Tena Koutou katoa,

Once again, I begin the Principal Matters bulletin, acknowledging those affected by another extreme weather event, this time Cyclone Gabrielle. You are front of mind for the Federation as you continue cleaning up after the earlier floods, and now face the challenges of this cyclone. My commitment to you is to be in constant contact with Ministry offices nationally and locally, advocating for all the support and resources I can get to you at this time. Facing adversity head-on is not easy, but I also know that individually and collectively you have got what it takes to get through this. Kia kaha e hoa ma.  

I want to celebrate the courageous leadership that I have witnessed these past few weeks. I have seen bold and confident leaders who have long developed a culture of trust and respect in their schools and communities. During the disasters of the past weeks these courageous leaders have taken charge, and through their authenticity, and empathy have been able to lead their staff and communities through. They have weighed up the risks and made decisions for their communities, staff and tamariki.  

I have also been connecting with the Presidents of Regional Principals’ Associations, and have seen in action, the power of collective wisdom. A big thank you to all those Association Presidents and their executives who have connected with and supported the principals in their regions. Principals have been grateful for the collective conversations to help them make the call to close or keep their schools open, as cyclone Gabrielle has barreled in.   

The important part that Regional Associations play extends beyond times of crisis. They connect principals to advice, guidance, support and professional development and provide social events so essential for our hauora. As your National President, I cannot emphasise enough the importance of belonging to and actively participating in your Regional Associations. My job for you is to double down on regional support at a National Level. I highlight the mahi of your regional associations at every opportunity.

I am looking forward to meeting with your Regional Presidents at our annual Moot on Friday 24 March 2023, in Wellington.  

I will now introduce you to the National Executive for 2023. They are experienced principals, elected by you, to serve the profession. It is an honour to work alongside them advocating on your behalf.  

The National Executive’s first job has been operationalizing our 2023 Federation Strategic Plan. Below is a report from our Ngā Pou E Whā - our four Strategic Ropu – outlining the mahi underway. They have listened, they have learned and now they are acting. 

Pou Tahi - Leadership Strategy

Jason Miles, Tracy Fraser, Stephanie Thompson, Leanne Otene 

Our Leadership Pou is focussed on supporting and advocating for professional development and wellbeing for principals. Embedded in our direction and focus within this Pou is the knowledge that te Tiriti o Waitangi forms the basis of effective cultural competency, and understanding Pümau Tonu Te Tiriti - that the Te Tiriti endures and is honoured through actions and provisions of NZPF.

The role of a tumuaki has many layers of complexity. One of our major goals in this Pou for 2023 is our Rāngai Tumuaki, Amo Hauora - National Hauora Campaign Strategy (NHCS). The purpose of the NHCS is to:

• encourage collaboration
• support individuals with a collective strategy
• raise the morale and mana of principals
• retain and recruit the very best principals for our schools 

We will be advocating strongly for principals, and working together with regional associations and other sector leaders to share positive initiatives and support for all.

Other goals for 2023 include:

• leadership and professional development that support individual growth, ensuring there is a Principal Professional Development Framework and implementation plan at all levels.
• Advocate with the Ministry to provide specific NZ Curriculum PLD for Principals, including a suite of resources to assist Principals in leading professional learning in their schools
• Foster connections across the education community regionally, nati

Pou Rua - NZ Curriculum refresh - Te Mataiaho

Heidi Hayward, Karen Brisco, Jen Rodgers, Blair Dravitski 

General statement of focus:

Our focus is to ensure that principals are supported with sufficient professional learning to enable our education sector to transition from the NZC to Te Mataiaho.  We are conscious of the considerable changes afoot right now and our priority will be advocating for the Ministry to provide appropriate information, training and resources to support principals through the implementation of Te Mataiaho, while being mindful of the wellbeing of tumuaki and staff.

Introduction to the work:

The timeline for the rollout of the refreshed NZ Curriculum is ambitious and, while we support the mahi, we are concerned that the workload could overwhelm our schools. NZPF will be closely  monitoring the rollout and listening to our colleagues to ensure that it does not cause overload. We welcome members’ feedback to any pou member. 

One action to promote:

We will monitor the expectations placed on tangata whenua to support the implementation of Te Mataiaho, and check they are reasonable and compensated. We will seek ways to enable our tumuaki to develop their localised curriculum and enact Te Tiriti o Waitangi in the learning programmes of their kura.

Pou Toru- Students / Ākonga / Inclusive Education

Shane Buckner, John Bangma, Phil Palfrey, Gavin Beere

The NZPF Pou Toru highlights the area in our Strategic Plan of Students / Ākonga / Inclusive Education.

Identified links to the Strategic goal are Principal Wellbeing, Curriculum, Advocacy for Systems opportunities and change, Māori and Pasifika partnerships and initiatives, and connecting opportunities - regionally, nationally and globally.

Our first focus is examining equity. Equity of resourcing is the main driver of our advocacy. We will be writing a position paper on ‘Equity in the system’. We will engage across the sector in our search for solutions to the inequities which are ubiquitous. We will be seeking ideas, observations and case studies from a variety of perspectives in order to effect change.

We are aware that this is a broad piece of work and there are a lot of moving parts, but we hope that with support and concrete examples from members, we can make progress towards rectifying the inequities.

We will advocate to support strategic investment in Principal Wellbeing. As NZPF executive representatives, we are members of various reference groups aligned to this pou, and we aim to ensure that the NZPF voice is heard and listened to.

Pou Wha- Policy, Constitution and Legal

Hayley Read, Julie Hepburn, Cherie Taylor-Patel 

Kia ora e te whānau

Our mahi comprises the Legal/Constitution and Policy aspects of our organisation.  Our vision is to be the advocate for our sector on issues that matter in our profession and to use our policy and constitution to strengthen these.  They include principals’ well-being -  especially as principals deal with major disasters due to climate change; work streams with the MOE and NZSTA to help principals establish PGCs;  Māori partnerships and education success; Pasifika partnerships and education success; Regional and International connections, to share common issues like lifting the status of the profession.

Most importantly, our goal is to provide support for you as tumuaki/principal by strengthening support policies.  We already have a Helpline policy and intend to build on it. The number is 0800 798 798.  When you contact the Helpline, NZPF will arrange for an experienced colleague to contact you or will refer you to the best person to resolve your issue. You can ring the helpline anytime. 

NZPF offers a Principals’ Legal Advice and Support Scheme (PASL) which we also urge you to join. The scheme protects you in the event of an employment dispute with your Board. Follow the links on our website to join.