Mr Ryan was not only the best principal, but he was also a man of encouragement, support and love. He was involved in every activity in the school and always had your back when you needed it. He was good at listening and genuinely showed he cared. He will be dearly missed by the community. Love to his family at this time. xxx Moe Mai Ra Mr Ryan 🤍

Fresh out of Teachers College in the late 90s, Tairangi was my first school. Terry was my mentor. He was supportive, caring and had so much knowledge to share, with a great sense of humour. He had so much time and aroha for each child and their families. To this day, I am so grateful to Terry for these first years of my teaching journey. Rest in peace Terry. Love and condolences to his family.

What can I say about Terry that hasn't already been said in these tributes and the nearly 70 tributes on Porirua's facebook page*, from his old school (community) of Tairangi, Porirua. Listen - Terry was a mentor, role model, a great teacher, an even better leader, to eventually a strong pillar (Le Pou) of our society. Thank you so much Terry and Chris beautifuls for all you did for our communities, for all your love and hard work we will not forget you and we love you xo Go well Terry, Manuia lou malaga ole friend - kiss Chris for us, you are with you pele now Ed xo * Hoping the link attached gives the family access to these - Ross and whānau will forward to you also. https://www.facebook.com/groups/123654961109599/posts/3312978958843834/?comment_id=3313911368750593&reply_comment_id=3314219792053084&notif_id=1736064360575643&notif_t=group_comment

I have such fond memories of working with Terry at Tairangi school. He was my first Principal in Wellington, and he truly took me under his wings. Terry offered me advice, support and encouragement, helping me to build me confidence as a new teacher. I loved working with him and will always remember his words "Don't settle for second best". That phrase has stayed with me throughout me teaching life. My work ethic as a teacher has been influenced greatly by his expectations as a leader. Recently, I came across a card from Terry which thanked me for my hard work and effort I had put into writing my class reports and that brought back many great memories of working with Terry at Tairangi school. Terry, thank you for all you did for me as a teacher and person. You were a father figure to me, and I'll always remember your sense of humour, the music playing in your office, your glass eye...lol, your moments of being stern and your beautiful roses! Go with love and peace. You and Chris can be together again. Much love to the family.

Rest In Peace Mr Ryan, Thank you for your unconditional love & support for my sister and I during all our Primary and Intermediate Years. Our experience at Tairangi School with Mr Ryan were filled with Joyful memories. He was tough but fair & he also had the best humour. I will never forget walking into your office with my mum to sort out admin before I started school. You asked me which of my names I wanted to use, my Samoan name or my English middle names. I proudly said my Samoan name and you smiled back and supported my choice. It may have been something small to others but your attention to detail and support of our cultures at Tairangi sure meant alot. Every morning when we’d walk in to school you never failed to greet us with a Good morning or even respond back with ‘Talofa”.. Mr Ryan thank you for your contribution to a joyful childhood and experience in the Schooling system.. You really did the most. Fa’afetai Lava for everything Mr Ryan our Wright Family send all our alofa to you and your aiga during this time. Rest in peace Mr Ryan. Alofa’aga our Wright Family.

Rest in Peace Terry. Sending much love & sincere condolences to the family of Terry Ryan. Terry joined our genealogy group in Waimea Village as a founding member, bringing with him a sharp wit, great sense of humour, his kindness & caring, often offering valuable insights into our research. We had no WiFi in our meeting hall so Terry often provided us with his own wifi- always profusely apologising if he was late or couldn't make it to our meetings. His sense of responsibility to our group was heartwarming. Some in the group will remember his selfless help beyond his own needs - his generosity of spirit& despite him being unwell. But always there was his humility, his ability to laugh at himself when things went awry. Terry often spoke of how proud & how much he loved his family & how grateful he was for their love & care. He was a very private man which we respected & for those of us who became his friends he enjoyed the company because we treated him as a dear friend & beyond his illness. This included some special neighbours in Waimea Village & enabled him to reach out seeking help with his beloved garden , & with his projects with others which he'd hoped to finish but sadly ran out of time. My special personal memory is of sharing some music videos with Terry, surprised to find we shared similar tastes - we had a ball as another friend tried to download the tunes to match the project he'd hoped to finish for his family on his computer. Terry leaves behind a legacy of being a man of integrity, always willing to inspire, motivate, & help others, being of Irish descent with a typical Irish wit & wry sense of humour, dedicated to the memory of his wife Christine, his children, grandchildren & family - a man who will have a lasting impression on all of us who knew & loved him - thankyou Terry for being a wonderful presence in our lives. Sonya Mehrtens Waimea Village, Richmond.

