The Principals (Aotearoa | New Zealand)

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 tamariki through the door.
Hosted by Eleisha McNeill.
Our guests are:
Angus Woodhams, business lead for attendance management plans and the attendance programme at the Ministry of Education
Brook Bowman, principal at Netherton School in Paeroa
Ben Hancock, tumuaki of Tauhara College in Taupō

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, classroom design and attendance have lifted student outcomes significantly. Jane Stanley leads Westlake Girls High School in Auckland, where post-COVID shifts in student engagement prompted a whole-school response focused on belonging, teacher capability and student growth.
Hosted by Eleisha McNeill.
Our guests are:
David Graham, tumuaki at Goodwood School in the Waikato
Jane Stanley, tumuaki at Westlake Girls High School in Auckland
Additional information
New Zealand Education Excellence Awards - https://www.education.govt.nz/education-professionals/schools-year-0-13/scholarships-and-study-awards/new-zealand-education-excellence-awards

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 schools track and analyse the impact of curriculum implementation and change. We discuss how leaders are creating clarity around learning intentions and success criteria, and how formative assessment (notice, recognise, and respond), keeps assessment embedded in everyday teaching, and how professional growth cycles, inquiry, and observation are used to evaluate the quality and consistency of teaching. Our guests share how they strategically use tools, processes, data, and information to measure the impact of change and improvement for both learning and teaching.
Hosted by Lisa Morresey, Leadership Consultant at Evaluation Associates | Te Huinga Kākākura Mātauranga.
Our guests are:
Denise Horley, Principal of Sandspit Road School | Te Kura o Rangiaawhea
Abby Honey, Deputy Principal Curriculum at Northern Health School

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 implementation work in their setting. 
For more resources, visit Curriculum Leadership PLD resources for English Medium. 
In this episode, we explore how secondary leaders and their staff collectively shape teaching programmes to meet the needs of their students. We discuss how two schools are making sense of curriculum sequences and high-impact teaching approaches, how they are building coherent pathways – including academic, vocational and trades – and how they are strengthening consistent, high-quality teaching practice across their kura. Our guests share what has worked in their own schools and offer practical insights for secondary leaders navigating curriculum change. 
A note on kāhui ako - Many schools are collaborating effectively in professional learning communities. Some have chosen to continue to use the name “kāhui ako” to describe this, as you will hear in this podcast. 
Hosted by Lisa Morresey, Leadership Consultant at Evaluation Associates | Te Huinga Kākākura Mātauranga. 
Our guests are: 
Mikaere October, Tumuaki of Trident High School, Whakatane 
Dr Miranda Makin, Principal of Rototuna Senior High School, Hamilton 

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 their setting.
For more resources, visit Curriculum Leadership PLD resources for English Medium.
In this episode, we explore how primary and intermediate leaders are shaping teaching programs and building coherent year-by-year pathways, particularly in multi-level settings. We discuss how tumuaki are pacing curriculum implementation with their teams, making sense of the year-by-year sequence in English and mathematics, and strengthening consistent, high-quality teaching practice across their schools. Our guests share practical approaches that are working in their own kura and offer advice for school leaders navigating these challenges.
Hosted by Lisa Morresey, Leadership Consultant at Evaluation Associates | Te Huinga Kākākura Mātauranga.
Our guests are:
Jane Corcoran, Tumuaki of Brunswick School, Whanganui, and Vice President of the New Zealand Rural and Area Schools Leadership Association (RASLA)
Darryl Gibbs, Principal of Cambridge Middle School | Te Kura Takawaenga o Kemureti, and President of the New Zealand Association of Intermediate and Middle Schools (NZAIMS)

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 Curriculum Leadership PLD resources for English Medium.
In this episode, we explore how leaders build trust, support people through change, and use simple, effective tools alongside their middle leaders to implement curriculum well. We discuss how to create a culture where adults and students feel safe to learn and grow together, how to navigate tension when views on teaching and learning differ, and the practical tools and routines that keep implementation clear, doable, and well-supported. Our guests share deliberate and strategic acts of leadership from their own kura and offer practical advice for principals at any stage of the journey.
Hosted by Lisa Morresey, Leadership Consultant at Evaluation Associates | Te Huinga Kākākura Mātauranga.
Our guests are:
Suzanne Billington, Principal of Tauriko School, Tauranga
Cameron Mitchell, Principal of Tauranga Intermediate School

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 implementation work in their setting. 
 
For more resources, visit Curriculum Leadership PLD resources for English Medium. 
 
In this episode, we explore what Te Mātaiaho, the refreshed New Zealand Curriculum, means for school leaders navigating curriculum change. We discuss how tumuaki can lead implementation with clarity and purpose, how to support teachers in understanding the intent behind the refresh, and the key actions for school leaders signalled in the curriculum. Our guests share what has worked in their own kura and offer practical advice for principals at any stage of the journey. 
 
Hosted by Lisa Morresey, Leadership Consultant at Evaluation Associates | Te Huinga Kākākura Mātauranga. 
 
Our guests are:  
Bryan Rehutai, Tumuaki of Te Uru Karaka Newton Central School 
Vaughan Couillault, Principal of Papatoetoe High School, currently seconded to the Ministry of Education as Programme Lead – Qualification | Engagement. 

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.
Our guests are:
Jonathan Hughes, tumuaki at Glen Eden Intermediate School in Auckland and AIMS Executive Member
Jo Smith, former tumuaki at Tamatea Intermediate School in Napier and leadership advisor at the Ministry of Education
Hamish Ruawai, tumuaki at Palmerston North Intermediate Normal School and leadership advisor seconded to the Ministry of Education.

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:
Jonathan, tumuaki at Glen Eden Intermediate School in Auckland and former principal of Pasadena Intermediate School
Jo Smith, former tumuaki at Tamatea Intermediate School in Napier and now leadership advisor at the Ministry of Education
Hamish Ruawai, tumuaki at Palmerston North Intermediate Normal School and leadership advisor seconded to the Ministry of Education

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 guests are:
Stephen Grady, principal at Matuangaru School in Auckland
Catherine Law, principal at Avonside Girls' High School in Ōtautahi Christchurch, seconded to the Ministry of Education to lead knowledge-rich curriculum development.