Originally from Nelson, Nigel studied at Canterbury University before moving overseas. His two-year trip turned into twenty-five years, during which he worked in various schools across England, Kenya, Borneo, the Philippines, UAE, Uganda, and China. This global exposure provided Nigel with a profound understanding of diverse cultural contexts and educational approaches, while making him fully appreciate being from and having grown up in Aotearoa.

During his time abroad, he completed his Masters in Education and held leadership positions in multiple schools. This included being the Head of Primary in one International school, Founding Head in a bilingual school, and holding senior leadership roles in well established schools in Asia and the UAE.

In developing his educational philosophy, Nigel firmly believes that learning should be childcentered, engaging, relevant, and seamlessly connected to the world around us. As a school leader, he always strives to embody kindness, fairness, optimism, and presentness, while keeping the children’s experiences at the center of decision making and the underlying purpose of education at the forefront. He embraces the concept of community and strongly believes that schools should be a place where everyone can share and learn.