Emotional tributes have quickly been paid this week to former Pakūranga College principal Mike Williams, who passed away aged 66 last Saturday after a brave battle with cancer.
On Monday, summing up the feeling across east Auckland, the college said: “A mighty Tōtara has fallen.
“His loss is greatly felt by staff, students, and alumni of Pakūranga College, where he served with passion for almost 15 years, as well as the wider teaching profession.
“Mike was an extremely experienced principal who was respected by colleagues, which saw him appointed president of the Secondary Principals Association of New Zealand (SPANZ) from 2017 to 2019.
“After departing Pakūranga College he shared his wisdom with other principals in a mentor role with the Ministry of Education,” said the college.
SPANZ said on Monday: “Mike was a deeply respected leader whose steady guidance, integrity, and commitment to secondary education shaped our sector in meaningful and lasting ways.
“His contributions to SPANZ and to the wider education community will not be forgotten.”
The funeral for Mike Williams is in the building named after him, the Williams Sports Centre, at Pakūranga College this Saturday, November 22, at 11am.
It’s open to the public and parking will be available on the school field, with entry off Pakūranga Road, following the directions of staff.
The man who succeeded Williams as Pakūranga College principal, Billy Merchant, told the Times: “Mike’s loss is a huge blow for the education community and of course Pakūranga College.
“As an experienced principal he gave great advice and was very highly regarded by peers.
“He always had time to offer his insight and then step back to let you get on with things.
“He touched the lives of thousands of students throughout his 40-odd years of teaching and was on the sidelines every week to support students in sports and arts performances,” said Merchant.
“His presence was so important, as it showed them that he valued aspects of life beyond traditional academics.
“Upon announcing this sad news, it was heartwarming to see just how many students and staff from Pakūranga College, Aorere College, and Manurewa High School remember Mike fondly and what an effect he had on them. He has left an enduring legacy.
“Pakūranga College is grateful for the huge impact Mike made as principal, which is evident when looking around our grounds,” said Merchant.
“His legacy to us is leading-edge facilities in the appropriately named Williams Sports Centre and our newest set of classrooms, the Haque Building.
“We thank him for his contribution and offer aroha and support to his beautiful family.”
Pakūranga College’s website report on Mike Williams, by Cerys Gibby, Carlos Norton and Jenna Edwards:
Mike’s education journey began, as his life did, in the small rural settlement of Parua Bay in Northland, where his family farmed.
He attended Parua Bay School, where there were only three classes for all students from new entrants to year 8.
He had only six people in his year group, and due to the small pool of people, they were all easily friends.
He later attended Whangārei Boys’ High School, and then Bay of Islands College.
Mike was the first person from his family to attend university, and he recalled in a past school yearbook that except for his teacher, he didn’t know anyone who had gone to university and had no idea of the types of careers that were available.
In a moment of serendipity, a former student came to his high school to share information about a pathway towards teaching that would help fund his degree.
Unsure of what he could do with a university degree, Mike decided to enter university on that pathway.
He went to the University of Waikato. The open campus with lots of green space on the fringe of Hamilton city was a lot less intimidating than the University of Auckland for a country boy.
While he had been driving since he was 15, he hadn’t encountered traffic lights!
At first, he studied computer science but quickly got bored and changed courses.
In the 1970s, writing a computer programme meant manually popping out lines of code on punch cards and then feeding them into a card reader.
It was boring and repetitive, so he switched to a general maths and physics degree.
After two years, he transferred to the University of Auckland and carried out the remainder of his degree there.
He graduated with a mathematics degree, with physics being his second major.
When Mike started teaching, he taught mainly maths with one physics class.
Over time, he moved more towards physics, preferring the subject’s practicality.
Eventually, he moved into a position as the head of physics. The way he saw it, his position meant he could have an impact on all physics students, not just his class.
Mike always fit teaching around his family, wife Jenny and three children Nicola, Sarah, and Matthew, often marking papers during the evening bathtime routine and enjoying nothing more than escaping to Cooks Beach for family time.
After 15 years at Manurewa High School, including a stint as deputy principal, he was appointed principal of Aorere College in 2002.
It was there that he learned the most important lesson of his teaching career – that in society, there is massive inequity that is not the fault of the students who experience it.
When he arrived, nobody from Aorere College had gone to university in two or three years.
That was unacceptable to Mike, and through his work, success became the expectation within the school and its community.
Looking for a new challenge, he arrived at Pakūranga College as principal in 2009 and quickly made his mark.
A big part of his time at Pakūranga College was shaping the culture of the school.
He often referred to himself as the “Chief Cultural Engineer” and as he put it: “It’s the culture that drives what people do and change.”
Over the years, there was rarely a student-led event that Mike didn’t try to attend.
He watched countless cultural night performances, musical productions, sports games, and saw students grow into hardworking and passionate adults.
Reflecting in his final Pakūranga College yearbook, Mike said that he liked to think that as principal, he was able to have an indirect impact on all students at Pakūranga College.
He saw his job as creating a culture focused on learning and the holistic development of young people.
He said: “I think the culture at Pakūranga College is something we can be proud of.
“I take great satisfaction from the work we do inspiring students and laying the foundation for their future successes.”
The passion Mike had for his job was undeniable, and while it meant his speeches were seldom ever short, students and staff applauded after every single one.
Mike’s enduring legacy to the college is our wonderful facilities, including our world-class Willams Sport Centre and the Haque Building.
Mike was a man who lived through pearls of wisdom, and nobody inspired him more than Dr Seuss.
Farewelling students at the end of every year, he would always come full circle to the book Oh, The Places You’ll Go.
“Kid, you’ll move mountains! Today is your day! Your mountain is waiting. So… get on your way!”
Mike moved plenty of mountains throughout his life, but we hope his biggest legacy will be having encouraged thousands of his students to do the same.
