LEADING LIGHTSNew Zealand Educational Administration & Leadership Society NEWSLETTER Growing leadership potential ISSUE 4|2015

Institutional Membership NZEALS DIRECTORY Conference ImpressionsNZEALS CONFERENCE 2016: LEADING FOR SOCIAL JUSTICE IN EDUCATION

LEADING A HIGH NEED EARLY CHILDHOOD CENTRE

THIS IS ANinteractive publication

ISSN 2253-2390

NZEALS: FRESHAND RELEVANT

An Indigenous Voice from the Middle: Setting the Learning Agenda

Workplace conflict management: ‘We can’t go over it we can’t go under it, we have to go through it’

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CONTENTS LEADING LIGHTS | ISSUE 4 | 2015THIS IS AN

interactive publication

NZEALS FRESH AND RELEVANT 3

NZEALS CONFERENCE 2016 4

WORKPLACE CONFLICT MANAGEMENT 5

LEADING A HIGH NEED EARLY CHILDHOOD CENTRE 7

ACEL CONFERENCE 2015: IMPRESSIONS 11

AN INDIGENOUS VOICE FROM THE MIDDLE: SETTING THE LEARNING AGENDA 13

LEADING LIGHTS SUBMISSION DEADLINES 16

DIRECTORY: NZEALS COUNCIL 2015 17

JOIN NZEALS TODAY The New Zealand Educational Administration and LeadershipSociety (NZEALS) promotes and supports quality leadership forlearning across all educational sectors. To find out more go tonzeals.org.nz or to join simply click here. Complete your details and pay the subscription online, or download a form if you prefer to make direct debit or cheque payments.

HOW TO PRINT

I recently had the pleasure of attending the Visiting Scholar session with Vicki Carpenter

and Karen Nairn, in Otago. Being Vicki’s final stop on her Visiting Scholar tour, it was

interesting to reflect with her on her experiences of sharing her findings and her authors

in a nationwide dialogue on poverty and education. She said the impression she has

received across the country is that NZEALS members and guests care deeply about social

justice in their communities, and that the frustration we may experience at having so

much responsibility for mending society’s challenges is not outweighed by our

willingness to try. This message is further exemplified in the 2015 special edition of the

Journal of Educational Leadership, Policy and Practice, which so effectively gathers

the voices of emerging and established researchers from New Zealand and abroad, on

the issues we face around social justice in education. The 2016 NZEALS conference picks

up on this theme too, and promises to provide a forum for discussion, debate and

learning that places NZEALS at the forefront of leading educational thinking about

social justice in New Zealand.

NZEALS members who attended the ACEL conference in Sydney were part of an

inaugural ‘ANZAC’ approach to the conference, which featured a NZEALS kaumatua

delivering a moving whai korero during the opening ceremony, followed by a waiata

performed by a large contingent of kiwis who were in attendance. This set the tone for

the New Zealand influence on the conference, where our keynote speakers Graham

Stoop, Jenny Shipley and Jan Robertson were highly engaging, connecting with the

audience of 1200, and workshops by New Zealand presenters were over-subscribed

and very well received.

The 2015 model for the Visiting Scholar, the kaupapa of the special edition of the

journal, and the collaborative approach to the ACEL conference, along with the

Lyn Sharratt event in Auckland and the many varied branch activities are all

innovations introduced to make NZEALS fresh and relevant to today’s educational

leaders. Time-poor and information-saturated leaders deserve more than cookie-cutter

professional development; they deserve to have their intellect engaged, their voices

valued, and their spirits lifted. Our National Council and your branch executive

committees are working hard to deliver this, so please make space in your

2016 professional learning plan to join us.

NZEALS LEADING LIGHTS 3Growing leadership potential

NZEALS: FRESH AND RELEVANTFROM THE PRESIDENT Juliette Hayes

1Growing leadership potentialNZEALS LEADING LIGHTS 4e tipu e rea mo naga ra tou ao

JOIN NZEALSTODAY

The New Zealand EducationalAdministration and

Leadership Society (NZEALS)promotes and supports qualityleadership for learning acrossall educational sectors. To findout more go to nzeals.org.nzor to join simply click here.

Complete your details and pay the subscription

online, or download a formif you prefer to make directdebit or cheque payments.

Extend your NZEALS membership to your colleaguesInstitutional Membership is now available to two or more members from the sameinstitution for a subscription fee of $150 per year for the first member and $100 for eachsubsequent member.

