The Principals (Aotearoa | New Zealand)

In this episode, we talk with Lyndy Watkinson, tumuaki of Avondale College in Auckland, winner of the NZEEA award for quality teaching and instruction at secondary level. Lyndy talks about leading one of the country's largest and most diverse secondary schools, and how that diversity shaped the school's professional learning priorities. She tell us about the the school's Teacher Growth Profile and the principles that underpin it, and how weekly timetabled PLD time has changed the way staff learn together.

Leading through the unthinkable: Blair Dravitski's story

In this episode, we hear from Blair Dravitski, who was principal at Linwood Avenue School in Christchurch on 15 March 2019, when the mosque attacks took place 300 metres from his school gate. Blair talks about the six-hour lockdown, the decisions he made in real time, and the long work of supporting a community — including Muslim students and whānau — through grief, fear, and recovery. We then hear from all three guests in this series as they reflect together on what the education system needs to understand better about principals leading through and beyond crisis.

Hosted by Eleisha McNeill.

Our guests are:

Blair Dravitski, tumuaki at Te Uru Tarata, Lemonwood Grove School, and former principal at Linwood Avenue School in Christchurch

Catherine Bentley, leadership advisor at the Ministry of Education and former tumuaki of Hastings Girls' High School, Ngā Rau Huia Ākina, in Hastings

John Bangma, former tumuaki of Mairehau Primary School in Christchurch.

Instinct and aftermath: John Bangma's story

In this episode, we hear from John Bangma, who was tumuaki of Mairehau Primary School in Christchurch when the 22nd of February 2011 earthquake struck. Three classes of his students were in the CBD. John talks about how instinct took over, the hours of uncertainty waiting for those children to return, and the years of recovery that followed — including how the school adapted its environment and its programme to support children living through prolonged community trauma.

This is the second in a series of conversations with three leaders who have each guided their school communities through significant crisis events. All three were present for this kōrero.

Hosted by Eleisha McNeill.

When crisis hits home: Catherine Bentley's story

In this episode, we hear from a tumuaki who found herself on both sides of a crisis at once. When Cyclone Gabrielle devastated Hawke's Bay in February 2023, Catherine Bentley was leading Hastings Girls' High School, Ngā Rau Huia Ākina, while simultaneously losing her home and navigating the trauma of her own family's displacement. Catherine speaks honestly about the decision to be visible at school while not being okay, about leaning on others through prolonged uncertainty, and about what the experience taught her about equity, community, and her own leadership.

This is the first in a series of conversations with three leaders who have each guided their school communities through significant crisis events. All three were present for this kōrero.

Hosted by Eleisha McNeill.

In this episode, we talk to the secondary winners of the New Zealand Education Excellence Award for Raising Student Achievement, Auckland Girls' Grammar School. Maree Flannery and Gavin Morgan discuss the moral imperative behind their work with Māori and Pasifika learners, the introduction of priority learners, and what happened when they removed streaming and reduced prerequisites for senior courses. We discuss their fortnightly extended leadership team meetings, the repositioning of deputy principals as leaders of learning, and their mentoring programme, as well as with the results that followed, including a rise in university entrance from 44 to 92 per cent.

Hosted by Eleisha McNeill.

Our guests are:

Maree Flannery, acting principal (usually associate principal) at Auckland Girls' Grammar School in Auckland

Gavin Morgan, acting associate principal (usually deputy principal, teaching and learning) at Auckland Girls' Grammar School in Auckland