Kevin Brown

Kevin Brown is well known to many people. He’s taught English at Manawatu College, and has been head of department, and a Gateway facilitator (that’s organising practical work experience for non-academic kids) for 44 years, and for 17 years he’s been deputy principal. 

That’s a great career in itself but he’s achieved something else that’s pretty special. Twenty years ago he organised the first Japanese Student Exchange and has organised the annual visits from Japan to Foxton and the return trips by our students to Japan, ever since. On five occasions he’s led the delegation to Japan and students, staff, parents and accompanying adults have had a worry free time because of his superb organisation and oversight.

Kevin is held in very high regard in Japan and most importantly he’s maintained the cultural integrity of the exchange so that the experience of such a very different culture from our own will stay with the students forever and the Japanese teens will have learned something valuable about the real New Zealand.