Groups may be formed or added to with the permission of the ‘lead member’ - the onewho is charged $150. Current Individual Members may add further members at $100 peryear, and any current Institutional group may add to their number. All InstitutionalMembership subscriptions will fall due on the lead member’s subscription date.

For more information please contact Ann Briggs at ann.briggs@ncl.ac.ukn

KA NUI TE MIHI KI A KOUTOU KATOANZEALS Otago welcomes you to the south for the biennial New Zealand EducationalAdministration and Leadership Society International Leadership Conference with thetheme Leading for Social Justice in Education.

Sub-themes are Leadership for Success; Leadership for Social Justice; Leadership ofHigh Needs; Schools and Early Childhood Centres.

SPEAKERS: • Professor Bruce Barnett, Co-director of the International School Leadership

Network project, University of Texas at San Antonio • Mai Chen,Managing Partner, ChenPalmer Lawyers and Adjunct Professor of Law

at Auckland University • Associate Professor Ross Notman, New Zealand director of Leadership of

High Needs Schools project, University of Otago • Dr Chris Sarra, Indigenous Educator, Director of the Stronger Smarter Institute • Presenters from New Zealand and international researchers from 10 countries

investigating leadership for social justice and high needs schools.

Click here for conference information - just follow the links

Email any queries to Conference Convenor, Ross Notman: ross.notman@otago.ac.nz

WE LOOK FORWARD TO SEEING YOU THERE n

Recently three-year-old William and I were tucked up on a wet winter evening

reading We’re Going on a Bear Hunt by Michael Rosen and Helen Oxenbury.

For each mountain or river barrier to the family adventure we chanted,

“we can’t go over it, we can’t go under it, oh no, we’ve got to go through it”.

William whispered, “They are brave aye, Granny!” Courage is already an

important quality to this wee man who is eternally fascinated by Tarzan and

heroes such as Welsh puppet Fireman Sam who ‘saves the day’. William and

his friends make sense of adventure, problems, disaster, rescue and recovery

through story and play. They call these disaster and rescue missions ‘work’.

There is often competition and conflict, but forgiving and forgetting usually

trumps begrudging. Somehow three-year-olds understand conflict as a natural

process to be resolved quickly so they can move on to re-connecting, ‘working’

and playing with others.

In the 21st century adult world of ‘work’, we are hounded by the disruptive

inseparable triplets; complexity, change and conflict. Unlike the family in

Bear Hunt we may not be brave about going through it. We may try to dance

around issues looking to attribute blame elsewhere. Sometimes we go

underground passing problems to higher institutions such as tribunals or

courts. Other times we breeze over issues as if they do not matter, sweeping

difficult matters under the carpet, avoiding, hoping problems will magically go

away. However unresolved conflict percolates, potentially escalating and

negatively impacting on relationships, health and well-being, connection,

satisfaction, happiness, engagement and productivity.

During mediation we hear stories of employment relationship problems

between paid and voluntary workers, across generations, gender, sexual

orientation and a multitude of ethnicities, abilities, religions, cultures,

languages, and belief systems. Conflict that emerges from disagreement is

NZEALS LEADING LIGHTS 5Growing leadership potential

Gaye Greenwood

Workplace conflict management: ‘We can’t go over it we can’t go under it, we have to go through it’

Our identity, ethics, relationshipsand reputations areinfluenced by ourconflict competencies.

not essentially a problem, but the way we manage conflict matters because the

process affects relationships, self-esteem, identity, ethics, reputations and many

other complex elements of daily life for individuals, families, team members,

organisations and communities. Depending on how we go through it on a

conflict continuum, from constructive disagreement through to escalation of

disputes litigated in the courts, conflict can have positive and negative impacts

on our cognitive, emotional, psychological, social, economic and financial

well-being. Our identity, ethics, relationships and reputations are influenced by

our conflict competencies. While we are immersed in diversity we are not

always open to listening, acknowledging different understandings, forgiving,

reconnecting, playing and working things out together.

