North Canterbury school principals face pressures

Nicole Mathewson Reporter from Northern Outlook

From local democracy reporter David Hill:

Melanie Taite-Pitama knows the pressures school principals face.

The Tuahiwi School principal and Katote Kahui Ako (Kaiapoi learning cluster) lead principal has seen four colleagues across the nine schools in her cluster move on in the last 12 months.

In the last year, at least seven principals across North Canterbury have either moved to other schools, or taken early retirement, with some citing ‘‘exhaustion’’.

‘‘The workload is massive and the expectations from the Ministry of Education and whanau continues to increase,’’ Taite-Pitama said.

‘‘I think some are definitely retiring early and the more that are doing that, the more principals will see that as an option.

‘‘Communities want to retain good principals and I think teaching staff want to retain good principals, as the principal can set the whole culture and tone for a school.’’

She said being a principal required working long hours, dealing with a multitude of challenges and keeping it confidential.

It was like being a chief executive of a business.

‘‘We are expecting a lot of a principal. If you think of Bruce Kearney, who has moved to Rangiora High School, he has 170 staff and how many chief executives have 170 staff?

‘‘Principals have got to be good at everything. You are a lawyer, a builder, an accountant, a parent, a teacher, a counsellor, a social worker and you are expected to solve everybody’s problems.’’

Being the principal of a community school means you are instantly recognisable.

Taite-Pitama said she avoided going to the supermarket and buyed most things online.

‘‘People do forget boundaries and there’s an expectation that I’m ‘Mel the principal’ 24/7.’’

Despite the challenges, Taite-Pitama said being a school principal was a privilege, as you had the opportunity ‘‘to touch the lives of young people’’ and to make a difference.

She also enjoyed working alongside her fellow North Canterbury principals.

‘‘All principals want their schools to be as amazing as they can be and I salute all principals across North Canterbury because I know how complex it is.’’

Simon Green has been principal at North Loburn and Amberley Schools and recently took on a new role with Evaluation Associates, supporting new principals in Canterbury, Otago and the Chatham Islands.

He said North Canterbury principals were looking forward to the school holidays after a stressful first half of the year, managing Covid restrictions and staff and student wellbeing.

‘‘They’ve been so busy looking after the wellbeing of staff and now they need to take some time to look after themselves.

‘‘There’s a lot of young principals in Canterbury coming through and deputy principals stepping up as there’s been a lot retiring, more than there usually would be.’’

Green said good school principals ‘‘live the craft’’ of teaching and connecting with their communities, as well as being multi-skilled.

‘‘If you love connecting with people, bringing out the best in your community and making a difference.

‘‘Being a principal requires a unique skill-set, but it’s also very rewarding.’’

■ July 4 to 8 was Tu Meke Tumuaki Week, which was organised by the New Zealand Educational Institute to recognise the contributions of school principals.