Editor
When I casually told a principal friend of mine some 18 months ago that I had been appointed to a position with NZPF, my friend immediately said, ‘Oh wow! You will be working with Liz Millar!’ I sensed a tone of undoubted admiration and huge respect. These were not misplaced impressions. As I got to know Liz, and the work she has done with and on behalf of principals over many years, it is clear that she is very much the trusted ‘go-to’ person especially for advice on process matters and leadership issues. Whilst she has for many years held an esteemed position amongst her peers and continues to do so, Liz has represented the nation’s principals in a more formal way for the past eight years as a member of the NZPF executive committee. Her colleagues on the executive similarly hold her in very high regard and frequently defer to her when it comes to critique and analysis. She attacks such tasks with a razor-sharp intellect and brings her not inconsiderable wealth of experience to every issue. Liz has the ability to make a discussion fly, because she can quickly define the relevance of a particular issue in terms of the wider context and overall objectives of the organisation. Her ability to rise above the micro-discussion and take the grand overview is legendry. As Paul Drummond, NZPF President says, ‘Liz’s whiteboard strategic mapping is an art form in its own right!’ Liz has redefined what we mean by ‘hard work’. Her capacity for taking on extra tasks seems limitless and all done so generously. ‘When we had no regional association taking on the job of organising our 2011 NZPF conference, Liz just put her hand up and said I’ll organise a group,’ says Peter Simpson, immediate past president. ‘She’s extraordinary in her capacity to organise
and make things happen. This turned out to be one of our most successful recent conferences, but why am I not surprised?
Everything Liz takes on tends to be highly successful,’ he said. Like so many principals I have now met, Liz does not seek acclamation for the outstanding contribution she makes to her profession, and can be incredibly understated. When it comes to role playing, however, there is no understating her glorious wit and acting talent. She is a hoot! When in satirical mood no one is safe from her outrageous
director for the Te Ariki professional development project since it was first established under the directorship of Dr David Stewart and continues to lead and encourage principals to adopt its philosophy of quality leadership through continuous reflection, evaluation and improvement. On the executive she led the team responsible for professional leadership and as team member Phil Harding says, ‘Her broad professional knowledge, especially in professional leadership, her understanding We know that the profession will of Ministry structures and processes and her acute insight meant our team was progressive continue to benefit from Liz’s and always focused,’ he said. ‘I have huge respect for Liz. She is always up to date with talents and expertise at many levels from her reading of research underpinning best mentoring first-time principals to practice and has a powerful grip on the latest which she would bring to our leading major professional development thinking, work. She has been a tower of strength to our executive,’ added Phil. programmes. ‘We know that the profession will continue impersonations. Those weaknesses we all try so hard to hide, to benefit from Liz’s talents and expertise at many levels from she places centre-stage and unrelentingly sends them up! She mentoring first-time principals to leading major professional will be greatly missed at NZPF executive meetings. development programmes,’ says Paul Drummond. ‘Liz has long So why is it time for Liz to leave the NZPF executive? Well, promoted the virtues of learning communities and in both her certainly not because she doesn’t have support. As long as she NZPF and school work she ‘walks the talk’, he said. has stood for the executive she has always been one of the highest The NZPF executive extends its very best wishes to Liz for a polling candidates. Her popularity remains strong. No, it is future filled with the richness of life, with professional success time, she says, to put more energy into her greatest love which and, above all, fun! is professional leadership development. She has been a regional
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