At a personal level, I am infinitely inquisitive about the way people have

interpreted their experiences of workplace conflict and learning. I have been

engaged in a PhD research project investigating processes for workplace conflict

management. As a facilitator of learning in the Business Faculty at AUT, I have

experimented in the classroom with difficult dilemmas prompting the

expression of irritation and disagreement, followed by shifts in thinking,

change, individual learning and new collective understandings. As a mediator

I have witnessed transformation from anger and confusion through to authentic

commitment to behavioural change from collaborative problem solving, mutual

recognition and acknowledgement of each party’s contribution to conflict

events. A model for collaborative sense-making conversations has emerged from

my research. The findings suggest organisations would benefit from building

capacity in processes and practices for working through employment

relationship problems early. n

1Growing leadership potentialNZEALS LEADING LIGHTS 6e tipu e rea mo naga ra tou ao

GAYE GREENWOOD

is engaged in doctoralresearch about conflict

communication, negotiationand mediation of workplace

problems in the primaryeducation sector.

Her research exploresunderstandings, perceptionsand outcomes of processes

for employment problemresolution. The study focuseson the relationships between

processes and outcomes.The research is a

multi-method study thatinvolves expert interviews,narrative case studies and

survey research. Click here to find out more.

While we are expanding our knowledge and understanding of educational

leadership practice in the school sector, ‘leadership appears to be a phenomenon

that remains an enigma for many in early childhood’ (Rodd, 2013, p.5). There are

calls from writers and researchers in the field for further work on theorising early

childhood leadership (Waniganayake et al, 2012) and re-conceptualising early

childhood leadership in new socially constructed forums (Sims et al, 2014). This is

particularly apposite in the case of leading early childhood centres in communities

of complex social and economic disadvantage. Aubrey, Godrey and Harris (2013)

reflect this leadership complexity when they state: ‘It is unlikely that one model or

a single leadership approach can be appropriate for such a diverse sector; in other

words, flexible leadership is the way forward’ (p.26).

The objective of this small-scale New Zealand study was to examine the beliefs

and practices of the leaders of two successful early childhood centres which serve

high need, diverse communities in a southern city. These two sites were selected by

using evidence where (1) the centre had received a positive external and

independent inspection report by the socio-economic backgrounds. They were

also selected to reflect Education Review Office findings, particularly with regard

to the leadership and management of the leader; and (2) the leader was widely

acknowledged by their professional peers as being effective and successful in

NZEALS LEADING LIGHTS 7Growing leadership potential

LEADING A HIGH NEED EARLY CHILDHOOD CENTRE Dr. Ross Notman

their role. A major objective was to determine, in each case, whether key participants

- teachers, parents and the leaders themselves - believe the leader played a key role

in a centre’s success.

The research question for this project was: ‘What practices do successful early

childhood leaders use in areas of high need?’

This New Zealand study was conducted by the author, assisted by Professor

Stephen Jacobson from Buffalo State University of New York. This will later

enable a comparative study to be made of successful leadership practices in early

childhood in both New Zealand and the USA.

RESEARCH METHODOLOGYParticipants were drawn from two early childhood centres in a major New Zealand

metropolitan area. They comprised the head teacher, teachers and parents. The

sample of two centres was selected to reflect a range of centre types and socio-

economic backgrounds. They were also selected to reflect Education Review Office

reports of centres deemed to be in a ‘high-needs’ category, predominantly of social

and economic disadvantage. In total, participants numbered two head teachers,

five parents and four teachers across the two sites.

Using qualitative case study and interview approaches, participants were

encouraged to discuss what they perceive to be significant about the leader’s

contributions to their centre’s success. After first interviewing the centre’s leader,

we then interviewed a random sample of four teachers and conducted a focus group

interview with five parents. The questions in this second set of interviews paralleled

those used in the interview with the leader, in order to triangulate the accuracy of

these multiple perspectives.

For the purpose of this publication, one abbreviated case study has been selected

for review.

SUCCESS FACTORS AT WARWICK KINDERGARTENSocial context Warwick Kindergarten differs from an early childhood centre in that

it offers parents sessional, similar-aged groupings of children, where 3-5 year olds

attend in the morning and the younger 2-4 year olds in the afternoon session. The

kindergarten draws on a diverse community of families, from those with extreme

wealth to the majority of families from lower income levels. There is considerable

financial pressure on single parents, first home and rental home families, and

transient families. Despite this, teachers regard the kindergarten community as

close-knit, where 95% of its children continue on to the local primary school.

