Te Noho Tahi Wasn’t Born in Isolation

I’ve had the privilege of working with Vicki Yarker Jones for nearly twenty years, across a range of educational contexts where she has served as a professional external advisor. Over that time, her influence has been nothing short of transformative, not just for me personally, but for the staff I lead and the school we’ve shaped together.

There is one moment I recall vividly: I brought to supervision a case that had been weighing heavily on me, a student returning to what I knew was an unsafe environment. I was wrestling with the implications and the helplessness that came with it. Vicki didn’t rush to fix or explain away the pain. Instead, she helped me see that I had done everything I could, and more than that, that I may have created a happy place, a safe memory the child could carry and return to when times were hard. It was a moment of insight, and grace, and I’ve never forgotten it.

Te Noho Tahi, our school’s holistic model for wellbeing, was born out of the foundation Vicki helped build with me. It emerged directly from the trust, the challenge, and the confidence she cultivated in me over time. The idea that we could lead with presence, protect spaces of connection, and support our staff and tamariki in deeply human ways, that idea was seeded in those sessions. Her influence is woven into its DNA.

What Vicki has given me is a protected space, one where I can bring whatever I need, and trust that it will be held with care. Sometimes that space is nurturing; sometimes it’s challenging or confronting. Often, it’s quietly affirming. But always, it is exactly what I need. That space has become a critical scaffold in my leadership and in our school. And without it, I honestly don’t believe I’d have had the confidence to pursue institutional change, let alone to consider how we might influence systems on a global level. Her work has helped shape a staff who are more balanced, more connected, and more nurturing, with each other and with our tamariki.

But this has never been a one-way exchange.

I’ve seen Vicki’s practice evolve, too. Over the years, she has become more attuned to the value of holding space rather than rushing to name or solve. She has refined her ability to read the moment, to listen with intent and guide with questions that help me talk my way into my own clarity. We’ve challenged each other: I’ve pushed back when solutions came too soon, before the full context was heard. And over time, we’ve found a rhythm that allows us to work backwards and forwards fluidly, even at times exploring Vicki’s own reflections within our sessions, by mutual agreement and trust.

That collaborative nature was on full display when we co-presented to southern region school leaders, a shared session that drew directly from our way of working. I’ve also seen her take up some of the technological approaches I use in my own practice, adapting them into her own workflow. There’s a true reciprocity in what we’ve built.

If I had to sum up our professional relationship, I would say it is, like all the best relationships, exactly what it needs to be. It is rooted in trust, sustained by respect, and flexible enough to meet the moment. Our sessions might be affirming or demanding, tender or stretching, but I always leave feeling lighter, re-energised, and more hopeful.

If I had to capture the impact we’ve had on each other in a single word?

Transformative.

Postscript: On the Name We First Knew Her By

When Vicki Yarker Jones first walked alongside our school, she brought with her a grounding presence, fierce intellect, and a heart tuned to human connection. Over time, we witnessed not just her impact on us, but the transformation within her too. The name she now carries, Indigo River Jones, is not just new syllables, but a living reflection of that journey. It holds the wisdom, flow, and deep resonance of a woman who has walked with us through change, challenge, and growth. The roots remain, but what a remarkable unfurling it’s been.