Dave Bagwell took the helm at Lawrence Area School late last year and completed his move south last month, having lived in Auckland for 26 years since arriving from Britain in 1998.
He had rarely ventured south before a trip to Dunedin just after Covid-19 lockdowns ended.
"[My partner Jia] and I fell in love with Dunedin when we visited and the idea to maybe move south was seeded then. So when the opportunity to come to Lawrence came up, we took the leap, rather than waiting to retire down here."
Having trained and worked in London boroughs Lewisham and Croydon in his early professional life, the 57-year-old father-of-two had spent his career here "gradually moving closer to the centre of Auckland".
That concluded with 10 years as deputy principal of Glenfield College on the North Shore and, most recently, his first principal position, at Westbridge Residential School.
He said Westbridge was both a contrast with, and bore similarities to, Lawrence.
"Westbridge was a 24/7 residential school for ages 9 to 16, for students with high and complex needs. We had between 12 and 16 students at any given time, and a staff of 50.
"The aim was to bring students back into mainstream schooling following a year of assessment and education, which we achieved with a 90% success rate.
"The most important lesson was walking with every student to move past failures to find their successes and that’s a model that’s applicable to any school."
Mr Bagwell said he had been impressed with teachers who "knew every student’s name" at Lawrence, which has about 130 students.
"The kids are known by staff, and they all connect with somebody. That’s important for the wellbeing of every student."
Aside from curricular duties, the West Ham United football fan was looking forward to getting into the outdoors more.
"West Ham is a hangover from my London days, so I still like to get up at 3 in the morning sometimes and watch them play. I’d also like to grab life by the horns and become part of the small but strong community down here.
"I hope we can work together to make the school the best it can be."
