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.
You want teaching ‘to make a difference’ – right? Dr Jan Robertson Academic Director, National Aspiring Principals’ Programme Senior Researcher, Institute of Professional Learning, University of Waikato I’ve been thinking about this topic for quite a while now Moral purpose engenders the shared values of equity and because this statement raises many questions we might […]
The sign on principal, Pat Newman’s, office wall reads: ‘I plan to be a curmudgeon when I grow up and I’m making very impressive progress.’ This may be a perverse intent of the far north principal, but ask the little girl who features in another picture. She may have quite a different opinion. Pat Newman […]
Teaching as inquiry (TAI) as an integral part of The New Zealand Curriculum. It is a key part of teaching and self review processes, but many find it difficult to manage, because it feels too big – or they just don’t know how to start. It seems that in some schools teachers are just expected […]
Editor Kia ora, Talofa Lava, Fakaalofa Lahi Atu, Malo e Lelei, Kia Orana, Bula Vinaka, Namaste, Hao Ha, Greetings! Welcome to the richly diverse, multi-cultural, Otahuhu School community. Our Minister of Education, Hon Hekia Parata, repeatedly reminds us of her singular goal of raising the achievement of priority groups. She identifies these groups as Māori, […]
In my opinion one of the skills that elevate principalship from a job into an art form is the ability to bravely and skilfully tackle difficult conversations. It is a rare week in the world of school leadership when there isn’t at least one difficult conversation on our to do list – on Monday I […]
From Murray’s Bay, on Auckland’s North Shore, what do you see? Rangitoto! The cone shaped island stretches to 260 meters at its highest peak and lounges majestically off shore, quietly dominating the sprawling Hauraki Gulf. It dwarfs the little boats and yachts that bob about in the Gulf ’s waters and nurtures the largest pōhutukawa […]
Mr Ward makes a surprise visit to the junior class Distracted by the splendour of the surrounds, you could easily miss the ‘Patoka’ sign as you zigzag through the intrepid Hawke’s Bay hill country roads, where sheep runs and Charolais cattle stations rule. It is an area with a history as steep and deep as […]
WE’RE STOKED The Editor takes a trip to Nelson’s Stoke School to see why ‘whānau’ is top of the school’s values list and what that means for the multi-cultural Nelson school . . . Liz Hawes Editor Stoke School sits between Richmond and Tahunanui on the fringes of the charming little city of Nelson. It is […]
Principal, Cashmere Primary School The re-elected National Government has said it intends to immediately begin work to develop more effective teacher and principal appraisal. My wonderings are why make this a priority and why the urgency? Where are the gaps and what in the opinion of the writer would make principal and teacher appraisal more […]
Editor Principal David Mossop Gully planting, paper recycling, composting, native tree restoration, liquid vermicast sales, waste management plans, environmental impact reports . . . sounds much like an action list from a DOC focus group or a Regional Council meeting. Yet, at Hukanui School in Hamilton, this is normal language and typical activity. What’s more […]
