Source: Radio New Zealand
Students leave flowers and paper cranes on Kevin Hu’s desk at Takapuna Grammar School in Auckland. Supplied
The death of a beloved Auckland maths teacher has sent shock waves through the Chinese community.
Students and parents paid tribute to Kevin Hu, head of calculus at Takapuna Grammar School, who died in a diving accident in Fiji, according to an email the school sent parents on 17 November.
The email described Hu as a highly respected member of the faculty who worked primarily with Year 10 and senior classes and played a significant role in the school’s International Baccalaureate programme.
Krissi Yang, a Year 12 student at the school, described Hu as consistently upbeat, cheerful and full of energy.
“He had a natural ability to connect with us,” Yang said. “All the students enjoyed being around him and talking to him. If we had secrets or worries, we were happy to share them because we trusted him completely.”
Kevin Hu was a maths teacher at Takapuna Grammar School. SUPPLIED
Yang said Hu’s death had cast a heavy sadness over teachers and students.
“Even now, it’s still hard to accept,” she said. “Everyone was shocked, heartbroken, and full of regret and disbelief.
“He was such an incredible teacher and then, suddenly, he was gone.”
After the school announced the news Monday, Yang said students began paying tribute to Hu in a uniquely personal way: folding origami cranes.
“We wrote messages on the cranes and ended up making more than 1000,” she said.
“We hung strings of cranes around his classroom and placed some on his desk. Each of us also wrote him a letter and left it there.
“Just walking past his classroom makes people emotional. And going into his office, with his photo, our letters, the cranes and the flowers, makes it even harder to stay composed.”
Yang felt as if she still had something to say to the maths teacher.
“If I could say something to him, it would be this: We are all so grateful and so lucky to have had a teacher like you – so kind, warm, genuine and dedicated.”
Students share memorable quotes from maths teacher Kevin Hu in his memory. Supplied
Cherrie Gao, whose son is also a Year 12 student at Takapuna Grammar School, said Hu had a significant impact on her son’s learning and development.
“After my son joined his class, he changed a lot,” Gao said. “With Mr. Hu, [my son] started thinking more long term and became more willing to challenge himself. Mr. Hu also actively encouraged him to enter maths competitions.
“Mr. Hu was incredibly reliable, which is why my son trusted him so much. If you had a question, you could go to him and he would never turn you away.”
She said Hu’s passing has been deeply upsetting for her family.
“I was driving when I saw the principal’s email marked as important. I opened it while driving, and my mind just froze,” she said.
“It felt impossible. I even wondered if the principal had sent it by mistake,” she said.
“My son constantly talks about ‘Mr. Hu, Mr. Hu’ – he brings his name up all the time. I still can’t believe it was him. How could something like this happen to him?”
Before teaching at Takapuna Grammar School, Hu had previously been a maths teacher at Avondale College and before that spent seven years teaching in Nanjing, China.
Beyond his work as a maths teacher, Hu was also well-known on Chinese social media platform Red Note, where he had thousands of followers who watched his videos and livestreams about his life and his teaching experience in New Zealand.
After several media outlets reported his death on Thursday, hundreds of people flocked to his account, posting “rest in peace” messages under his recent videos and leaving tributes expressing their respect and grief.
Takapuna Grammar School students hung origami cranes in Kevin Hu’s classroom in his memory. Supplied
Felix Xu, an early childhood teacher in Auckland, said he had followed Hu’s social media for more than a year.
Xu said he often watched Hu’s videos and livestreams and occasionally asked him questions about teaching.
He described Hu as an exceptionally experienced maths teacher and said his death was a loss for the education sector.
He said Hu’s background as a migrant also resonated with him.
“I felt a sense of empathy because we’re both new immigrants,” he said. “I know how difficult the journey is.
“It felt like his life in New Zealand had just begun. At such a good age, he suddenly passed away. It feels like a huge loss.”
Sally Wang, who knew Hu and is a maths teacher at an Auckland secondary school, said several teachers were helping to set up a Givealittle page to support Hu’s family.
She said Hu had no family in New Zealand, and that his parents arrived on Wednesday but did not wish to be contacted by media.
Takapuna Grammar School said in an email to parents that Hu’s passion for teaching and dedication to his students would be deeply missed.
The school said its guidance staff would continue to support any students who might need help during this period.
Students who worked closely with Hu and believed their upcoming NCEA exams had been significantly affected could also contact the school to discuss the possibility of applying for derived grades, the school said.
– Published by EveningReport.nz and AsiaPacificReport.nz, see: MIL OSI in partnership with Radio New Zealand
