The School of Transformation – Te Kura Huringa, set in the breath-taking surroundings of Fiji. This will be an unparalleled leadership, coaching and wellness experience.
Join the Growth Culture team, along with highly-regarded international leadership coaches and wellness experts, including renowned Australasian Educational Leadership Consultant, Dr David Mulford – former Principal of Newington College in Sydney, and certified Mental Health Facilitator and NZ Educator of the Year 2023, Julia Grace.
Be inspired and rejuvenated through interactive workshops – and unparalleled networking opportunities, in the beautiful location of Nadi, Fiji.
Attendees: Principals and Senior School Leaders
Date: Monday 26th May – Friday 30th May, 2025
Location: Denarau Island, Fiji
Leave with a renewed sense of mental clarity, wellness, and purpose. I look forward to connecting with you at this transformative experience.
Engage in professional coaching, and learn the latest coaching trends, methodologies and best-practice skills to build a culture of coaching to drive positive change within your team. Explore strategies for leading change, fostering innovation and developing growth and transformation mindsets.
Enhance your knowledge in the areas of physical and mental health, stress management, work-life balance, mindfulness and high performance school leadership. Noteworthy, conference workshops take place each morning, leaving afternoons free for self-care, networking and additional wellbeing activities.
Give back to the local community. Guaranteed to be a lasting memory, on Day 3 we will roll up our sleeves, express our aroha and serve the communities of Ratu Navula School and Nadi College. This school transformation project will include a variety of impact initiatives, such as painting, gardening, general maintenance, providing quality teaching resources and leading staff professional development workshops.
Monday 26th May
2:00pm Arrive
Check-in to Accommodation
4:00pm Mihi Whakatau
School of Transformation opening keynote
5:00pm Network and kōrero + Light refreshments
Tuesday 27th May
Optional: Sunrise and beach walk / Gym Workout / Sleep in
Breakfast [Buffet]
9:00am Session 1: Leadership
Reflection time + kōrero
Session 2: Your Wellbeing
Reflection time + kōrero
11:00 Morning tea
11:30am Session 3: Leadership Coaching
Reflection time + kōrero
Session 4: Leadership and efficiency
Reflection time + kōrero
3pm: Networking time + ability to access coaching
Optional workshops | Opt in to expand your knowledge further
7:00pm Dinner [Buffet]
Wednesday 28th May
Optional: Sunrise and beach walk / Gym Workout / Sleep in
Breakfast [Buffet]
9:00am School of Transformation Projects
Sabato District School (continued partnership)
3.30pm: Optional coaching opportunity
7:00pm Dinner [Buffet]
Thursday 29th May
Optional: Sunrise and beach walk / Gym Workout / Sleep in
Breakfast [Buffet]
9:00am Session 1: Leadership insights
Reflection time + kōrero
Session 2: Leadership and productivity
Reflection time + kōrero
11:00am Morning tea
11:30am Session 3: Transformational Leadership
Reflection time + kōrero
Session 4: Your Wellbeing
Reflection time + kōrero
3pm: Facilitate PLD for local Fijian Teachers | Partnership with MOE Fiji
7:00pm Dinner [Buffet] – Vision Room
Friday 30th May
Optional: Sunrise and beach walk / Gym Workout / Sleep in
Breakfast [Buffet]
9:30am Optional recreation activity
Mental Health Facilitator
Julia has an incredible ability to educate about Mental Health without you even realising that you’re learning. Her honesty is inspiring, the humour is side-splitting, and her voice is breathtaking.
A truly gifted communicator, with qualifications in Mental Health and education plus entertainment awards, Julia Grace continues to dazzle audiences all over the world as she teaches
Be Kind to Your Mind.
School of Transformation / GCLA Director
Marshall has a background as a principal, community leader and keynote speaker, Marshall’s role as Director at the Growth Culture Leadership Academy perfectly combines his incredible ability to inspire educators, with his strengths in leadership, coaching and mentoring.
Marshall and his wife are also deeply committed to global impact. Currently, they are pioneering community transformation projects in Australia, Uganda, Fiji and New Zealand in partnership with several charitable organisations including the Strengths Foundation and World Vision.
International Leadership Advisor
Dr David Mulford was a School Principal of three independent schools from 1992 to 2018. His last appointment was as Headmaster of Newington College from 2009–2018. Newington is the brother school to MLC School.
His qualifications include a Bachelor of Economics, Masters of Education and a Doctorate of Education. In addition, he is a graduate of the AICD and a Fellow of ACE.
Dr Mulford has served on number of national education boards; sporting and visual arts boards; and since 2018 has served on the Tupou College board in Tonga.
Dr Mulford has an educational leadership consulting business and volunteers with a number of charities.
