Our Team

Kia ora koutou whanau, Ko Exmoor te Maunga, Ko Exe Te Awa, No Somerset, England ahau, Ko Ngapuhi tonu te Iwi, Ko Donald toku papa, Ko Celia toku mama, Ko Tanya Maich toku hoa rangatira, Ko Ella toku kotiro, Ko Oliver raua Milan oku tama, Ko Danny Jewell toku ingoa, Ko au tumuaki te kura o Whangarei Primary. No reira tena koutou, tena koutou, tena tatou katoa.

My name is Danny Jewell and I am privileged and excited to be the new Principal of Whangarei Primary School, from Term 3, 2019. I have been teaching and leading in education for the past 25 years in a diverse range of locations, schools and ages. In England I taught for 10 years in private schools, where I honed my skills in leadership as a Head of Sports for four years at Haberdashers' Aske's Boys' School in Elstree. I arrived in New Zealand in 2005 and taught at Tauraroa Area School for 10 years, where I had experience teaching in Years 4-9, and was Deputy Principal in charge of the Primary area for 6 years. in 2014, I moved to Parua Bay School as their Principal, where the roll rocketed from 220 - 390 in two years. Under such extraordinary circumstances, as a first time Principal, I learnt very quickly about the varied roles of a Principal. My educational philosophy is really quite simple: the student is front and centre and needs to be engaged, stimulated and empowered to learn; the teacher is the most valuable resource a school can have, and needs to be supported, valued and motivated; and whanau is at the top of the pyramid, and connections between student, school and parents need to be strong and based on relational trust for optimum learning to happen. Therefore, I would urge that you, as parents and whanau, get involved in your children's education - get to know your child's class teacher, take every opportunity to visit the school, make connections to the school and ensure your child has the best possible chance of achieving by becoming involved in the school. I look forward to connecting with you at school, and ensuring that your child is happy and successful at Whangarei Primary School.

I am a born and bred Northlander having done all of my schooling in the Tikipunga area before spreading my wings in the big wide world.

After teaching around New Zealand and around the world I finally returned to Whangarei in 2000 to start my family.  I now live in Tamaterau with my husband and my two children.

My most recent teaching has been in the year 7 and 8 area and as  a Deputy Principal locally. Over the past 18 months I have been volunteering  within St John  and working part time in schools around Whangarei. The rest of my spare time is spent following my kids around their sports indulging my family's love of fishing, travelling as much as possible and spending time in the paradise that is the Whangarei.

My passions in education are wide and varied but you are most likely to find me in classrooms encouraging a love of oral language, drama, sports and  finding the fun in learning. I look forward to spending the next three terms working with the students and community of Whangarei Primary.

Kāore te kumara e kōreo mō tōna ake reka

Throughout my career I have had the great fortune to work in many schools, with wonderful teachers and genuine, caring leadership teams. I now add Whangarei Primary to that list.

I love working within schools as I find them to be hives of creativity, full of wonderful people both young and old.

My passion is literacy, both personally and for students. For me, it is essential we  understand how we can better communicate with each other as human beings.

I am a born and bred South Islander but have probably spent more of my life now in the North Island. Christchurch was home but now I find that home is the beautiful Te Tai Tokerau with its rich history and beautiful environment.

Whangarei Primary School has recently celebrated its 150th anniversary. I feel privileged to be part of its next chapter.

‍“Free speech carries with it some freedom to listen” - Bob Marley