The Principals (Aotearoa | New Zealand)
Episodes
Season 2 Episode 31 Leading an Area School: Curriculum, Pastoral Care and Resources
24 Mar 2026
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, we continue our conversation with three experienced area school leaders, focusing on the practicalities of running a kura that spans ...
Season 2 Episode 30 Leading an Area School: Staffing and Culture Across Year Levels
17 Mar 2026
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, we explore what makes leading an area or composite school uniquely challenging and deeply rewarding. We talk with three experienced a...
Season 2 Episode 29 It's not Rocket Science with Linda Bendikson
10 Mar 2026
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, we speak with schooling improvement consultant Linda Bendikson, author of 'It's Not Rocket Science - A guide to the School Improvemen...
Season 2 Episode 28 Culturally responsive vs culturally sustaining leadership
03 Mar 2026
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, we explore the distinction between culturally responsive and culturally sustaining leadership in schools. Our guests discuss what it ...
Season 2 Episode 27 Innovation in rural schools: Networks, technology and freedom
24 Feb 2026
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, we continue our conversation about rural school innovation, focusing on how technology connects students and staff to the wider world...
Season 2 Episode 26 Turning constraints into opportunities - Rural school innovation
17 Feb 2026
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, we explore how rural schools are transforming their unique challenges into remarkable opportunities for innovation. Our guests talk a...
Season 2 Episode 25 Leading to the North-East with Russell Bishop, part 2
10 Feb 2026
Contributed by Lukas
In the second part of this kōrero, Russell Bishop explains why pedagogy must lead structural change, how meaningful feedback transforms teaching prac...
Season 2 Episode 24 Leading to the North-East with Russell Bishop, part 1
03 Feb 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Professor Russell Bishop explores how whakawhanaungatanga transforms classrooms and schools. He challenges deficit thinking, explains the North-East t...
Season 2 Episode 23 Learning leaders: Putting research into practice
27 Jan 2026
Contributed by Lukas
In the second part of this conversation about learning leaders, we explore how our guests principals put their research into practice, with three powe...
Season 2 Episode 22 Learning leaders: Developing a research mindset
20 Jan 2026
Contributed by Lukas
In a world where education trends come and go at lightning speed, how do exceptional school leaders separate the game-changers from the gimmicks? This...
Season 2 Episode 21 Changing hearts and minds with Hoana Pearson
13 Jan 2026
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, we explore the transformative work of the Māori Achievement Collaborative (MAC) with Hoana Pearson, Te Pitau Mātautanga, the nation...
Season 2 Episode 20 Practical strategies for self-care
16 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
As the summer break approaches, this episode explores essential self-care strategies for principals. The conversation covers creating boundaries durin...
Season 2 Episode 19 Choosing effective PLD
09 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Every year, principals face the same challenge: with limited time and budgets, how do you choose professional learning opportunities that will genuine...
Season 2 Episode 18 Overcoming isolation in rural school leadership: Support and wellbeing
02 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In part two of this conversation, our rural principals share honest insights about managing release time with ever-changing priorities, bringing profe...
Season 2 Episode 17 Overcoming isolation in rural schools: Community and connection
25 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Leading a rural school comes with unique rewards and challenges. Mārama Stewart speaks with three passionate rural principals about what drew them to...
Season 2 Episode 16 Supporting kaiako through their professional growth cycle
18 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, we explore how principals can effectively support teachers through the professional growth cycle – moving beyond the old appraisal ...
Season 2 Episode 15 Leading curriculum and pedagogical change
11 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, we explore the leadership challenges and opportunities that come with implementing curriculum and pedagogical changes in schools. Our...
Season 2 Episode 14 Your Leadership Lifeline: The Leadership Advisory Service
04 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, we discover how this free, confidential service helps school leaders navigate challenges from board conflicts to strategic planning, ...
Season 2 Episode 13 Preparing for the start of a new school year
28 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, we get into the planning and preparation required to successfully launch a new school year. As the end of the summer holidays nears, ...
Season 2 Episode 12 Going rural: Making the transition from urban to country schools
21 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Ever thought about swapping city school leadership for rural life? From misconceptions, like assuming rural schools would be "easier", to learning ...
Season 2 Episode 11 Real-world PGC implementation
14 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, we continue discussing the Professional Growth Cycle for principals, diving deeper into practical implementation, with real examples ...
Season 2 Episode 10 Mastering the Professional Growth Cycle for Principals
13 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, we discuss the Professional Growth Cycle for principals. We’ll talk about how the approach to principal development has evolved fro...
Season 2, Episode 9 Te Tiriti o Waitangi: More Than Just Compliance
30 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, we explore how educational leaders can move beyond tick-box compliance to genuinely embed Te Tiriti o Waitangi principles into their ...
Season 2, Episode 8 The first 100 days of principalship
23 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
What are the first 100 days in the principal role really like? From navigating unexpected challenges and building relationships with staff, students, ...
Season 2, Episode 7 Building momentum: Creative strategies and partnerships for improving school attendance
16 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
We continue to talk about attendance in this episode, exploring proven strategies for boosting student attendance through meaningful partnerships. Hea...
