The Dunedin North Intermediate principal will retire on July 3, the end of this term, after a teaching career spanning more than 41 years.
And during that time, his family had paid a price, he said.
His children never attended the same schools at which he taught and, as a result of his busy work life, he had not been able to spend as much time with them as he would have liked.
''Principalship is selfless for the principal, but it is consuming and, consequently, it does penalise your own children.
''An example was, I had taken a group on a school trip to Central Otago, and my youngest son was a kid about the same age as the pupils I took away.
''He asked what we did on the trip, and when I told him, he said: `Dad, when we go to Central Otago, we get in the car and we rush up there and we rush back - you never take me places like that'.''
Mr Leach said it struck a chord with him.
''Being principal is a wonderfully privileged position, but it has a cost.
''It's probably payback time for a family that's been neglected.''
With that in mind, he planned to spend much of his retirement with his children and soon-to-arrive grandchildren.
He would also like to travel and explore Europe, and dedicate more time to personal hobbies, such as fixing old cars.
Like most retiring principals, Mr Leach said it would be very difficult to go ''cold turkey'' and cut all ties with the education sector straight away.
To that end, he has lined up a ''post-retirement job'' in the education sector.
''I'm going to do other things, yes, but I can't tell you what they are just yet.''
All he could say was that it would be a position where he would be able to ''promote the best interests of children and their learning''.
Mr Leach said during his career he taught at Oamaru South School (now Fenwick Primary School), Gleniti School in Timaru, Waitapeka School near Balclutha, Waitahuna School where he first was a principal, Tarras School and Bradford School in Dunedin, before settling at Dunedin North Intermediate in 2001.
He said that the thing he would miss most about teaching was the vitality, the creativity and the honesty of the children.
''I enjoy the intermediate school environment and, for someone who didn't teach in an intermediate until he was a principal in one, that is still refreshing every day.''
The school's new principal was announced this week as Heidi Hayward, from Waitati School. She will take over at the beginning of term 3.
