Few know Wilson better than Wills, her coach for the last three years at the south Auckland-based Northern Stars. Wilson was also a key figure in Wills’ New Zealand under-21 side, who knocked over Australia in the final of the 2017 Youth Netball World Cup in Botswana. “I’m bloody proud because I’m that coach that left her behind on a couple of tours for [New Zealand] under-21s because she didn’t make it [with fitness],” Wills said.
Kai Schwoerer/Getty Images
Maia Wilson shone in her first series starting against Australia, playing all 240 minutes over the four matches.
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February 23, 2021
Top dog or school dogsbody? The reality of life as a head boy or girl
Head students are an integral part of the secondary school system in New Zealand, yet they are expected to cope with a seemingly never-ending to do list on top of their studies. So is the mahi worth the treats? Former head girl Ruby Clavey reports.
As Spider-Man’s Uncle Ben once put it, “with great power comes great responsibility”. He could have been talking about New Zealand’s roster of head boys and girls. Like Spider-Man himself, head students have a chance to be the superheroes of their schools – to create positive and inclusive spaces, strengthen relationships between staff and students, and become approachable faces of the school.
Kimi-Rose Webster Webster, a 27-year-old high school English teacher at Mount Albert Grammar School in Auckland, says she thrives of “new experiences”. The teacher told TVNZ she had applied for the programme after the end of a long term relationship that had occupied the first half of her 20s. She said that ended when she moved to London, UK, and they “consciously uncoupled”.
Daniel Medini/Supplied Kayla Anderson Self-love coach Anderson is 27, living in Waihi. She has been single for three years, and says she spent that time learning, well, the art of self-love. That came after a long-term relationship, which lasted for more than seven years.
However, they said students were already feeling anxious after just two-and-a-half days of disruption to studies. There were concerns about how students would cope with disruption so early into the school year and what it could mean for the year ahead. Secondary Principals’ Association of New Zealand (SPANZ) president Deidre Shea and Onehunga High School principal acknowledged that a lockdown so early in the year was challenging for students, particularly those without internet access or devices at home. This was also the case for Birdwood School, in Rānui, West Auckland.
LAWRENCE SMITH/STUFF
Papatoetoe High School principal Vaughan Couillault talks to Stuff reporter Troels Sommerville, as queues continue at the school s pop-up testing centre.