Education Champions
Andrew King
Andrew is the principal at Oropi School in Tauranga. This is a full primary semi-rural context with 350 students, and hosts international students. Andrew has been a school principal since 2008 and enjoys the varying nature of this role.
He completed his Educational Leadership Masters in 2015, focusing on Leadership of an Intercultural Strategy in primary schools, with case study reference to the Chinese education system and context, and the experience of Chinese students in New Zealand schools. This led to the implementation of an integrated intercultural strategy at Oropi School with opportunities for students to learn with, from, and about Asian cultures, Chinese language learning school-wide, collaborative projects with schools in China, and e-pals / online buddy classes.
Fostering global competencies is an important, embedded element across the school. Andrew believes it is essential to equip students to prepare them for engagement with Asia.