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Pou Tahi began the term notifying principals of an invitation from the Ombudsman to participate in a study.  The study was to help government agencies, including schools, respond to OIA requests.

The next project was developing, in conjunction with the Chief Leadership Advisor, Tim White, in the Ministry, the ‘Principals’ Professional Development Map’ for sustainable principal leadership.  Principals were invited to add all professional development activities generated by regional associations, clusters and Kahui Ako groups. Planning also began on a system of accrediting PLD offerings to a ‘Gold Standard’ so that principals would know which offerings were endorsed and which were not. This road map to sustainable leadership can be found at the bottom of this article.

Sustainable leadership prompted Pou Tahi to publish five requirements for sustainable leadership including clearly defining the role, supporting leadership with structures and resources, enabling principals to focus on leading learning, enabling distributed leadership, and looking after the principal’s health and wellbeing. 

With the accelerated pace of change proposed for the curriculum, Pou Tahi concluded the term with ten factors to consider during a change process.  These included emphasising critical thinking, promoting life-long learning, cultivating emotional intelligence, encouraging innovation and creativity, drawing on global knowledge, fostering ethical leadership, integrating technology and digital literacy, adapting to change, mentoring and emotional and social development.  

Available for your listening is 'The Principals' (Aotearoa | New Zealand) here on Spotify. This is a resource for new school principals throughout New Zealand and provides valuable insight from various experienced school leaders and officials.