Our People

He tangata, he tangata, he tangata!

Ronan Bass BSc(Ed.) (Hons) PGDip EdLM

Principal/Tumuaki

Ronan Bass BSc(Ed.) (Hons) PGDip EdLM

Principal/Tumuaki

Prior to taking up the position of Principal at Ellesmere College-Te Kāreti o Waihora in May 2018, Ronan’s most recent position was as the Deputy Principal of Hillcrest High School in Hamilton, a school of over 1900 students. Preceding this, Ronan was the Deputy Principal and Director of Professional Inquiry at Green Bay High School in Auckland. While in this role he was instrumental in driving whole-school pedagogical change and implementing a system of academic counselling and data analysis while working in conjunction with the University of Auckland’s Starpath Project. The Starpath Project was based on initiatives developed at Massey High School in West Auckland, where Ronan worked for a decade and a half as a teacher, Head of Student Leadership, Dean and Professional Development Facilitator with the University of Waikato’s internationally-recognised Te Kotahitanga programme. In 2010, Ronan was awarded a 32-week TeachNZ Study Award and carried out postgraduate research in the area of middle leadership development to improve Māori student achievement, a topic which Ronan is highly passionate about. His experience of having worked at low to high decile schools in Ireland, United Kingdom, Switzerland and New Zealand has allowed Ronan the opportunity to develop a wide-ranging repertoire of skills in order to be able to interact with diverse and varied groups of students. Over the years he has coached and managed football, managed multiple underage and 1st XV rugby teams and supported inumerable student-led initiatives.

Ronan relocated from Ireland to New Zealand in 1999 and spent the majority of that year working at the America’s Cup. He has developed, led and driven various school wide initiatives with a pastoral, student leadership, professional development, data analysis and pedagogical-change focus. He is very passionate about engaging with students, staff, whānau and the community, and has high expectations for staff and students. Ronan has a strong passion for social justice and firmly believes that learning, and in particular experiential learning, is for life not just for school, and that all students should be able to achieve personal success while at school. He was amongst the first group of teachers in New Zealand to be trained in Restorative Practices in the early 2000s, has developed models of Teaching and Leadership as Inquiry which have been adopted by multiple schools and holds a Bachelor of Science in Education (Hons) from the University of Limerick, Ireland and a Postgraduate Diploma in Educational Leadership & Management from Unitec, Auckland.

Antony French B.Sc, B.For.Sc, GradDipTchLn (Secondary)

Deputy Principal/Tumuaki Āwhina

Antony French B.Sc, B.For.Sc, GradDipTchLn (Secondary)

Deputy Principal/Tumuaki Āwhina

After completing his education at the University of Canterbury and Lincoln University, Antony spent a number of years working in the private sector before undertaking a teaching diploma. In 2001 Antony was appointed to Ellesmere College-Te Kāreti o Waihora to teach Science and pick up the reins of the Agriculture and Horticulture program. In the initial years he was a Year 10 form teacher and quickly rose to the position of Year 10 Dean. His teaching philosophy, based around building strong, positive and professional relationships with students and parents, made the Year 10 team strong for a number of years. With his increasing experience developing and delivering innovative curriculum programs including the implementation of the highly successful Rural Trade Academy, Antony then held the position of Assistant Head of Science for a number of years and then progressed to Head of Science. Concurrently with this, his strengths in pastoral care led to a Kaitiaki role. While it is an unusual path for a teacher to rise through the ranks while remaining at a single school, Antony believes that his commitment to EC means that he has a connection to the community that is invaluable. He has ensured that his teaching practice as well as his leadership roles never become stale and he is constantly reflecting, re-evaluating, developing and improving all aspects of his career.

Antony has been the staff representative on the Board of Trustees, the PPTA branch secretary and subsequently the PPTA branch chairperson,  relief teacher coordinator and led the organising committee for the senior formal as well as a myriad of other roles. Antony coached the 1st XV rugby team for 10 years, has run touch rugby teams, organised or participated in over 50 school camps at year 7,10 and 13 and has coached the EC Clay Target Shooting team for the past 5 years. Having the privilege of coaching a number of students to regional, South Island and National Champion levels is something that he is proud to have achieved. Whilst working in the Senior Leadership Team, Antony has had the opportunity to strengthen his leadership skills and is most proud to be part of a dedicated and professional team who have implemented progressive change designed to gain the best possible outcomes for all of our learners. 

