Editor
This year’s national conference for New Zealand principals will be held from 19–22 September in Queenstown. Normally we host conference much earlier but the ‘Lions Rugby Tour’ precluded that this year. We trust that the later date will not create any inconvenience for you. Queenstown has always proved a popular venue for conferences, in part, because of its stunningly beautiful landscape that runs from the shimmering lake to the majestic heights of the sky-soaring ‘Remarkables’ mountain ranges, which provide a playground for skiers in the winter months. Somehow the combination of lake, mountains and lush green bush creates a tranquillity that is difficult to ignore. You quickly become absorbed in the peacefulness and sheer beauty of the place. You immediately feel it is OK to submit all your stresses and worries to the winds of Hector, Cecil and Walter Peaks, or to submerge them in the depths of Lake Wakitipu’s far reaches. Having divested yourself of every worrying concern, you can then head for the town centre which offers any number of modern cafes, bars and restaurants and for those so inclined, the usual retail therapy options are all on offer. They are available within walking distance of each other right there in the centre of town. For the conference organisers, it seemed almost natural that this conference would involve wellbeing, restoring health and morale and generating up-lifting feelings. The over-arching conference title, ‘Remarkably Different’, clearly references the geographical backdrop and there are activities you can expect to engage in at conference this year that are also ‘remarkably different’ from the norm! Without giving too much away, we trust that you are going to really immerse yourself in some super fun this year in Queenstown, because you deserve it! We chose the conference theme of ‘principal hauora’ not just for the Queenstown location but because a number of studies, including NZCER’s survey on wellbeing, indicate that increasing demands are causing increased stress for principals in New Zealand. We are well aware that principal hauora is a major issue for many of you and that it is often discussed at your local principals’ association level. We also hear from our Principal Leadership Advisers (PLAs) that wellbeing is an issue for many of the principals they are meeting. These are some of the reasons we chose ‘hauora’ as a focus for conference this year. Hauora is also one of the strategic areas of interest for the work of NZPF. The executive has been pursuing a number of initiatives from rural principal support mechanisms to the PLA service itself. Concerns about the wellbeing of principals and the lack of advice and support for them drove the advocacy work resulting
in the first appointments to the PLA service two years ago. A team from the NZPF executive committee researched models of leadership support and advice, including those from Victoria and New South Wales in Australia, to devise a model that would best meet the needs of school principals in New Zealand. We thank our Australian colleagues for their generosity in sharing their own models and pointing out some of the deficiencies which they had discovered through their own practice. In constructing our own model, we drew heavily on what we had learned in Australia, most especially that the success of their programmes hinged on having practising principals in the advisory and support roles. We also thank the Ministry of Education for accepting our PLA proposal and agreeing to fund the PLA service. Evaluating the work of the early PLAs and recognising h o w mu c h p r i n c i p a l s appreciated them, led NZPF to lobby for more PLAs to be appointed right across the country. This year twentyfive PLA positions will be appointed. The service will be managed by ‘Evaluation Associates’ and Diane Manners, formerly principal of Kohimarama School in Auckland, has been appointed to co-ordinate the service. PLAs go some way to supporting principals and reducing stress but principals also need to apply stress reduction strategies in their own lives. That is why we have chosen hauora as our conference theme and that is why we have lined up hauora experts to address you. We know that the quality of the conference programme is the most important factor when you are choosing to attend a conference. That is why the organising committee is dedicated to providing the very highest quality speakers we can find for you. Dr John Edwards Speakers secured so far include Dr John Edwards, of ‘Learning Network NZ’. Dr Edwards’ research has always been led by his fascination for the human mind. He is a trained teacher and has held senior positions in curriculum development and written textbooks for schools. He is also an avid academic researcher mostly in the area of cognitive science. More importantly he is now the Managing Director of Edwards Explorations in Australia which focuses on developing human potential through strong cultures of learning. Judge Andrew Becroft Judge Andrew Becroft is the recently appointed Commissioner for Children in New Zealand. He has already made his mark with educators through his oral submission on the Education
Conference 2017 Act Update to the Education and Science Select Committee in February. Our own NZPF president Whetu Cormick presented on the same day and was impressed with the way that Judge Becroft insisted that the progression of the Act Update must be stopped until there had been a proper consultation process with children. His strong words calling for the children’s voice to be heard was refreshing and powerful and very much supported NZPF views that all good education policy must ultimately benefit children and their learning. We know that Judge Becroft is not just a powerful speaker. He also brings a wealth of experience as a former Principal Youth Court Judge and has forty years of legal experience. He has worked with some of New Zealand’s most vulnerable youth and has first-hand extensive knowledge of inequality, poverty and family violence. As Children’s Commissioner he wants to ‘build fences at the top of the cliff ’ rather than being the ambulance at the bottom of the cliff. He understands that school principals have a growing number of challenging children in their schools and will be sharing some of his wisdom with us about how best to make a difference for them. That after all is what principals want to do for all of their children.