Mr Ryan was always a straight up dude. Never sugar coated what needed to be said. I remember him taking a class with us 1 afternoon, where we had to imagine a career we wanted to pursue in the future, and draw a picture of something that would symbolize what we wanted to become. He made sure the class knew that he didn't want us to use felt pens when colouring. He use to say, use crayons or pencils, don't use those barbie doll rubbish pens on your pictures. I knew he preferred us to try shading techniques with pencils and crayons, because he always smudged the crayons on his pictures he'd drawn for us. I have to admit he was right, it brought the picture to life. I loved art as a kid and it became a hobby for me. I really enjoyed his art classes. Rest in paradise Mr Ryan, Thankyou for the memories and looking out for all of us here in Porirua. God bless your family and friends 🧡

Moe mai ra Mr Ryan 🤍🕊 I was a student at Tairangi for only a short 3 years. I have so many memories.. Mr Ryna would always crack jokes I never understood 🤣 but would laugh because everyone else was. Every morning he would greet me with " hello sweetie have a good day. I'll never forget you Mr Ryan. A man of kindness , and the beat principal ever. Sending our condolences to the Whanau From the Sturgess-Pickering Whānau ❤️

Mr Ryan was a awesome principle. My mother was a student at tairangi when he became principal and he will be dearly be missed by all, he completely understood the people of the community and he loved his students at tairang school. I could only remember one time he made me pick up rubbish for being naughty lol he said to look in his eyes when he talks to me and I laughed because he had a glass eye so yepp more rubbish bags for me haha anyways mate I want to thank you for being a great principal and teacher to our people at tairangi school. Very appreciative of your time and effort you put into your students. Rest easy Mr Ryan ❤️Fakahetai lahi ni FULI BOYS

You were one of life's 'good buggers' Terry Ryan, so many memories of our families growing up together in Oroua Downs, but the things I remember the most about you are: - your ability to, up until recently, still take the p*ss out of my inability to do high jump (no matter how low that bloody bar was, I would just run around it). - the Oroua Downs parties you guys all had, your party trick of your glass eye ending up in someones drink. Man you guys knew how to party. - your special, consistent friendship with mum and dad, and particuarly with dad in the village, when things got tough with mum - you were such a good mate for dad, always there with a glass of whiskey and an ear, and I thank you for that. I have this vision that there is an Oroua Downs School Party Bus up there - sadly there's a few on the bus now, but they will all be waiting for you - Mum and Zena in their school uniforms, Chris will be on the bus hula-hooping and singing and clapping her heart out, Bev Wilson will be telling her rude jokes, John Waller will be causing mischief. Rest now, you're out of pain - go join that bus Terry. All my love Kelly and Pat. Love Ang Fawcett (O'Connor) x

What a great honour it was having a man with such great leadership and Mana who made a massive impact on his students. You were one of a kind Mr Ryan, stern but fair and always treated all your students the same! What stood out to me the most was your stance on bullying , there was certainly no place for it at Tairangi school. Also Because of you, my mum became a member of board of trustees for 5years. Rest in Peace sir. Manuia lau Malaga Mr Ryan 😘

He was the best principal at Tairangi School. Always cared about his students even though he will yell at us. R.I.P MR RYAN CONDOLENCES TO THE FAMILY.