This community diversity is also reflected in the mixed group of children. Ethnic

groups include European, Pacific Island, Maori, Korean and Indian children. They

range from giftedness where children excel at literacy and numeracy, to children

1Growing leadership potentialNZEALS LEADING LIGHTS 8e tipu e rea mo naga ra tou ao

ROSS NOTMAN is AssociateProfessor in Education at the

University of Otago, NewZealand, and director of the

Centre for EducationalLeadership and

Administration. He is theNew Zealand project

director of an internationalresearch study, across 25

countries, into the leadershippractices of successful

school principals, and theISLDN study of leadership in

high-needs schools andcentres. Ross’s major

research interests focus onteacher and school principaldevelopment, particularly in

the field of the personaldimensions of principalship.

He can be contacted atross.notman@otago.ac.nz.

who have little language to those with special needs e.g. physical disabilities, autism,

cerebral palsy, and some whose behaviours remain undiagnosed. Of concern to

teacher respondents were increasing numbers of children presenting with anxiety

issues, some of which teachers attributed to parent insecurities and to inconsistencies

of expectations and routines from having a variety of caregivers (grandparents,

other day care centres).

Role of the head teacher in Warwick’s success Rebecca has been the head teacher at

Warwick for 11 years. Rebecca’s considerable array of personal qualities included

her inclusiveness of staff, parents and children; her capacity to be approachable,

actively listen and engage in open communication; an ability to relate to a wide

range of people from gang members to doctors and lawyers in a non-hierarchical

way. Parental feedback indicated she was not seen as patronising nor judgemental

but rather showed complete respect and support for their parenting role.

Teacher respondents appreciated her willingness to allow them to take risks in

their teaching programmes, even though she claimed not to be a risk-taker herself!

Rebecca’s collaborative skills were demonstrated by the way in which she

encouraged shared decision making, and in the manner in which she distributed

leadership roles to teachers e.g. curriculum development.

A universally identified factor in Rebecca’s contribution to the kindergarten

success lay in her training and subsequent work with special needs children.

NZEALS LEADING LIGHTS 9Growing leadership potential

Some years previously, she had undertaken extra professional development in the

form of a two-year course of study in teaching special needs children. As a result,

Rebecca was deeply committed to early identification of special needs:

“So as much as we may not get support for a [special needs] child, or we may

not get a diagnosis or everything may be fine, we’ve started that ball rolling.

If later in life they look at their medical records, they can see that actually

somebody did try or somebody did acknowledge something wasn’t right.”

This training and commitment enabled her to show positive support for, and

early intervention knowledge of teaching such children, and to be able to share such

issues honestly with affected parents. In one instance, a parent commented that

Rebecca had patiently helped her deal with her young child’s anxiety levels. She

had appreciated Rebecca’s parental role-modelling of working with her child and

gained confidence from that: “She helped me to feel more confident as a mum and

just to confirm that, whereas I was kind of hearing those voices and things going,

‘You’re doing it wrong’.”

SUMMARYFindings from this and the other case study suggest that, working in urban areas

of social and economic disadvantage, successful early childhood head teachers are

called upon to exhibit far-reaching leadership skills for children and teachers, and

establish positive relationships beyond the educative needs of pre-school children.

Leadership success factors have been identified in this New Zealand case study.

However, such factors are complemented by broader considerations which include

a refusal to engage in deficit thinking, building symbiotic relationships with parents

around social networking and meeting their human needs, and an acute awareness

of playing a significant advocacy role for children and for the high needs

community in which their families live.

It is hoped that these research findings will contribute to a broader national and

international understanding of what constitutes effective leadership practice of early

childhood leaders within a particular context of high need. n

REFERENCES Aubrey, C., Godfrey, R., and Harris, A. (2013). How do they manage? An investigation of early childhood leadership.

Educational Management, Administration and Leadership, 41(5), 5-29.

Rodd, J. (2013). Leadership in early childhood (4th ed.). Crows Nest, NSW: Allen & Unwin.

Sims, M., Forrest, R., Semann, A. & Slattery, C. (2014). Conceptions of early childhood leadership: Driving new professionalism? International Journal of Leadership in Education: Theory and Practice,DOI: 10.1080/13603124.2014.962101.

Waniganayake, M., Cheeseman, S., Fenech, M., Hadley, F. & Shepherd, W. (2012). Leadership: Contexts and complexities in early childhood leadership.Melbourne: Oxford University Press.