When asked recently by a student what he liked most about teaching he replied, “While I understand that I may not be able to change the world, I know that I have been a part of the lives of many young people who will”

Rebecca Rupp Dip Hospitality Mgmt, Dip Trvl,Tourism,BusTech, Bachelor of TchLn (Primary)

Deputy Principal/Tumuaki Tuarua

Rebecca Rupp Dip Hospitality Mgmt, Dip Trvl,Tourism,BusTech, Bachelor of TchLn (Primary)

Deputy Principal/Tumuaki Tuarua

Rebecca is in her seventh year of teaching at Ellesmere College-Te Kāreti o Waihora and also attended as a student herself in the 1990’s. In between leaving school and embarking on her teaching journey later in life, Rebecca completed a Diploma in Hospitality Management and took her qualification and skills overseas to London where she managed a bar and restaurant in Richmond for a year, while taking the opportunities to travel around Europe seeing different parts of the world.

Upon returning to New Zealand Rebecca moved back to the Ellesmere area and managed a local wine bar/cafe for several years before deciding to change career paths ever so slightly. She returned to study at NZSTT and completed a Diploma in Travel, Tourism and Business Technology. This path took her to the Air New Zealand Airpoints call centre and then into corporate travel working for a subsidiary travel agent for the University of Canterbury.  

Rebecca then took a leave of absence to become a parent and worked part-time in administration for a local taxidermist. Once her children started the local primary school she became heavily involved in the PTA and this ignited her love of working with children and was prompted to delve into the teaching profession. The 3 year Bachelor of Teaching and Learning (Primary) degree beckoned and so Rebecca again returned to tertiary education, this time as a distance learner and completed this in 2016.

Since being at Ellesmere College-Te Kāreti o Waihora Rebecca has used these lifelong learning journeys and skills to be able to move rapidly into middle management where she became the Year 7 Dean in her first year of being fully qualified. In 2020 Rebecca co-led the Year 7 and 8 department and is now the Year 7 Team Leader and Kaitiaki as well as being appointed as the Adjunct Assistant Principal in 2022 to oversee Covid-19 and our ERO review. She is also the staff representative on the Board of Trustees. Rebecca is excited to be a part of the pedagogical change that has been occurring over the past few years and every year looks forward to welcoming new students to Ellesmere College/Te Kāreti o Waihora.

Craig Anderson B.Sc, P.Grad.Dip.Sci, GradDipTchLn (Secondary)

Deputy Principal/Tumuaki Tuarua

Craig Anderson B.Sc, P.Grad.Dip.Sci, GradDipTchLn (Secondary)

Deputy Principal/Tumuaki Tuarua

Craig began teaching at Ellesmere College-Te Kāreti o Waihora in 2003. Over his time at the school he has held a variety of pastoral and academic roles. He was a Form teacher and then Dean/Whanau Kaitiaki for 16 years. In this role he undertook the pastoral care of students ranging in age from Year 8 to 13.

He is experienced in interacting with students who have a wide variety of behavioural and learning needs. He was part of the team that developed and implemented the vertical form system at Ellesmere College and has been a strong supporter of the Whanau competition and its continued improvement.

He joined the PB4L team in 2016 and attended their conferences in 2016 and 2017. The central ideas of PB4L (common values, clear expectations, de-escalation, and restorative practice) have resonated with him and he bases his approach to behaviour management around them.

At all times he prioritises the needs and wellbeing of the student while seeking to maintain positive relationships between students and teachers. He considers fairness to be an important aspect of any outcome that is obtained after a disagreement.

Currently Craig is the Head of the Science Learning Area, Principal’s Nominee, and in charge of Timetable, Assessment, Reporting and Kamar.

Craig is a past pupil of Ellesmere College-Te Kāreti o Waihora and is proud to have returned as a staff member. Between leaving and returning he gained a B.Sc and Post Graduate Diploma majoring in Geology from the University of Canterbury. He travelled overseas visiting Europe and North Africa, taught (accidentally) as a relief teacher in Dublin and on his return gained his teaching degree from the Christchurch College of Education.