Denise to travel for prestigious study grant. (Dr Evans from the Woolf Fisher Trust, with Denise and Stephanie at the 2019 ceremony)

In November 2019, Denise Torrey was awarded a prestigious Woolf Fisher Fellowship. The fellowship is one of only three awarded to primary school principals annually and one of around 15 awarded annually. It is widely regarded as one of the highest honours in New Zealand public education.

The award proved an overwhelming acknowledgment for Denise who is in her 34th year working in the education sector. “There have been few times in my life where I have felt so overcome. It was a complete surprise. When I began teaching, I had no firm expectations, just a desire to be my best self, serve the profession and make a difference for kids. I feel incredibly honoured, humbled, and excited to be acknowledged in this way.”

The fellowship allows Denise to undertake an eight-week study trip to North America and the United Kingdom and includes a five-day course at The Principals' Center - Harvard Graduate School of Education. She had planned to travel in 2020, but this was of course disrupted by Covid-19. She now plans to travel from 22 June - 9 August with Deputy Principal Nicky Horne to step in as Acting Tumuaki during this time.

She sees the award as an opportunity to further improve outcomes for students both locally and nationally. “I’ve always believed in the concept of ‘the village’ and that’s why I have involved myself in other projects,” she says.

Denise has worked for the Education Review Office, with the New Zealand Council for Educational Research, the Teacher’s Council of Aotearoa New Zealand, and served as President of both the Canterbury Primary Principals' Association and the New Zealand Principals' Association. She was a member of the Tomorrow’s Schools advisory team, a member of the advisory group who designed and led the Mana Ake mental health and wellbeing project in Canterbury and Kaikōura schools. She is currently part of the Kahukura community of practice, is an advisor to the Education Review Office and recent head of the Primary Principals Collective Bargaining Union and now their Principal Support Officer.

“My mantra has always been ‘create, innovate and initiate’ and I believe we need to look outwards to improve within. I’m always keen to look at how we strengthen leadership to improve outcomes for kids, because there is a significant body of evidence to show the two are linked. I’m excited to have the opportunity to explore this subject more and share this with others upon my return,” she says.

Somerfield Te Kura Wairepo Board Chair, Stephanie Muller, believes the fellowship is richly deserved. “Denise has given so much at both a local and national level. She is incredibly focussed on her pursuit of equity for learners, student wellbeing and best practice in education and I think this fellowship is recognition of that. Because of the way in which Denise actively collaborates with others within the professional community, I believe the knowledge gained will directly drive benefits for teachers and students within the school and wider professional community,” she says.