Halfway through her first year as St Peter’s Catholic School principal, Nicole Higby is reflecting on how lucky she – and St Peter’s – really is.
Baptism of fire: New St Peter’s Catholic School principal Nicole Higby watches on as a runner crosses the line in the Waipā Fun Run.
Results in the 2025 school board elections come out next month. That exercise has validated Higby’s positive view of her school community, one she suggests many schools would be keen to emulate.
“We are incredibly lucky here with the number of people who have put their names forward for the board,” she told The News.
The St Peter’s community reminds Higby of the environment she enjoyed when teaching at Te Pahu School between 2006 and 2011. Before and after that, she taught at St Pius X School in Melville, St Joseph’s in Fairfield, and then at Marian Catholic School for over 13 years.
St Peter’s Catholic in Cambridge had been on her radar a few times before she finally made the move.
“It had been suggested to me on a several previous occasions that I should apply for this when it came up, but the time wasn’t right. I always loved teaching,” she said. “But when it was put in front of me this time, I had already looked at it… and as it turns out, I can still top up my teaching. That way, I have got to know every child in the school.”
Higby was born in Ōtorohanga, one of seven children in a robust Catholic family. They moved to Ōhaupō where Higby grew up knowing she had to learn hard at school then get a job, ideally either nursing or teaching. She wanted to teach, and as she started her own family, she won a scholarship and studied at Waikato, gaining a first-class master’s degree in education. In 2014, she completed a dissertation on engaging and motivating boys in writing through dialogue and collaboration.
Her experience places Higby well for what is a seminal year in terms of New Zealand education. Primary curriculum changes have introduced structured learning in key subjects such as English and maths, and the government has moved to replace open-plan classroom teaching in favour of a more flexible format.
St Peter’s is well-placed for the latter, she said. Open classrooms built a few years ago can be easily partitioned for single-class or group teaching, and she is positive about changes to the curriculum.
“I like the structure of it… the science of learning is probably my favourite thing about education. If I were to express a concern it would be about the speed of implementing the changes, particularly in smaller schools where you have crossover levels in terms of student groupings,” she said. “It’s important to get the fundamentals right and I am optimistic there will still be space in there to encourage children to be creative in their learning. We see our students come to life through opportunities such as our garden and the recent production.
“Children have always got a good education here … this is about making sure no children are left behind. Once you have the pedagogy right, you can apply it anywhere.”
St Peter’s Catholic School principal Nicole Higby pictured next to the korowai that was a gift from her previous school. Photo: Viv Posselt
