Tonight’s Goodsort was nominated by Karen O’Regan from Nelson, a school groundskeeper.
She wrote to Goodsorts because she wanted to talk about her mum, Tessa Hadfield.
O’Regan started her career as a teacher’s aide but decided to mix things up, applying for the school’s caretaker role.
Dressed in pink, Kaitiaki Karen (which is what the kids call her) began getting into her work, gardening and helping with school maintenance.
She wants to be a different kind of caretaker.
“I want the girls to know they can do a job like this, and I also want the boys to know if they want to learn to knit that they can knit,” she said.
But it wasn’t an easy transition, with the sheer size of the school making things challenging. So Kaitiaki Karen called in some backup, her mum more specifically.
“She said, would you like me to come in, and I was all for it.”
Hadfield said: “It was the right time, and I could see the enormity of this place.”
Now, the two are a duo, with Kaitiaki Karen and gardening gran.
For O’Regan, it’s not just about ticking off jobs around the school.
“I want to work with children so that they take care of the school, and they want to work with me because they love what we are out there doing.”
“The one thing I try and show them is perseverance. Grit. Don’t give up.”
Watch the video above to see the impact Kaitiaki Karen and gardening gran are having on the school.
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