1Growing leadership potentialNZEALS LEADING LIGHTS 10e tipu e rea mo naga ra tou ao

THIS IS ANinteractive publication

More than 1200 delegates, including about 200 kiwis, gathered at the Sydney Hilton

for the ACEL Conference in Sydney in October. The conference theme, Courage and

Commitment to Lead, was explored through a series of keynote speakers, breakout

sessions, and a student panel.

Corporal Mark Donaldson VC and Michael Fullan book-ended the conference,

building on the conference themes. Donaldson opened with his experiences as ans

SAS soldier in Afghanistan. He shared his experience of rescuing an injured soldier,

emphasising it was compassion that gave him courage under fire. Fullan, presenting

the William Walker Oratory, concluded compulsion was necessary to drive through

the changes needed in education. His view summed up the sense of urgency

conveyed by many conference speakers. So courage, commitment, compassion and

compulsion became the overarching themes of the conference.

Students were placed at the heart of the matter as engaging performances set the

tone each day. A student panel endorsed the importance of co-curricular activities,

and school leaders who were visible and relational. Bruce Robinson spoke of

The Fathering Project in Western Australia and the importance of fathers in the

educational success of both sons and daughters. This theme was reiterated by the

student panel who valued a sense of belonging, and teachers, leaders and parents

who ‘were just there for them’. While outlining the steps necessary for improvement

in student achievement, Robert J. Marzano also noted students must understand a

connection to something greater than self, in order to be successful learners.

Interwoven throughout the keynotes was a call for leaders to know themselves,

and to look for spaces in which they might operate to be innovative and fulfil moral

purpose. Jan Robertson spoke of the mighty Waikato River in a powerful analogy.

She encouraged school leaders to take time while navigating ‘the river’ to look

below the surface and seek deep reflection. To fulfil moral purpose, delegates were

urged to learn, be self-aware, to network, and to take action. Dame Jenny Shipley

also alluded to self-awareness, together with a sense of place, and knowledge of

NZEALS LEADING LIGHTS 11Growing leadership potential

ACEL CONFERENCE 2015: IMPRESSIONSSylvia Robertson, University of Otago

As part of the SAS Regiment,Mark Donaldson was deployedon operations to East Timor,Afghanistan and Iraq. WhenMark’s unit was hit by anambush, nine Australians werewounded. As the battle raged on,he deliberately drew enemy fireto himself so that wounded couldbe moved to safety, then ran 80 metres across exposed ground to rescue a coalitionforce interpreter. This completedisregard for his own safetydisplayed exceptional courage.On 16 January 2009, (then)Trooper Donaldson was investedwith the Victoria Cross forAustralia, becoming the firstAustralian to receive the awardsince the Vietnam War.

NZEALS LEADING LIGHTS 12e tipu e rea mo naga ra tou ao

who we are. She described leadership roles as capes we wear, suggesting

that for successful leadership, people must know the person beneath the cape.

Cathy Freeman, in a frank and sincere interview, modelled the value of humility

in leaders. She encouraged delegates to ‘be the story that enables other

people to grow.’

Yong Zhao entertained delegates with the lyrics of Rudolph the Red-nosed

Reindeer, stressing the importance of different talents and intelligences, and

questioning the current emphasis on literacy and numeracy. Zhao encouraged

delegates to shift focus from ‘fixing the deficit’ to expanding capacity by following

children’s strengths. Both Alma Harris and the student panel shared concern at the

somewhat limited focus of school curriculum that does not always recognise

students’ strengths or interests. Harris encouraged delegates to look at PISA results

but think about high performance relative to different contexts. She questioned at

what cost the push for one hundred per cent literacy has come in some countries

where children spend many hours in coaching and study centres.

Stressing the importance of innovation, Ian Williamson reminded us that

innovation equates more with effectiveness than efficiency. True innovation takes

time. Andy Hargreaves argued that alongside innovation and improvement we

must not lose sight of the importance of every little thing we do. He encouraged

leaders to ‘stand up, stand out, stand together, stay standing and where possible,

stand back.’ Hargreaves suggested that over a teacher’s career, we never forget our

first class or our last class. He urged delegates to ‘play to the last minute’.

More than 50 breakout sessions provided a variety of research and practitioner

perspectives. I enjoyed listening to Professor Ann Briggs, Dr Anne Malcolm, and

Dr Rachel McNae who led insightful presentations linking and expanding the

conference themes. The conference motif of a supersized compass encouraged

delegates to be open to the different directions and perspectives that unfolded.

