Paul Verić has left the grounds of New Plymouth Boys' High School with a powerful send off from his students.
Dozens of students banded together on the school grounds to perform a haka tribute to their principal of four years.
A video of the haka was posted to the school's Facebook page on Friday night, with the caption, "This is respect".
It shows Verić walking down a path flanked by the students.
In the Facebook comments, one woman wrote that the haka brought tears to her eyes.
Verić previously told Stuff he was sad to leave the school because of the students. "The boys are what make this the best job in the world."
Departing principal Paul Veric is farewelled by New Plymouth Boys' High School students.
He said he'd done the job because he loved it and had "thrown everything I possibly could at the role and done my absolute best and I'm leaving feeling like I've done that".
Verić announced his resignation in November. His last day at the school was on Friday April 12.
He was head boy at the school in 1991 and worked as a physical education teacher before being appointed headmaster in 2015.
Paul Veric is departing New Plymouth Boys' High School.