Steve Francis Steve Francis is a popular Australian speaker on teacher and principal wellbeing and ‘Happy Schools’. His experience as a principal in very small and very large schools means he knows the demands and the stresses of being a principal. These experiences led him to write his Master’s degree thesis on teacher stress which he completed in the 1990s. Out of this work came his concept of ‘The Happy School’ programme. Schools all over Australia subscribe to his weekly articles on ‘Happy Schools’ and use the messages in them to boost the morale of their own teachers and reduce stress. ‘Work-life’ satisfaction has become a focus for Steve more recently and we don’t doubt that he will enthusiastically engage you in his latest solutions for achieving a better life-work balance. Mike King Mike King, former comedian and television personality, now speaker and advocate for adolescent and adult mental health has also confirmed he will address our conference. Whilst guaranteed to bring his signature humour and energy to the stage, let us not forget that he is also the journalist who did some probing work
investigating New Zealand’s pork industry, bringing insights into some of the less than acceptable factory farming practices going on at the time. He believed that the public had a right to this information and used the television medium to expose his findings. Ironically his connection to the industry began through accepting a television advertising opportunity to promote New Zealand pork with ‘quick-fix meals’. He later apologised for this promotional work. More recently he has been working in the mental health field heightening awareness of drug addiction and some of the conditions that drive addictive behaviours. As a person who has suffered depression and drug addiction himself he is well placed to understand and articulate factors that lead to these behaviours and stress in the job is right up there. You may also have heard of Mike’s ‘The Nutters’ Club’, an online and offline phenomenon designed to change and save lives. It has an extensive facebook presence with in excess of half a million followers and has infiltrated Māori Television as a very popular series. Through his unique personality, humour and motivation, Mike is driven to reduce New Zealand’s unfavourable depression and suicide rates. Dr Melinda Webber Dr Melinda Webber, (Ngāti Whakaue, Ngāpuhi), Associate Dean from the University of Auckland Faculty of Education and Social Work, will not so much speak of principals’ wellbeing as demonstrate why having culturally inclusive practices can build self-esteem and wellbeing of cultural minorities, especially Māori, in schools. She is well qualified to talk about those aspects that contribute to creating a culturally inclusive school having researched and written and been sole author or contributing
World Asthma Day Tuesday 2nd May 2017 DID YOU KNOW
ONE IN FOUR KIWI KIDS SUFFER
FROM ASTHMA IN NZ?
DID YOU KNOW
ONE PERSON DIES EVERY WEEK FROM ASTHMA IN NZ?
WOULD YOU OR YOUR STAFF
KNOW WHAT TO DO IF ONE OF YOUR STUDENTS HAD AN ASTHMA
EPISODE AT SCHOOL?
Support our Breathe Easy programme and help us recognise World Asthma day with a Dress up day in May at your school. For more information about our Breathe Easy Schools programme, delivered by fully trained registered nurses, please contact Linda Thompson at Asthma Auckland DDI: +64 9 623 4775 • Fax: +64 9 623 0774 Mobile: 021 919 182 Email: lindat@asthma.org.nz • Web: www.asthma.org.nz
author of countless book chapters, books, journal articles and reports across a long academic career. Currently her research is focussed on racial ethnic identity construction, Māori gifted learners and Māori student success. Melinda also brings the latest thinking of her research students who are studying a diverse range of topics from the factors contributing to Māori success in secondary schools to what counts as identity capital to the cultural identity of Māori youth offenders and factors that affect the implementation of the PB4L programme in schools. Melinda is a dynamic speaker and in high demand as a presenter. We are delighted that she is able to attend our conference in Queenstown. Conference organisers are researching every day to locate and secure the best speakers who can help you make a difference to your own lives by reducing stress, developing a better work-life balance and developing systems that are helpful in managing work-loads. Importantly, we want to find presenters who understand your particular context as school principals in New Zealand who are not only leaders of learning and curriculum in your own schools but also manage all the staffing and administrative functions too including property, and policy development alongside systems and structures, charters and compliance issues. Feedback we have received tells us that ‘hauora’ is currently the number one concern for the greatest number of you. Let’s hope by the end of the Queenstown conference that will no longer be the case. The day-time venue for conference will be the Queenstown Events Centre, which is some distance out of town. For this reason, the conference social and networking events will be based in town itself, within walking distance of the hotels and restaurants, ensuring that delegates can fully sample what the Queenstown centre has to offer. The pre-conference evening social event on Tuesday 19 September will include a distinctive twist and will also be our opportunity to welcome new principals coming to conference for the first time. An exclusive afternoon on Wednesday will ensure that you have plenty of opportunity to experience the delights of the wider Queenstown area. Both events are included in the conference registration fee. Any conference with ‘hauora’ as its theme must have a component of relaxation, enjoyment and chance to network with colleagues. It is also about getting away from the pressures of every day school life. We have made sure that there is no room for stress or pressure in this social programme! The conference dinner promises not just to feed you but to give you an experience that you will dine out on for months to come. They don’t call the restaurant ‘Skyline’ for no good reason. You will quite literally be heading to a restaurant on a mountain top. On arrival you will find that ‘mixing with the glitterati’ takes on a whole new meaning . . . only these stars don’t show off in flash dresses! Organisers tell us that accommodation in Queenstown will be at a premium in September. Accommodation options are currently available on the website and Earlybird registration is open until 25th July so book early to secure a place. The Queenstown Events Centre also has limited capacity and as Queenstown tends to be a popular location for conference, you will also have to register early. To keep abreast of conference progress and to register visit the conference website at www.nzpfconference.com Key dates to remember: Conference starts Tuesday evening 19 September 2017 Conference finishes With lunch on Friday 22 September 2017 Earlybird registration closes 25 July 2017
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