Bruce Scott
Engineering Trades Academy, Head of Technology Department and Senior Leader 1979 – 2024 

Teachers like Bruce Scott are a rare breed. We have been privileged that Scotty (as he is known to his colleagues) has shared his experience, commitment to student achievement and passion for his teaching subjects with us for 40 of the last 45 years. Not many people can go that sort of distance.

Just a few years after the college opened, Bruce was recruited by Russell Jackson, our Foundation Principal in 1979. Bruce quickly became an expert in design engineering. He was a favourite among students, who were keen to be in his classes and considered a gentleman by his colleagues. His reputation stretched far and wide with his contemporaries from other schools seeking out his expertise to enhance their own teaching programmes. 

His passion for engineering led him to become a moderator for quality assurance at this school and also the apprenticeship training programme providers across the region. Due to his commitment to excellence, in 2007 he won an award for the most dedicated mechanical engineering teacher for the Auckland and Northland regions. Bruce was a key leader in the process that gained the college Competnz accreditation to implement one of the first trade academy engineering apprenticeship programmes in the country delivered in a secondary school. Through this programme, our aspiring engineers could begin their apprenticeship training at school, improving their employability and shortening the time needed to complete their apprenticeship after leaving school.

In 2016, Bruce oversaw a refit of the engineering workshops. This ensured our students had the best facilities available, which became the envy of other schools and some tertiary providers. As a tribute to Bruce, his Engineering classroom will now be known as The Bruce Scott Engineering Workshop.

Complementing his immense contribution in the classroom, over the decades Bruce has been an integral part of the wider functioning of the school. He was the leader of Manawanui House for several years and, as a dean, provided pastoral care to hundreds of students. He contributed to the wider life of students as the coach of our 1st XI football team and various volleyball teams, was the teacher in charge of hockey, and organised many outdoor education trips and camps. For many years, Bruce was part of the senior leadership team contributing to the strategic direction of the school.
However, his passion was and still is design engineering. Working with the students to find the magic and joy of what can be done with hard materials. Mini motorbikes, drift karts, electric scooters, radio controlled land yachts, upcycled steel barrel chairs and clocks were just some of the fun but skilled devices that students manufactured under Bruce’s instruction.

After a career that has spanned six decades (’70s-’20s!), Bruce has earned his retirement. Go well, Scotty, knowing that in your classrooms you have taught lifelong skills and opened up employment opportunities for literally thousands of students.

 Thank you, Mr Scott! You have made a difference.