Dan Reddiex is the principal of King's High School in Dunedin.
What was the best birthday present you ever received, and why?
My best birthday presents are the cards constructed by my children in their youth that expressed their love for me in the most simplistic way.
They are the best present because my children are the people who matter the most to me.
What smell do you find irresistible?
The scent of a double Whopper dripping with cheese and complemented with a heavy dose of mayonnaise coming fresh off the grill at Burger King.
What is your least favourite thing about humanity?
Our preoccupation with the superficial and our unwillingness to look beyond our own prejudice and just love one another.
What is one strong childhood memory?
Playing front-yard cricket with the young people in our neighbourhood for hours before settling in, after dark, to another exciting episode of Coronation Street.
What is your message?
My message is the one I deliver to the boys at school every day and try to live myself, and that is personal excellence.
Simply put, be the best you can be. The caveat is to make sure that you allow yourself the grace not to be perfect and extend yourself forgiveness when you invariably fail.