For me, it wasn’t about answers or practical ‘take home’ ideas but rather a chance

to be challenged and perhaps think about resetting the compass. n

The Fathering Project is a University of Western Australia-based non-profit team of professionals whose aim is to helpfathers realise how important they are in a child’s life and togive them advice on how to encourage their children. Theirwork is also aimed at father figures such as grandfathers,

stepfathers, uncles, mentors, youth leaders, teachers, pastors and coaches, knowing thatmany children do not have much father contact at all. More and more research is beingconducted on the benefits of an effective father or father figure in a household. Results haveshown that an absent father or father figure in a household leads to an increase in child self-harm, substance abuse and suicide amongst school aged children. n

The Australian Council for

Educational Leaders (ACEL)

gives access to world

class empirical research

along with the practical

support to achieve excellence

in leadership for the

education sector. The peak

association for educational

leaders, ACEL was founded in

1973 as principals and school

management combined their

passion for quality

administration.

It was with trepidation that I accepted an invitation to join NZEALS at the Australian

Council for Educational Leadership (ACEL) conference in Sydney to celebrate

excellence in leadership. However the theme for the ACEL 2015 national conference

Setting the Learning Agenda - Courage and Commitment to Lead gave me added

confidence as this was the first time that I have accepted an invitation to join with

a national organisation and contribute to proceedings by standing to whaikōrero

and mihi to a conference of over 1200 global attendees.

As the ANZAC partners to ACEL, the reciprocal opportunity to support our

Australian colleagues at their national conference in the spirit of partnership or

whānaungātanga especially in light of this year being the 100th ANZAC

commemorations of the landings at Gallipoli has been a priority for NZEALS.

The ‘Welcome to Country’ experience that opened the conference proceedings

clearly expressed this relationship as the Aotearoa New Zealand contingent led

by NZEALS stood to mihi whakatau, present koha and waiata to the gathered

attendees including the Australian Governor General of the Commonwealth of

Australia, Sir Peter Cosgrove AK. MC., The Deputy Secretary for New Zealand

Education, Dr Graham Stoop and several world-renowned educationalists in

attendance as keynote and workshop speakers.

Overwhelmingly the mana of the NZEALS organisation and Aotearoa New

Zealand contingent was established from the outset of the conference and was

recognised as distinctive and indicative of ‘the way we do things around here’

and further reinforced within the variety of Aotearoa New Zealand keynote and

workshop discussions.

Primarily the messages from the ACEL conference that resonated with my

understandings of leadership were not new. Indeed while immersed within the

conference discussions and presentations the most significant learnings for me very

quickly became interconnected with indigenous Māori cultural concepts of

whakawhānaungātanga, kōtahitanga and rangatiratanga in relation to the themes

of ‘connectedness’ and the centrality of moral purpose within collective efficacy.

NZEALS LEADING LIGHTS 13Growing leadership potential

LiteracyNZ

In a book on (and titled)violence in New Zealand,Jane and James Ritchieonce discussed the culturalaspects of social justice asthey play out in NewZealand. within thisdiscussion, they describedthe principles ofwhanaungatanga,manakitanga,rangitiratanga, kotahitanga,and wairuatanga.Click here to read more...

David McLeod

An Indigenous Voice from the Middle: Setting the Learning Agenda

1Growing leadership potentialNZEALS LEADING LIGHTS 14e tipu e rea mo naga ra tou ao

The key messages from the ‘leading lights’ on leadership seemed not to be new but

rather an affirmation of traditional Māori leadership approaches combined with

the transformative dispositions that Māori leaders have had to navigate, adapt and

integrate as effective leaders positioned as a minority within dominant mainstream

organisational structures necessitated by a history of marginalisation.

So it seems much, and very little, has changed in the learning of leadership

and leadership of learning. Much… from the perspective that current mainstream

effective leadership now espouses collective rather than individualistic leadership

approaches in collaboration with a wide range of interconnected partners,

something that Māori have been engaging in for some time, to the reality that

within this interconnected domain there is a requirement for recognising,

acknowledging and validating different ways of doing, different ways of knowing

and different ways of being which can be a conflict for many and a direct reflection

on a lack of inclusivity within mainstream structures. This indicates the importance

of establishing an inclusive approach that positions the leader as the learner as

expressed in the Māori cultural concept of ako, meaning to be able to both learn

and to teach and which affirms indigenous perspectives as effective in relational

discourses, which are at the ‘heart of the matter’ and at the heart of leadership.

