Day 18 – School Library becomes place to remember Niko

The library at New Plymouth Boys High School has become a grieving place for Niko Meafua’s school friends. The school has opened the library for boys to come and share their memories of the 16-year-old Bell Block youth. New Plymouth Boys’ High School acting principal Bruce Bailey has said he and the school librarian visited Niko’s family yesterday in Bell Block. The school wanted to let them know that our thoughts are with them and that we had opened the library so the boys could get together and share their memories of him. Niko has cousins and relations at the school so the school wanted to support them too. Niko’s funeral would be held on Monday and the school would take their students to it. The school held a morning tea for Niko’s fellow librarians so they could get together and talk to senior staff, the chaplain and counsellors. Niko had been a treasured member of the Boys’ High community and was well liked, especially by the team at the library. Niko had a passion for books, which is why he was so often in the library. When Niko was a year nine student he had won the Ryan Peters’ Cup for most conscientious junior librarian. Recently he went on to be the senior librarian and train the new school librarians.