Damn, definitely one of the greats sir. Thank you for all your work, thank you for your guidance and leadership, thank you for always checking in. You will be sorely missed. Condolences to the family. Fly high bossman ❤️

Mr ryan, a leader like no other, someone fierce and funny. He was passionate about his students achieving goals at Tairangi and he was the person whom made Tairangi one of the best primary schools ever, im so glad I had the chance to be there while he was a principal… you will never find anyone like him these days now… supported our rugby games even when I was the only girl playing in the team supported by one of the best coaches Stanley lingman….. mr Ryan will always be an inspiration to who we are today…. A hard working man. Thank you for everything Mr Ryan…. Moe mai ra…. TOFA my fereni…..loads of love to the family.

Sorry to hear of Terry’s passing. Terry was my first principal. I remember him for his glass eye, rosy cheeks and booming voice. He put a lot of time and resources into up skilling beginning teachers and I really thrived during my time there. He taught me about community, hard work and following your passions. I can’t ever remember him having a day off. Arohanui. May he rest in peace.

Thank you for being our super hero principle. Mr ryan looked after all of us, if you were a child with no food, he feed you. If we didnt have enough money for something he found otherways to fundraise. We were so lucky to have him, he even had the one of the black ferns to come to school to inspire us girls to dream bigger, but if you were naughty he definitely remembered your name lol. We all knew that, he had a special place for us naughty ones 😂. May you rest in peace mr ryan, e reo akapumaana mai ki te kopu tangata ❤️ te atua, te aroa

Terry was my first principal when I started teaching. I loved my time at Tairangi under his leadership. He said Tairangi School was the best school in the world. I believed him and I worked hard and tried my best to make it so. Terry was a caring and kind man of integrity, hard work and honesty. He had a great influence over me as a beginning teacher and I have held these values in my heart throughout my teaching career. Rest in peace Terry with your beautiful Chris. Much love Ondine xo

Just want to say you were the best principal while my brother david richard and I attended tairangi in the 90s. Later on my brother jordan would also attend. What I most remember is your stand against bullying and how firm you were against it. I thoroughly enjoyed attending Tairangi School and just want to say thankyou for caring about not only our education but how things were going at home for us. I have a few memories of being provided lunches because mum was struggling at the time. You were understanding and never made us feel excluded for it Thankyou for being a great principal and we will never forget you. Rest in Love Mr Ryan

Thank you Terry for being the best Principal at Tairangi school.I remember always coming in to ask you for advice about the kids and your door was always open,supportive and caring.May you rest in peace now xx💝💯

RIL Mr Ryan, condolences to your whanau ❤️ PS: Best memory I will never forget of you is taking your glass eye out.

Love and condolences to the family! Forever grateful for your leadership as a principal. Will never forget the impact you had on us. Learnt a lot of valuable lessons from you which put me in good stead for the future . Manuia Lou Malaga Terry Ryan!

Rest in love Mr Ryan. Such a great man and will be missed by many. Condolences to the Ryan family. Manuia Lou Malaga

Ia tafi mala lau faigamalaga Mr Ryan Thank you for being such a great Principal. Always treated everyone the same, firm but fair. Your bark was definitely bigger than your bite! Thank you for being so compassionate to all the students of Tairangi back in the 80s and 90s! A time where families were struggling but you always showed alot of love to the families. Rest in love Mr Ryan

Manuia lau Malaga Mr Ryan. Thank you for being the best principle ever. You weren't just a principle but you were also a friend of the family. Forever grateful for everything you have done for our family over the years.

Moe Mai Ra Mr Ryan 🕊️ You’re the principal everyone will always remember. You made Tairangi a great Primary School. My dad was on the board of trustees for years so I knew not to ever end up in his office. I also remember how passionate Mr Ryan was coaching our boys Rugby Team back in 1997-1998. You will be missed. Condolences to your family 🤍🤍

Moe mai ra Mr Ryan ❤️ My first 2 years (2001-02) under your expertise were the best start to my teaching career at Tairangi. I have fond memories of an awesome Principal, your beautiful roses, your kind and caring interactions with our tamariki and your sense of humour. Thank you for everything. Lots of aroha to the Ryan whānau.