Several speakers including Williamson, Shipley and Fullan discussed a focus on

innovation with particular emphasis on the implications of innovative approaches

and the future possible opportunities from improved relationships. This is not a new

approach for Māori. This emphasis on strategic positioning to maximise opportunity

indicates the importance of an adaptive and integrative leadership approach that

David McLeod, a Lecturer at Waiariki Institute of

Technology and TeachingFellow of Waikato University,

is an educationalist with apassion for progressing and

promoting indigenousapproaches to learning and

teaching across learningdomains of Aotearoa

New Zealand. His most recent interests includefurther developing an

understanding of Te Tiriti oWaitangi perspectives as ameans of promoting social

justice for Ma-ori withinAotearoa

New Zealand educationalinstitutions and the position ofMa-ori learning, teaching andleadership in English-medium

primary schools.

while collectively focused on relationships across multiple domains allows for

improved innovation across the organisational context. Māori leaders have an acute

focus on strategic approaches for improvement based on a history of contestation of

resources and contexts, both with other Māori and non-Māori alike. Therefore the

concept of innovation has been an innate leadership disposition for Māori since

navigating the Pacific long before any European ever set sail.

Hargreaves highlighted ‘leading from the middle’ to optimise leadership

capability and innovation while Fullan further discussed ‘leading at all levels’

as a means for innovative progress. Clearly supporting the leading of leadership in

others is a prime context for effective leadership across contexts and specifically

denotes the need for power devolution related to a distributed approach that

empowers others. This leadership attribute is related to the Māori disposition of

rangatiratanga specific to acknowledging the mana of people as leaders in their

right, in their own contexts, inclusive of the ukaipo or ‘untapped potential’ innate in

every person - including learners.

Therefore the biggest learning from the opportunity to support NZEALS at the

ACEL 2015 national conference has been the important discussion that locates

Aotearoa New Zealand bicultural perspectives as effective, diverse, contextual and

inherently indigenous in the global educational leadership context. Surprisingly the

affirmation given to Aotearoa New Zealand educational leadership approaches at

this conference and in the international domain far outweighs the recognition or

acknowledgement from many within Aotearoa New Zealand; however this

should not really be such a surprise... but a continuing narrative still to be storied.

Of importance will be the explicit reference to these traditional Māori cultural

concepts and values as a means of further acknowledging and providing further

formation of the bicultural position of educational leadership in Aotearoa New

Zealand, and it seems, for the rest of the world.

The presence of NZEALS and a variety of New Zealand researchers, practitioners

and educationalists presenting at conference ensured that not only were New

Zealand educationalists acknowledged as supportive and at the leading edge of

educational development change, but that the themes presented by leading

researchers, practitioners, keynote speakers and educational representatives from

Aotearoa New Zealand were presented with acknowledgement of the positioning

of Māori indigenous perspectives within the bicultural domain of Aotearoa New

Zealand education. Of future benefit will be the explicit annunciation of these Māori

cultural concepts and values as at the heart of effective leadership approaches

combined with a deeper understanding and application of examples in the varied

context of Aotearoa New Zealand leadership domains.

Ngā mihi ki a koutou, I would like to thank NZEALS for the leadership of

Aotearoa New Zealand perspectives evident at the ACEL 2015 conference. n

NZEALS LEADING LIGHTS 15Growing leadership potential

Ehara taku toa i te toa takitahi, engari he toatakitini.––––––––––––––––

My strength is

not that of a

single warrior

but that of many.

Here Huata is referring to the collective effortnecessary for the success ofthe periodical Te Toa Takitini,but the pe- peha appliesequally in any situation wherethe combined efforts of manyare needed to complete aproject. Huata attributes the pe- peha to Paterangi of Nga- ti Kahungunu (Ministry of Education [MoE], 2010, p.44)

NZEALS LEADING LIGHTS 16Growing leadership potential

NAME POSITION SECTOR EMAIL

JULIETTE HAYES National President Secondary juliette.nzeals@gmail.com

ANNE MALCOLM National Vice-President Primary amalcolm@ponsprim.school.nz

JEREMY KEDIAN Immediate Past President Tertiary kedian@waikato.ac.nz

DOUG MILNE National Treasurer Consultant charliemarmite@xtra.co.nz

ANN BRIGGS National Secretary Tertiary ann.briggs@ncl.ac.uk

ANNETTE SHEEHY Council Member on Exec ECE annette.sheehy@taurangakindergartens.org.nz

