Peter Ferris retires this year after 25 years at the helm of Ilminster Intermediate School

The large glass floor-to-ceiling bi-fold doors to Peter Ferris's office are wide open, a gentle breeze blowing through allowing for plenty of fresh air and reflecting his approachable style of leadership and open-door policy.
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The colourful gardens outside the office and around the school, the bright cerise uniforms, the murals and artworks that feature throughout testify to a school in good heart and health. But it hasn't always been this way.
Peter was brought in to assist Ilminster in 1994 when it went under statutory management and a commissioner was appointed to help restore it to health.
“The Education Review Office had identified huge concerns and there were a lot of horrendous headlines at the time about the school,” Peter says.
“The commissioner was Kevin Dwyer who used to be principal at Te Wharau and he called me in for a meeting and asked if I would like to take over. I'd met with him on the Thursday before Labour Weekend and took over the Tuesday after as principal.”
Peter said the school's troubles were caused largely because it couldn't handle self-management and there was division between the principal, teachers and board of trustees.
Faced with a massively falling role where Gisborne Intermediate picked up the excess and they went from 480 to 600, he was given the rest of the term to make a positive impact and turn things around.
“After I started a lot of teachers bailed - it was rats off a sinking ship and the downside of this was that we had to replace them.”
So he was a man with a mission and only a term to complete it.
“Kevin and I would meet every morning at 6am and plan out the day. It was good fun but it was full on.
“In 1995 I was asked to stay on for one more term and at the end of Term 1 Kevin believed the school was in good enough heart to form a board of trustees so he did that by March 1995.
“We had an excellent board and I approached a highly-respected educationalist Arapeta Gibson to become the chair which he did.”
Peter then applied for the full-time principal's position and got it and has been making his mark on the school ever since.
BACKGROUND
Peter has strived to create a school environment where students thrive and the school connects and makes a difference for not only the students but the whanau.
“It is a great feeling when the community believe in what you are doing.”
But his own memories of school are far from encouraging until he realised his strength and his passion for sport when he got to Lytton High School.
“School was pretty ho-hum - in my day there were pretty disciplinarian-style teachers with large classes. You went to school to fill the day I think.”
He followed brother Ian to teachers' training college at Ardmore in Auckland, a residential training institution which was “very multi-cultural with a strong Pacific Island community who came from the islands on scholarships to train”.
Filmed and Edited by
Ben Cowper
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[@gum3602]

I attended ilminster from 2012 - 13. Never saw much of Mr Ferris, but boy you could always feel his presence if he was around haha. 25 years what an achievement!

[@AReezLife]

Mr Ferris! I remember him becoming our principal in 1994! The man. I was classroom 6 with Mr Maihi Brown.

[@tyronebriggs3323]

Holy Shit He Retired He Was One Of The Coolest Principals I've Ever Met

[@georginamarino721]

Best principal of all time ❤

[@nivanahbradford3056]

I go to llminter is a really good school

[@flayyva2146]

Oush everyone freaked when they saw Matua Antz and Mrs Ruru 😂

[@Funny_moment566]

Do u mean freaked out

[@flayyva2146]

@@Funny_moment566 Same thing lol

[@wadebrunt6450]

Wish I was there

[@noctisluciscilem386]

We wave goodbye to the best principle of this school

[@iamURHO]

Can someone please tell me the title and short message of the song at 6:23? Thanks. 😊

[@kellywoods-poata2634]

Very pink