The Principals (Aotearoa | New Zealand)

In this episode, we talk to the winners of the New Zealand Education Excellence Award for Raising Student Achievement, Manurewa Intermediate. Callum Baird and Ben Nathan discuss how a shift away from inquiry based learning towards structured pedagogy, along with a deeper understanding of scale scores, changed the way staff track and target student progress. We talk about their three cycle reporting model and a cross-subject teacher...

In this episode, we look at the more complex side of attendance management, exploring how principals can develop realistic plans for students with health, learning or social challenges without setting whānau up to fail. We discuss how to engage tamariki directly in the process, how to work with families who have had negative experiences of school, what external support is available, and how to communicate about attendance in ways t...

Over the next two episodes, we explore the changes to attendance requirements for New Zealand schools, including the new attendance management plans and the stepped attendance response (STAR) framework. We hear from a Ministry of Education business lead and two principals about how the reforms are landing in practice, from recording daily attendance and using the new national codes to building the kinds of relationships that get ta...

In the first episode of Season 3, we speak with two winners of the New Zealand Education Excellence Award for Excellence in Educational Leadership. The award recognises schools that have led significant change for student success, and both of our guests today have done exactly that. David Graham leads Goodwood School, one of the largest rural primary schools in New Zealand, where practical, low-cost changes to teaching practice, cl...

This is the fifth and final episode in a special five-part Leading Curriculum podcast series, sitting alongside a range of curriculum leadership resources available on Tāhūrangi. This series features principals across a range of contexts talking about how they are making curriculum implementation work in their setting.

For more resources, visit Curriculum Leadership PLD resources for English Medium.

In this episode, we explore how ...

Curriculum Leadership podcast series 

Podcast 4: Leading coherent programmes and strengthening consistent practice – secondary contexts 

This is the fourth episode in a special five-part Curriculum Leadership podcast series, sitting alongside a range of curriculum leadership resources available on Tāhūrangi. This series features principals across a range of contexts talking about how they are making curriculum ...

Curriculum Leadership podcast series

Podcast 3: Leading and shaping your teaching programmes in primary, intermediate and rural schools

This is the third episode in a special five-part Curriculum Leadership podcast series, sitting alongside a range of curriculum leadership resources available on Tāhūrangi. This series features principals across a range of contexts talking about how they are making curriculum implementation work in ...

Curriculum Podcast series

Podcast 2: Building trust as you lead curriculum implementation

This is the second episode in a special five-part Leading Curriculum podcast series, sitting alongside a range of curriculum leadership resources available on Tāhūrangi. This series features principals across a range of contexts talking about how they are making curriculum implementation work in their setting.

For more resources, visit Curricu...

Curriculum Leadership podcast series 

Podcast 1: Why Te Mātaiaho is important - what’s the opportunity? 

This is the first episode in a special five-part Curriculum Leadership podcast series, sitting alongside a range of curriculum leadership resources available on Tāhūrangi. This series features principals across a range of contexts talking about how they are making curriculum im...

In this episode, we discuss some of the key challenges and opportunities facing intermediate school leaders in Aotearoa New Zealand. We talk about managing social media and its impact on young people and their whānau, and how to keep the unique character of intermediate schooling alive amid curriculum change, and how schools can keep whānau engaged when tamariki are starting to find their independence.

Hosted by Eleisha McNeill.

Ou...

Over the next two episodes, we discuss the unique and often underappreciated world of intermediate schooling in Aotearoa New Zealand. We talk about what draws leaders to this level, how intermediate schools support young people through one of the most significant developmental periods of their lives, and what it takes to build a strong school culture when half your roll changes every year.

Hosted by Eleisha McNeill.

Our guests are:

In this episode, we continue our conversation about implementing a knowledge-rich curriculum in New Zealand schools. We look at how teachers can be supported to understand not just what they are teaching but why it matters at each point in the learning sequence, how schools are managing the variability of learners coming in at different levels, and what success looks like beyond achievement data.

Hosted by Eleisha McNeill.

Our gues...

Implementing a knowledge-rich curriculum: Part 1

In this episode, we explore what a knowledge-rich curriculum means in practice for New Zealand schools, and how principals are leading that shift from both primary and secondary perspectives. We discuss the difference between knowledge-rich and competency-based approaches, the misconceptions that come up in staff and whānau conversations, and the leadership practices that can't be le...

In this episode, we talk with three principals who have stepped beyond their school gates to take on sector leadership roles. We explore what motivated them to put their hand up, how they balance the demands of leading their own kura with responsibilities to the wider profession, and what surprised them most about working at a sector level. We also discuss how sector leadership has shaped their thinking as school leaders, and what ...

In this episode, we continue our conversation with three education law experts, turning our attention to employment matters and the growing challenges around social media. We discuss the principles of natural justice and due process, the warning signs that a principal's own employment situation may be escalating, and the legal complexities around long-term sick leave and medical incapacity. We also look at the most common legal mis...

In this episode, we talk with three education law experts about the growing legal complexity of managing parent relationships in schools. We explore why parent behaviour has changed in recent years, what constitutes a vexatious complaint, how to handle OIA and Privacy Act requests, and what steps principals can take when parents threaten staff or make unreasonable demands. We also discuss when and how to trespass a parent from scho...

In this episode, we explore what it means to lead a Catholic integrated school in Aotearoa New Zealand. We discuss how the Integration Act shapes day-to-day leadership and decision-making, how principals balance their school's special character with New Zealand curriculum requirements, and how the relationship between the principal, the Board of Trustees, and the Catholic proprietor works in practice. We also look at the unique fun...

In this episode, we continue our conversation with three experienced area school leaders, focusing on the practicalities of running a kura that spans the full schooling spectrum. We discuss how to approach curriculum planning and delivery across a huge age range, the pastoral care challenges unique to area schools — particularly in rural and isolated communities — and the resource and funding pressures that come with th...

In this episode, we explore what makes leading an area or composite school uniquely challenging and deeply rewarding. We talk with three experienced area school leaders about managing the breadth of student ages from early childhood through to Year 13, how to approach staffing across primary and secondary settings, and what it takes to build a truly cohesive school culture across a kura that spans age two to 18. We also discuss the...