Principal, Secondary School – Tumuaki Kura Tuarua
“If you love working with young people and educating, then this is such a fulfilling role. My advice to all young people is believe in yourself and your capability to learn. Your ability to work with other people and maintain mutually respectful relationships is more necessary than your intelligence.”
– Scott Walden, Principal
About this career
Excellent school leaders are what is needed to ensure a high-quality education system in a rapidly changing world.
School leaders can help to effect change and create the kind of education system that will enable Māori to thrive!
The role of a School Principal comes with many rewards and challenges. Principals need to be ethical leaders.
Their main role is to facilitate the school so that teachers can help tauira become successful learners, confident and creative individuals, and active and informed citizens.
A School Principal effectively engages people and leads the school across all systems including finance, property and personnel, to support and enhance student learning, and to ensure the future of the school’s development.
School principals need to be visible, approachable, excellent communicators with the capability to develop strong relationships within and throughout the school and community.
Principals need to be great collaborators – they need to be able to empower staff and others involved in the school community to create environments that encourage happy, confident learning to take place.
The role requires a genuine commitment to working in partnership with parents, whānau, staff and the local community to create a place of learning where everyone is welcome and safe; where everyone’s culture and contribution is acknowledged, valued and celebrated.
It is very important that the principal gives effect to Te Tiriti o Waitangi in the context of local environment and curriculum.
School Principals must maintain a comprehensive and deep knowledge of effective learning and teaching and have strategic thinking capability with the school team and community to create the future pathway to achieve the school’s goals.
Personal qualities you need
- Excellent communication and leadership skills
- Exceptional care for young people and whānau
- Honesty and integrity, emotional and social intelligence
- Passion for learning, teaching and knowledge sharing
- Ability to inspire a sense of purpose and meaning
- Ability to bring people together and to engage others into action
- Excellent problem solving, able to navigate change and complexity
Career Pathway
There are various pathways to becoming a school principal. The most common one being starting career as a teacher, developing your leadership and management experience and seeking deputy principal opportunities prior to applying for principal positions. It is possible to do post-graduate study to assist you to develop relevant knowledge and skills.
Find out more about Principal careers:
https://www.educationalleaders.govt.nz/Aspiring-principals
Post-graduate Diploma in Secondary School Leadership – https://www.careers.govt.nz/qualifications/view/VI001C/7004
Our Whānau Career Story
Scott Walden, School Principal
Ko Taranaki te maunga
Ko Whaitara, ko Pungaerere ngā awa
Ko Tokomaru, ko Kurahaupo ngā waka
Ko Te Ātiawa, ko Taranaki ngā iwi
Ko Pukerangiora, ko Ngati Haupoto ngā hapū
Ko Kairau, ko Te Potaka ngā marae
Kei Warea ahau e noho ana
Ko Te Mokena rāua ko Te Ihorangi āku tama
Ko Scott Walden ahau
Where do I work and what do I do?
I am the former principal of Coastal Taranaki School. At the time of writing this I led a team of 45 staff including teachers, support staff, learning assistants, caretaking and cleaning staff. We have over 300 students in Years 0-13, as we are an Area School in Ōkato. This includes students who are completing their NCEA Levels 1-3.
My work includes leading learning, human resources, finance, property management, asset management & whānau/community engagement.
I am also mentor ‘First Time Principals’, a member of the Ministry of Education – Regional Management Group for Taranaki, Whanganui, and the Manawatu. In 2022 I was the Vice President of the New Plymouth Principals Association. I am involved in the New Zealand Curriculum Refresh, which has included the launch of the recent Aotearoa New Zealand Histories Curriculum.
What was my career pathway to get here? (and what led me to this?)
I completed my secondary schooling at Nelson College and worked as a labourer for my uncle’s construction business. This motivated me to follow up interest in teacher training.
I was accepted into a 3-year Primary Bilingual Teaching Diploma programme called Te Rangakura, through Rangahāua in Whanganui. I was based at Takaro School in Palmerston North, learning on the job.
