise and educate kids.

Before looking ahead, he’s quick to acknowledge the work already done at the school.

“Jo’s done an incredible job here, there’s a strong staff culture and vision.”

The path to teaching

Originally from Christchurch, Andrew studied Theatre Studies and Commerce at University of Otago straight from school. He met his wife Sarah (originally from Geraldine) on his OE in London and studied teaching when they got back to Christchurch.

“I think I was pre-programmed to be a teacher from an early age. Being the eldest of four I naturally assumed some roles there and being an extrovert was something that I inherited from my parents, though I think I might have amplified that a little. Going into teaching after life experience was the best decision I made as I brought some experience, perspective and context into my practice.”

South Canterbury calls

After the earthquakes, they made the decision to head south to Timaru, wanting to be closer to Sarah’s family and to raise their two boys in South Canterbury. One is now in his second year at Otago University, while the other is heading into Year 12 at Roncalli.

He’s now part of a daily pattern that plays out right across South Canterbury and both ways over the Waitaki bridge. Every morning, traffic flows in all directions as students, teachers, tradies and workers from every profession cross invisible district boundaries to get to work and school.

The commute to Waimate is an easy one - around 35 minutes of open road, with no traffic jams in sight. A very different version of a half-hour commute in a city.

 “ For me it is a great time to reflect before and after a busy day.”

A small school is an intense strength

With a roll of around 300 students, Waimate High sits in the small-school category. For Andrew, size is not a constraint.

“I love small schools, you know the faces in the staff room, you know the kids and what drives them, what they do in their spare time.”

He says smaller rolls shape the way students work together, particularly in team environments.

“Teams have to embrace all levels into the team which requires nurturing from senior students, it develops patience, empathy and understanding.”

That closeness, he believes, has a direct impact on learning and confidence.

“When students have close relationships they feel like they belong, they are safe and they are secure. When they feel those three things they are more likely to take risks, and from there their potential can explode”

According to Andrew, Waimate High School offers something that can be harder to find elsewhere -  a place where kids can grow up well-rounded, with a genuine sense of safety.

The AgHub

The AgHub was a major drawcard for Andrew when applying for the role.

“Andrew Carswell and Aaron Harbour are the visionaries behind the project. It’s a big reason I wanted this job. 1 in 7 jobs in New Zealand is in agriculture. AI will assist farmers, but it won’t replace them.”

He sees the programme as a chance to broaden how agriculture is taught, combining practical skills with science, innovation and new ways of thinking about the sector’s future.

“Beyond stock and fencing, we want to focus on innovation, how to get technology into farming practices. What’s happening on farms now and what could we do differently.”

That approach is about giving students both hands-on experience and the tools to question, test and improve existing systems.

Measuring success

For Andrew, success ultimately comes back to students and their growth - academic or otherwise.

“Success for me is a smile on someone’s face when they extend their potential. Academics can lead to that but so does other things we can support.”

“When you know the kids you can figure out what’s going to extend them. When you say, look at where you were, and look at where you are now, and they smile. That’s success.”

His expectations of the wider community are simple.

“All we want from the community is that they can have confidence in what we’re doing and they are a part of what we’re doing. We want students to be proud to say they went to Waimate High School.”