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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.
Our kura is very fortunate to have a close and respectful relationship with our local iwi Patuharakeke, Takahiwai Marae is nine kilometres from our kura and earlier this term all of our 350 tamariki visited to learn about Matariki and Puanga. In 2014, one of our kaiako sought the support of then Principal Marilyn Dunn, […]
Parents, whānau, and staff members will sometimes ask the school for information held about a person or an event. Requests for information are often made by a person in dispute with the school, and schools can also face requests for information from the media. The Privacy Act 2020 (covering personal information) and Official Information Act […]
Fairfield Intermediate, a 950-pupil Year 7 and 8 school in Hamilton, is the first intermediate in New Zealand to have more than 10 per cent of their staff trained in Youth Mental Health First Aid Aotearoa. In June, nine staff completed a two-day Youth Mental Health First Aid (MHFA) Aotearoa workshop at the school, run […]
The National Education and Learning Priorities (NELP) place a range of expectations on schools to collaborate with business and communities around work and to raise the expectations of learners. Now a government-backed programme is expanding through the country, offering a package that can help schools meet some NELP and curriculum priorities, as well as enrich […]
Principal, Heath Chittenden, is setting up a Tech demonstration on the Ashhurst School courts when I visit. He is surrounded by an enthusiastic bunch of Year 7–8 students, each clutching a light-weight wooden racing car. From his kneeling position, he glances up from his gadgetry, flashes a welcoming smile and explains that he’s taking the […]
In New Zealand, the term ‘principal’ is now an umbrella term for a multiplicity of separate roles spanning governance, leadership, management and teaching. In New Zealand, the term principal is not consistent across our history. If you took a principal from the 1970s or early 1980s and put them into the role today, they would […]
Where concerns are raised a school Board has a duty to take them seriously. Actively promoting a safe school environment is a statutory obligation, reinforced under the Code of Conduct for Board members: I actively promote a safe school environment. I speak up when I see unethical behaviour. I treat all concerns raised seriously. I […]
Successful business often suggests successful leadership and leadership is NZPF business. The question is whether school leaders can learn useful strategies from the business world. Leadership theories and practices are not always compatible in different contexts, but curiosity led me to Furnware, a successful company and long-term partner of NZPF, to find out whether their […]
It won’t be news to anyone reading this article that being a principal is a stressful and demanding job. You have statutory responsibility for the school’s day to day management, and in carrying out your duties you can be faced with some conflicting and occasionally unreasonable demands and expectations from the people you work with. […]
As the digital revolution continues to sweep through workplaces, classrooms and homes, it is our young people who remain the most vulnerable to harm. Whilst parents continue to look to schools and teachers to put boundaries in place, the struggle over screen time boundaries and behaviours continue at home. Technology brings with it many benefits […]
Scam, spam, phish, or sales pitch – there are plenty of emails that you don’t want in your school or kura inbox. But how do you stop the flow of unwanted junk, and find better protection? Because we use email every day, and we often use passwords to access it, email can feel safe and […]
In an era defined by rapid technological advancements, the application of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in education is increasingly reshaping the classroom landscape. As educators, it is paramount that we consider the implications of AI on classroom practice, both its potential benefits and challenges. AI has the potential to revolutionize the way we teach and learn, […]
