Section
Practical guidance for the day-to-day work of leading a New Zealand school.
Articles in this section share how-to advice on the operational and relational aspects of principalship: navigating employment law, writing letters of expectation, talking to parents about ERO reports, enacting Te Tiriti o Waitangi in school life, mentoring future leaders, and supporting equity in the classroom. Contributors are working principals, sector specialists, employment lawyers, and education consultants drawing on lived experience in New Zealand schools. Use this section to find tested approaches to common challenges, build your professional toolkit, and learn from the practice of colleagues across the country — from country schools to large urban primaries.
Newlands Primary is a school that is proud of its whakapapa and excited about its future. Celebrating 120 years in 2026, principal Shirley Porteous has marked the occasion with a new book, The History of Newlands Primary School. What started out as a “wee principal’s project” in 2020 transformed into a massive, multi-year endeavour that […]
In a quiet corner of Aotearoa on 10 July 2026, a principal, like many across the motu, stood at the edge of the school field as the final embers of the community Matariki hāngi faded into the night. Behind them, children laughed, whānau lingered, and staff packed up with a sense of calm satisfaction and […]
This year’s Rural Teaching Principals Conference was held in late May in Auckland. Around 300 leaders from some of New Zealand’s smaller schools and kura delved into the unique issues these principals face while navigating the choppy seas of the current education environment. NZPF President Jason Miles – who started his principal career at View […]
Privacy is no longer a peripheral compliance issue for schools. With recent changes to the Privacy Act 2020 introducing new obligations around the indirect collection of personal information, PASL recommends boards and principals review their policies and procedures to ensure they are best placed to respond to information requirements. Privacy and official information act requests […]
We started the school year later than usual, so Term 1 was only eight weeks long and felt like a crazy sprint. Term 2 was 11 weeks and felt like a gruelling ultra marathon. A post on the Principal’s Facebook page asked if the wheels had been falling off for everyone towards the end of the […]
Principals’ Advice and Support Limited [PASL] is seeing an increase in principals receiving a “Letter of Expectation” from their Board. These letters are not officially formal warnings, but they often set out purported wrongdoing and what the Board expects of the principal going forward. While a Letter of Expectation can be an appropriate tool, it […]
High-stakes communication specialist Pete Burdon looks at the moments that put school leaders under pressure. From difficult conversations with parents/staff to media interviews in negative situations to school crises, Pete provides clear, practical guidance to help principals and other school leaders communicate clearly and calmly when it matters most.
The principal is the thermostat of the school, not the thermometer. A mentor doesn’t just teach you how to read the temperature; they show you how to set it to ‘hope’ when the halls feel cold. Todd Whitaker, 2011 Whilst tucking into my hot cross buns and awaiting Cyclone Vaianu, I am reflecting on how […]
The NZCER National Survey of Schools has shown that only 18% of teachers in primary settings have any level of interest in becoming a principal in the future. The survey also shows that the longer someone is in a teaching role, the less likely they are to aspire to become a principal. Growing new leaders […]
Jo Grant is the founding principal of Te Rau Horopito, one of New Zealand’s newest schools. Fresh off an exciting stopover on her leadership journey, having helped set up UHub in Upper Hutt, Jo is exhilarated by the unique possibilities of starting a school while the community it’s set to serve grows alongside it. Haere […]
Nobody should expect a “big bang” of change come 1 September – [Irish] schools will proceed slowly and can exercise agency in deciding where to start.
At our final board hui of 2025, my newly elected board voted to formally write to Education Minister Erica Stanford outlining why we will continue to give effect to Tiriti o Waitangi. Our reasons were expressed as follows: Our Board represents a kura of 330 tamariki – 51 per cent of whom are tamariki Māori. […]