As a 19-year-old in my 3rd and final year of training, I was employed on a Limited Authority to Teach and began teaching a class of 38 Year 4 &5 students. I graduated in the year 2000 and was offered my first official teaching job and remained at Takaro School for a further 2 years.
My kuia, Roberta Walden, decided it was time I returned home to Taranaki. As I failed to take the hint from the newspaper clippings she sent in the mail with job vacancies, during Christmas of 2002 my nan let me know she had arranged a job interview with John Niwa, principal of Manukorihi in Waitara. This led to my first stint working and teaching at Manukorihi Intermediate School.
I took a year to complete my Bachelor of Education Degree at Massey University in 2007, before returning to teach at Waitara East School. My career had always been in Level 3 Māori Immersion spaces. Now I had become the Senior Teacher of a Level 2 Māori Immersion Unit and Assistant Principal of the school.
In 2012 I was successful in my application as Principal of Manukorihi Intermediate and returned to lead learning and change for a further five and a half years.
Both of my children were pre-schoolers during this time and were just commencing school when I was asked, for a second time, to consider applying for the role of Principal at Coastal Taranaki School. I was ready for a new challenge and the secondary aspect of the Area School would provide sufficient new learning on my career journey. Both of my nans were present at my pōwhiri, alongside my friends, colleagues and whānau. We shared excitement of returning to the area that I was born and where many of my whānau (on both sides) had grown.
I am currently enjoying my sixth year at Coastal Taranaki School and love living on the Coast of Taranaki.
“My why” for doing this job and making a difference for Māori
I vividly recall the day at my primary school when a relieving teacher took us out for a game and decided the teams would be Māori verses Pākēhā. She then turned to me and told that I could pick what team I wanted to be on as I was a ‘Half Cast’.
That evening I asked my family about being called a ‘Half Cast’ and was told in no uncertain terms that I was a Māori. This moment commenced an awareness of identity and the place of our people within the schooling system and society.
My college years magnified the dis-service that the education system was providing Māori learners. I was a member of a whānau class that was full of Māori boys. At 16 years old, most had left school. In 6th Form (Year 12) there were 3-4 boys left from my original whānau class, and by the end of my 7th Form year I was the last one left. During this time, I campaigned to stop taonga being confiscated by staff, raised funds and organised wānanga for Māori youth at risk, and tutored kapahaka in two primary schools.
Through my years of teaching, I have predominantly worked with Māori learners and their whānau. Valued identity, mutually respectful relationships and contextually relevant curriculum have made a great impact on improving outcomes for Māori.
Currently my leadership in learning includes support for initiatives and strategies like Te Ahu o Te Reo Māori. This year, all members of our teaching staff and some members of our support staff team will be on a shared journey learning Te Reo Māori. We are implementing Tamsin Hanley’s CPR, Curriculum Resources Programme which provides new learning, resourcing and programming linked to Mana Whenua and the timeline of history for our country, Aotearoa New Zealand.
Similarly, we belong to Te Ara Taiao, a collaboration with Neighbouring schools, Sustainable Taranaki, TRC, DOC, Iwi and Hapū to drive our Environmental Action in Education.
I am also a proud member of the Māori Achievement Collaborative since its conception 9 years ago. Changing the hearts and minds of leaders in schools throughout the country to improve learning for all learners and ensure Māori can achieve success as Māori in our New Zealand education system.
On my learning journey, now 23 years teaching and 10 years of that as a school principal, I believe this career pathway is a vocation and most definitely not a job. If you love working with young people and educating, then this is such a fulfilling role. My advice to all young people is believe in yourself and your capability to learn. Your ability to work with other people and maintain mutually respectful relationships is more necessary than your intelligence.
Lastly, we all need a champion. Mine was my nan, my kuia. She provided me with care, support, feedback and someone to make proud. I continue to have a mentor who serves a similar role. Identify your champion and/or recruit a mentor!