MAGGIE OGRAM Auckland Branch President Educational Coach maggie@ospreyconsulting.co.nz

MELANIE TAYLOR Bay of Plenty Branch President Primary principal@goldensands.school.nz

ANDY WALKER Canterbury Branch President Tertiary andy.walker@intueri.co.nz

PIP WELLS Nelson Branch President Primary pip@nelsoncentral.school.nz

MURRAY FLETCHER Otago Branch President Educational Coach fletchermurray4@gmail.com

JASON ELDER Taranaki Branch President Primary jason.elder@norfolk.school.nz

RACHEL MCNAE Waikato Branch President Tertiary r.mcnae@waikato.ac.nz

ANNE LYE Wellington Branch President Primary annel@churtonpark.school.nz

ROSS NOTMAN Member at Large Tertiary ross.notman@otago.ac.nz

CED SIMPSON Member at Large ECE/Primary /Secondary ced.simpson@hrie.net.nz

FIONA MCGRATH JELPP Editor co-opted to Council MoE fgmcgrath1@gmail.com

The NZEALS Council is elected by the membership at the biennial NZEALS conference, or co-opted to acertain portfolio, and reflects the cross-sector nature of the society. Council members hold key portfoliosfor the services of NZEALS, and meet bi-monthly by tele-conference to progress strategic work.Questions or ideas may be directed to any Council members using the contact details below.

NZEALS COUNCIL DIRECTORY

NZEALS LEADING LIGHTS 17Growing leadership potential

I would like to encourage you to provide an article for Leading Lights, which

might outline new policies and programmes, legislation, trends, developments,

research or education debates in your own locality. Your topic should be relevant,

and of professional interest, to educational leaders in New Zealand. I am seeking

short articles (500-1,500 words) and photos for forthcoming issues of the magazine.

Your own topic, based on your own area of interest/expertise (and keeping in

mind current issues and developments in educational leadership) is most

welcome. We are also seeking papers of emerging findings from educational

leadership research being carried out by post-graduate students. If you are

seeking a publication opportunity for your work this is a great place to begin.

Longer papers are published on the NZEALS website under a collection of

Members’ publications.

Your target audience is cross-sector leaders throughout New Zealand.

A brief outline of the context of your education setting would be useful for

readers. Any recommendations you might make to readers, based on your

experience, knowledge or research, would be most appreciated.

Prospective writers who wish to discuss a possible topic before commencing

writing, may email me. Otherwise, completed articles can be emailed directly

to me at juliette.nzeals@gmail.com as attached Word files or as plain email

messages and their receipt will be confirmed by return email. Please also include

a one-paragraph ‘about the author’ and attach a head and shoulders photo of

yourself as a separate file (high resolution jpeg preferred).

2016 SUBMISSION DEADLINES: 2 FEBRUARY • 2 MAY • 2 AUGUST • 2 NOVEMBER

Juliette Hayes

Editorial Committee, Leading Lights

LEADING LIGHTSNew Zealand Educational Administration & Leadership Society NEWSLETTER Growing leadership potential ISSUE 4|2015

Institutional Membership NZEALS DIRECTORY Conference ImpressionsNZEALS CONFERENCE 2016: LEADING FOR SOCIAL JUSTICE IN EDUCATION

LEADING A HIGH NEED EARLY CHILDHOOD CENTRE

THIS IS ANinteractive publication

ISSN 2253-2390

NZEALS: FRESHAND RELEVANT

An Indigenous Voice from the Middle: Setting the Learning Agenda

Workplace conflict management: ‘We can’t go over it we can’t go under it, we have to go through it’

LEADING LIGHTS: ARTICLESUBMISSION DEADLINESNEXT ISSUE DEADLINE 2 FEBRUARY 2016

Leading Lights Editorial Committee

Juliette HayesRichard SmithAnn BriggsAnnette SheehyPaul Potaka

Leading Lights Editorial MANAGERS

SALTMINE DESIGNHugh & Fi McCaffertyfi@saltmines.co.nz

nzeals.org.nz

New Zealand Educational Administration and Leadership SocietyNZEALS