‘Aunty Jack’ remembers days of the old school yard
Ask 11-year-old Jacinda Ardern what she wanted to be when she grew up – the likely answer at the time would have been ‘‘a police officer, like my father’’.
Today, she now walks the beat as New Zealand’s 40th prime minister.
The politician returned to her stomping ground yesterday and visited Morrinsville Intermediate School ahead of its 50th Jubilee on April 10.
The anniversary was scheduled for May last year, but after the country went into lockdown, ironically ordered by Morrinsville Intermediate’s most famous student, the school decided to postpone the event – and Arden’s invitation – to 2021.
While Ardern doesn’t plan to accept the school’s invitation and attend the anniversary, she took the opportunity to share freshly baked student cookies, tour the school, catch up with past teachers and share memories as a schoolgirl in the early 90s to an auditorium of 360 students.
Sitting on hard wooden benches during school assemblies, climbing over the old obstacle course and getting creative in her favourite subjects – wood and metalwork – to name a few.
Silence spread across the school yard as principal Jenny Clark greeted Ardern and Te Ao Marama Maaka of Nga¯ti Haua¯ welcomed her home.
‘‘It is my privilege to officially welcome you here today to visit your old school and acknowledge our 50th Jubilee,’’ Clark said to Ardern.
For the prime minister, it felt like she ‘‘was coming home’’.
‘‘I have such happy memories at this school,’’ she told the school.
‘‘This hall is exactly the same, except the fact it didn’t have this smart tiered seating. We used to sit on very hard wooden benches in this hall.
‘‘I remember outside on the school field, there was this horrible thing called an obstacle course.
‘‘My sister [Louise] and I were both terrible at the obstacle course, so my father would bring us down to the school on weekends to practice.’’
Her nickname, ‘Aunty’, however, was something she picked up long ago.
‘‘My Form Two teacher, Mrs Bean, gave me the nickname Aunty Jack.
‘‘I’ve been called ‘Aunty’ since I was 12 years old.’’
It was also the place she discovered her new favourite subjects.
Entering the classroom yesterday, Ardern was met with a smiling, yet emotional, teacher named Stuart King.
King was Ardern’s woodwork teacher, 30 years ago.
‘‘You look the same, you haven’t changed a bit,’’ she said to King.
‘‘I’m very emotional to see you, I’m retiring in three weeks,’’ he replied.
Ardern gave King the handcrafted police car she made for her father, Ross, in 1992. She’d carried it around in a green paper bag all morning.
But Ardern’s school years talents didn’t stop there.
She knew her way around a chess board – helping win the chess shield for her house – and stood strong on the student council as president.
‘‘I remember helping to win the Chess Shield for my House.
‘‘I don’t know what that said about my future other than ‘nerd’.’’
The Morrinsville Intermediate
50th Jubilee will be held on April
10 from 10am to 4pm at the school grounds. Past students, staff and Board of Trustees are invited to complete its registration form. More information can be found on the Facebook page.