Previous principle of Naenae College under his leadership the school grew, the morale improved and staff have stepped up to take on more responsibility, becoming leaders themselves. With a strong passion for learning and children he continued as principle for a total of 11 years.

John went on to become a Leadership Advisor mentoring beginning secondary school principals. He has also served as a commissioner of the Tertiary Education Commission and was honoured with a MNZM award in 2019.