Season 2, Episode 6 Getting every child through the gate: Turning around attendance
09 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Student attendance has become one of the big challenges facing New Zealand schools. With new Attendance Management Plans becoming mandatory from 2026 ...
Season 2, Episode 5 Coaching Leadership with Jan Robertson
02 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode of The Principals Aotearoa, Eleisha speaks with Jan Robertson, author of Coaching leadership: Building educational leadership capacity...
Season 2, Episode 4 Resilience and the right glasses - Developing the skills for school leadership
26 Aug 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, our guests reflect on their first few years of principalship, discussing what it means to lead an entire school community, and provid...
Season 2, Episode 3 From Classroom to Core Team: Stepping Up
19 Aug 2025
Contributed by Lukas
The transition from teacher or senior school leader to tumuaki is more than just a title change – it's a professional and personal transformation. T...
Season 2, Episode 2 Leadership is the task: Creating opportunities for leadership growth in schools
12 Aug 2025
Contributed by Lukas
From recognizing the subtle signs of leadership readiness to providing meaningful development opportunities, we’ll discuss how our guests have succe...
Season 2, Episode 1 The leadership pipeline: Identifying and developing future school leaders
29 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Welcome to Season 2 of The Principals, a podcast series for tumuaki and aspiring tumuaki in Aotearoa New Zealand, hosted by Eleisha McNeill. It’s gr...
Season 2 Trailer
15 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
The Principals podcast is coming back for a second season! A big thank you to all our listeners for your feedback and for your amazing support. We’...
Episode 44: Leading as Pasifika or in Pasifika realms
08 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, we’re talking with two Pasifika principals and a non-Pasifika tumuaki leading a school with a high Pasikifa population about leadin...
Episode 43: Growing with confidence as tumuaki Māori
01 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Kō ngā tahu ā ō tapuwai inanahi, hei tauira mō āpōpō Leading an organisation as tumuaki Māori has its own unique challenges and opportunities...
Episode 42: Being tumuaki Māori
24 Jun 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Kō ngā tahu ā ō tapuwai inanahi, hei tauira mō āpōpō Leading an organisation as tumuaki Māori has its own unique challenges and opportunities...
Episode 41: Ensuring te reo thrives in kura
17 Jun 2025
Contributed by Lukas
This episode continues discussing the challenges of recruiting te reo speaking kaiako, and the ways those challenges have been dealt with in the past,...
Episode 40: Recruiting te reo speaking kaiako
10 Jun 2025
Contributed by Lukas
This episode discusses the challenges of recruiting te reo speaking kaiako, and of creative ways of addressing the issue. Mārama’s guests are: ...
Episode 39: Opportunities and challenges of leading a school within te ao Māori
03 Jun 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, Mārama discusses the challenges and opportunities of tumuaki Māori leading a school in an English-medium system. Mārama’s gue...
Episode 38: Leading a school within te ao Māori
27 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, Mārama Stewart discusses leading a school within te ao Māori through the lens of our guests’ own journeys through the education s...
Episode 37: Being tumuaki Māori in the early days of kōhanga reo
20 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Kia hakatōmuri te haere whakamua: ‘I walk backwards into the future with my eyes fixed on my past’ In this episode, Mārama continues the kōrero...
Episode 36: Understanding our past: native schools and life for an ākonga Maōri in the 1950s and 60s
13 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Kia hakatōmuri te haere whakamua: ‘I walk backwards into the future with my eyes fixed on my past’ In this episode of The Principals Podcast, Mā...
Episode 35: Financial reporting for schools
06 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, we’re continuing to talk about school budgets, and we’re covering financial reporting and audits as well. Just a remind...
Episode 34: Introduction to school budgets
29 Apr 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Today we're going to talk about school budgets, what's included in them, what's not, and what you'll need to do to prepare them. My guests are: Ha...
Episode 33: Tips for managing school finances
22 Apr 2025
Contributed by Lukas
There are a number of things that can trip new principals up when it comes to school funding, and this episode covers some of them. Remember you’re ...
Episode 32: Introduction to school finances
15 Apr 2025
Contributed by Lukas
State and state-integrated school funding is made up of various components that have different eligibility rules and funding structures. Staffing for ...
Episode 31: Managing state school property projects
08 Apr 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Today we’re talking about state school property projects. All schools have to plan for maintenance and upgrades, as well as planning for new capital...
Episode 30: State school property maintenance
01 Apr 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Today we’re talking about state school property maintenance. School boards, which include the tumuaki, are responsible for overseeing the maintenanc...
Episode 29: Introduction to state school property
25 Mar 2025
Contributed by Lukas
As tumuaki, and as part of the board, you have a key role in managing school property, but no one expects you to be the expert. As principal, you’ll...
Episode 28: Working with your ERO evaluation partner
18 Mar 2025
Contributed by Lukas
The new process for ERO reviews means tumuaki work more closely with their ERO evaluation partner over the three-year cycle. In this episode, we talk ...
Episode 27: ERO reviews
11 Mar 2025
Contributed by Lukas
The Education Review Office (ERO) is the government’s external education evaluation agency, and normally reviews schools over a three year cycle. As...
