When Amy Whetū (Harington 1997-1998) visits St Paul’s, there are plenty of “How’s the whaanau?”. She seems to know everyone, and once you sit down with her, you quickly discover why. For Amy (Nee Watson), St Paul’s is a thread running through her family, friendships, and working life. Now, as a parent and WACT Board Trustee, she finds herself helping shape the next chapter.

St Paul’s has been part of Amy’s family since 1964, when her dad, Tim Watson (Williams 1964-1968), first arrived at the school gates as a student. Then came Amy’s siblings, Ben (Williams 1991-1995), Becky (Harington 1993), and Pearce (Williams 1997-2001), followed by Amy. Her husband, James Whetū (Clark 1994-1998), is a Collegian too. As a Clark House boy, he married into a staunchly Williams House family, providing plenty of good-natured rivalry along the way.

Now Amy and James’s four children are following in their footsteps. “Having stories of the same places that your grandad, mum, dad, aunties, uncles, siblings, and cousins have at the same age, it’s GOLD!” says Amy.

During her time at St Paul’s, Amy credits her art teacher, Miss Fear, who “went above and beyond” to build her confidence and skills as a young artist. Then there was Mr Plant, who taught Amy’s dad and all her siblings, and later came to know her daughter, Millie (Harington 2023-2025), who was friends with Mr Plant's granddaughter too. Amy remembers his ballroom dancing lessons, plenty of laughs, and his love of stirring up a good debate. “He was an absolute expert at poking the bear to get a reaction from students and spark heated debate. I loved it,” she says.

Amy and James met at St Paul’s and, as Amy puts it, “We just never stopped being together. We really enjoyed each other’s company, started dating at school, and then carried on after school,” she says. “I am truly blessed to have found my best friend at school and been able to walk beside him for the rest of my life, as a parent, spouse, and also as a colleague. He is an inspiration to me daily.”

Amy left St Paul’s, thinking she might become an artist, and was accepted into design school in Wellington. However, she decided not to go, then tried media arts, teaching, and eventually law; a journey she jokes, “Probably made me a nightmare for my parents”. 

At 19, Amy was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes. “For me, it was the first time I faced significant adversity in my life. It could have been a crutch or an excuse because it really sucks. It did back then, and it still does. Every. Single. Day. At the time, I had an old schoolmate who was diagnosed with terminal cancer and figured, compared to that, I had won in the lifelong disease lottery! It's certainly not stopping me from achieving what I want to in life and doing what I want to do for my whaanau.”

Today, Amy is CEO of The Stream, an environmental technology company she runs with James' support. Their work and community involvement have often been driven by the same instinct: seeing potential and acting on it.

That was certainly the case in Ngāruāwahia, where Amy and James transformed a rundown part of town into the Durham Street Precinct. “It was something that was born out of our desire to see small businesses thrive in our community,” says Amy. They saw people with great businesses and ideas who simply needed a place to bring them to life, and set out to create something “a little bit new, creative, and bold, a place where people could feel at home. “Ngāruāwahia is such an awesome place, and it was and still is all about the people for us.”

The precinct became a food and local business hub, and much more than a business project for Amy and James. It was a place they shared with their community as they raised their family and ran their own business. They have since sold the precinct, but Amy hopes the vision they helped create will continue.

Now Amy is back at St Paul’s not only as a parent, but as a WACT Board Trustee – what made Amy say yes? “Just knowing it was a good time to do so with at least seven more kids from our whaanau including nieces and nephews to pass through the school, I thought it was a great time to give back and stay involved in the direction of the school.”

Having seen St Paul’s change across generations, Amy has a real appreciation for the headmasters who have each left their mark. “They each kind of leave a legacy that’s like a foundation,” she says. “It’s a building block to keep putting on top of the others.”

Being on the Board has also made Amy think carefully about where St Paul’s goes next. “It would be really easy to stay on the same path because we’re a traditional school, but we need to continue to deliver excellence for every student, across all areas of the school,” she says. “The biggest challenge is balancing the needs of all the different families that call St Paul’s home. What is right for one is not going to suit everyone. So it’s just finding a balance to serve the greater good. That is why it is so important to have diversity at the Board table.”

And for families just beginning their own St Paul’s journey, Amy’s advice is simple: get involved, ask questions, and, most importantly, trust the people. “The school is extremely blessed to have an exceptional team of humans looking after our students. The leadership team is second to none and truly has the students’ best interests at heart.”

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