Love & prayers to Terry Ryan’s family. Your love & kindness goes unnoticed. You were more than just a principal you had a huge caring heart for all your teachers, students but especially their families. You will Always be my fave principal. Fly high Mr Ryan will always be remembered 💛

Aww Mr Ryan, I have often thought of you over the years. Lots of great memories growing up at Tairangi school with you being our principal, you will be sadly missed… moe mai ra & sending condolences to the whanau

Will always remember Mr Ryan at Tairangi as a kid. A great principal who had such a strong presence when he walked into a class room or school assembly. You never treated anyone different. Some of the best childhood memories growing up was from Tairangi Primary. RIL MR Ryan fly high. Sending our thoughts and condolences to the Ryan Family ❤️

Condolences to his family sending love your way ❤️ One morning Mr Ryan come to speak to the class briefly while holding a coffee. He placed it on my desk looked at me and said "don't breath on my coffee" I tried my best not too 25 years ago and still remember it like it was yesterday. Great principal he was a good man rest in peace Mr Ryan 🪽 🙏 ❤️

What a man of valour and integrity and a beautiful life lived. You greatly blessed generations within Porirua including mine. Our condolences to the Ryan family at this time. Manuia tau malaga

I have such great memories of debates and educational discussions over a drink or two with Chris and Terry. He was an amazing man.

Sad to hear of your passing Mr Ryan. Will always remember your stern voice. You had made a huge impact on a lot of families in Porirua, this was evident in our family. Sincere condolences to the aiga during this difficult time. RIP.

RIL Mr Ryan. As a child growing up in the 80s, your firm but fair teachings had a massive impact on my life. There weren't too many educators that truly cared and supported their students. I didn't know it then but you were an angel in disguise. Thank you. Sending hugs and prayers to the Ryan family.

A wonderful man that ran a tight ship at his kura. Well respected by his school community. And just a good bloke! You will be missed, arohanui.

Moe mai ra Mr Ryan. A great principal Tairangi had during my schooling. Always on the school patrol. My year there we even sang a song for him on patrol still to this day I sing it in my head. Rest with the best Mr Ryan.

My heartfelt condolences to your family during this sad time. Thank you Mr Ryan for always believing in us pasifika kids, for providing amazing opportunities for us to experience. You created a community that fostered and nurtured its students and we are forever grateful for you. Manuia lou Malaga x

You were a great man. A great principal. Now working in the education sector and fully believe you were part of that journey and purpose. Love and condolences to all who are directly affected and to Terrys family. My family will never forget you, thankyou for everything. Ia manuia lau malaga.

You were a man with mana and great depth of kindness and heart , a principal I looked up to and genuinely respected ,my late father was apart of the BOT for Tairangi school and yourself and your colleagues helped my family for many years after his passing . Thoughts to your family Mr Ryan , kia orana e kiamanuia

Moe Mai Ra Terry. Ka nui te Aroha Ryan Whanau Pani I heard many wonderful things about Terry and Chris. I know your brother and your beautiful wife Chris encouraged my Tamariki in their learning journey. Even came to my house years ago to get them to school. Showed me how much you both cared

Thank you Mr Ryan for being the best principle and the best role model alongside Miss Poutawera 🫶🕊 You have always had a good impact on my life, You will be missed dearly. You are the man Mr Ryan.

Thank you Mr Ryan for always prompting me to wear my glasses due to not being used to wearing them. PS: I now wear contacts Ex student of tairangi

The best principle ever and my dad's good friend. Nga mihi Mr for all ur growlings and no delt your having a beer with my dad REST WITH THE BEST MR one love for the Wallace whanau 🕊

Mr. Ryan was a principal who left a lasting impact on those who had the privilege of knowing him, myself included. Although my visits to his office weren’t always for the best reasons, he was one of the few teachers who knew how to put me in my place and guide me in the right direction. Thank you for the lessons, even the ones I had to learn the hard way. Much love and strength to his family during this time. Rest well, Mr. Ryan—you’ll always be remembered.

Thank you mr ryan for all your help with my kids you was the best Tairangi school principal ever rest in peace mr ryan