Episode 26: Leading through change
04 Mar 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Change is inevitable in a school, and managing change can be challenging. Changes you make may be a choice, where you identify improvements that can b...
Episode 25: Supporting students with diverse learning needs
25 Feb 2025
Contributed by Lukas
All ākonga deserve the opportunity to flourish and succeed in their education, and making sure your students have this opportunity is your most impor...
Episode 24: Improving student achievement
18 Feb 2025
Contributed by Lukas
All tumuaki want the ākonga in their schools to do well, but we know there are persistent disparities in achievement. In this episode, we speak with ...
Episode 23: Māori tumuaki supporting Maōri ākonga
11 Feb 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Today we’re continuing to talk to three Māori leaders who worked hard to turn around learning outcomes for Māori ākonga in their English-medium k...
Episode 22: Supporting Maōri ākonga
04 Feb 2025
Contributed by Lukas
New Zealand's education system has under-served Māori learners for a long time. As a result, the 97% of Māori learners in English-medium settings co...
Episode 21: Looking after yourself
28 Jan 2025
Contributed by Lukas
The principal role can be both demanding and complex. It requires a lot of managerial and administrative tasks, you're the professional leader of the ...
Episode 20: Student mental health
21 Jan 2025
Contributed by Lukas
The mental health needs of tamariki and rangatahi have undoubtedly increased post-COVID, and schools are often the places where these issues emerge be...
Episode 19: Managing extreme crises
14 Jan 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, we continue talking about crisis management, including extreme weather events and events that can’t be foreseen, like the Christchu...
Episode 18: Crisis management
07 Jan 2025
Contributed by Lukas
All sorts of emergencies, traumatic incidents, evacuations and lockdowns may impact on your kura, and as tumuaki you will lead the response. In thi...
Episode 17: Dealing with complaints and employment issues
17 Dec 2024
Contributed by Lukas
As the leader of a kura, you'll most often be the one who receives and has to deal with complaints. You may also have to handle employment issues from...
Episode 16: Looking after kaiako and kaimahi
10 Dec 2024
Contributed by Lukas
As a tumuaki you'll be leading both teachers and support staff, and making sure they're treated fairly, feel supported, know about their entitlements ...
Episode 15: Recruiting and retaining kaiako and kaimahi
03 Dec 2024
Contributed by Lukas
A crucial part of being a tumuaki is recruiting teachers and support staff and setting them up for their role in your school, and that's what we're ta...
Episode 14: Behaviour management
26 Nov 2024
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode we discuss the importance of consistency of approach when managing behaviour. We also cover behaviour management frameworks, and what ...
Episode 13: Managing difficult students and difficult parents
19 Nov 2024
Contributed by Lukas
A 2024 ERO report put the spotlight on rising levels of violence and disruption in schools. It’s a trend being seen around the world, and it’s bec...
Episode 12: EOTC lessons learned
12 Nov 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Today we’re continuing to talk about the health and safety responsibilities of tumuaki for people at your school. Today we're focusing on education ...
Episode 11: Introduction to health and safety
05 Nov 2024
Contributed by Lukas
The health and safety of people at your school is one of the big responsibilities shared by tumuaki and school boards. As the principal, you have the ...
Episode 10: Working with your school board
29 Oct 2024
Contributed by Lukas
As a new tumuaki, your relationship with your school board is one of your most important because it impacts directly on what you and the kura can achi...
Episode 9: Rural school leadership - Navigating the unique opportunities and challenges
22 Oct 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Today we’re talking about the unique opportunities and challenges rural principals face leading a country school. My guests are: Andrew King, N...
Episode 8: Tips for building relationships with mana whenua
15 Oct 2024
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, we continue the conversation about building relationships with iwi, hapū and mana whenua, discussing common mistakes and how to avoi...
Episode 7: Connecting with iwi, hapū and mana whenua
08 Oct 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Fostering a relationship with mana whenua that’s built on good faith and partnership is an important part of school leadership in Aotearoa, but rela...
Episode 6: Strategies for connecting and communicating with whānau
01 Oct 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Forging partnerships with whānau can make a big difference to the outcomes for ākonga in your school. Today we’re talking about relationships with...
Episode 5: Building relationships with whānau and community
24 Sep 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Being a tumuaki is all about relationships, and good relationships with whānau, the school community and the wider community are essential. Today, we...
Episode 4: Support systems for principals - You don’t have to do it alone
17 Sep 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Being a tumuaki is a big job, and it can feel overwhelming and more than a little lonely at the top - but you’re not alone. Today, we’re talking a...
Episode 3: Navigating the new normal - Transitioning into the principal role
10 Sep 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Today we’re talking about the process of transition into the tumuaki role, and the challenges that come with becoming principal. My guests this w...
Episode 2: Legislation and you: What school principals need to know
09 Sep 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Today we’re talking about the law as it applies to schools and to the principal role. While you don't need to be a lawyer to be a principal, you do...
Episode 1: Congratulations, you’re a school principal - now what?
09 Sep 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Welcome to The Principals, a podcast series for new school principals in Aotearoa New Zealand. This week, we’re talking about the basics of the t...