$4997 + GST
Includes
+ Conference Registration
+ 4 nights Accommodation
+ Daily Breakfast (Buffet), Morning tea and Dinner (Buffet) excl Monday
+ Conference Booklet and Material.
NB – Flights are additional.
NB – This is all for senior leaders (Deputy Principals/ Assistant Principals). In most cases funding can be accessed through the Principals Wellbeing and PGC Fund.
✅ Can partners attend? YES [additional NZ$1497 excl gst for partners which includes Accommodation, buffet breakfast, buffet dinner, Transformation project]
✅ Can more than one person from my school attend? YES [you can bring your SLT]
✅ Can I extend my stay or arrive earlier? YES [this can be arranged via your booking]
❌ Are airfares included?
❌ Is alcohol included in the course costs?
Growth Culture Celebrates the Overwhelming Success of the School of Transformation
Growth Culture announces the overwhelming success of the School of Transformation conference recently held in Fiji. This transformation conference featured daily leadership and wellbeing workshops and interactive sessions led by five leading experts in education, including Dr David Mulford, Marshall Diggs (Master’s in Educational Leadership), and Julia Grace (New Zealand’s 2023 Educator of the Year).
The conference’s theoretical component included 4 hours of in-class learning each day supplemented by additional coaching and reflection sessions. Noteworthy, research advises that the optimal cognitive load adults can effectively handle up to four hours before experiencing diminishing returns. However, beyond the structured learning, the conference fostered a deep sense of whanaungatanga through shared meals and gatherings, allowing time for both reflection and connection.
A significant highlight was the practical component, where principals spent a day onsite at Sabato District School. This involved serving and sharing ideas and strategies with local school leaders, teachers, and students, and promoting an exchange of ideas and reciprocal learning.
Many delegates utilised the Wellbeing and Professional Support Entitlements for Principals, as part of the principals’ collective agreement. This initiative was established, in part, to meet the Health and Safety requirements of School Boards of Trustees, addressing the wellbeing needs of principals amid the profession’s stress and high attrition and burnout rates. As a Leadership Development company, Growth Culture has worked with over 5,000 educational leaders over the past decade and wholeheartedly endorses investing in principal wellbeing. Growth Culture confirms that the School of Transformation was a judicious use of the Principal Wellbeing and Professional Support entitlement.
Growth Culture wishes to address an inaccurate report and confirm that no alcohol was purchased or provided by Growth Culture, in line with our wellness and leadership goals of the School of Transformation.
Growth Culture is committed to supporting principals in their leadership journey and overall wellbeing, ensuring strong and sustainable leadership in our schools and the best possible education outcomes for our tamariki. The feedback from participants reflects this commitment, as summed up by one attendee:
“I have been in principalship for over 30 years, and this has been the most impactful and significant professional development I have ever had. It was exactly what I needed to continue, and you got the balance just right.” – Principal [Attendee]
For more information about the School of Transformation and the work that Growth Culture is doing please refer to our website: growthculture.co.nz
1. Why host the School of Transformation in Fiji instead of somewhere local?
Choosing Fiji aligns with our commitment to Pasifika partnerships and psychologists’ view that travel serves as a circuit-breaker. Fiji is three and a half hours from Auckland, and we believe late May in Fiji reflects a culture and way of being conducive to principal hauora and wellbeing.
2. What does the $4,997 [excl GST] include?
The conference fee covers conference registration, accommodation, buffet breakfasts, late morning teas, and buffet dinners. Alcohol and airfares are not covered by Growth Culture.
3. How does the School Transformation Projects help Principal Wellbeing?
This aligns with research emphasising the positive impact of looking beyond ourselves, and engaging in service to others. It is crucial to Growth Culture’s kaupapa that we not only provide best practices for well-being but also facilitate an experience of refreshment through service to others.
4. Why is the conference being held during term time?
Part of the purpose of the Principal Wellbeing Fund is to ensure that schools are meeting health and safety standards for principals, and the School of Transformation PLD conference, being part of regular working hours, reflects this.
5. What is the idea behind a coaching and wellness conference in Fiji?
We see fresh air, sand between your toes, and a healthy dose of Vitamin D as the perfect environment for well-being keynotes, rather than noisy auditoriums with artificial lighting and crowds. There will be networking and relaxation time worked into each day, hence the invitation to bring togs and recreational attire.
6. With a similar group of principals going to ULead [Canada] and another to Finland, why would a principal attend The School of Transformation?
The School of Transformation is about half of the cost and is designed as a personalised and intimate experience, reflecting our commitment to fostering enhanced well-being through whanaungatanga.
Fiji avoids the unwanted stresses and headaches of 19-hour long-haul flights, overcrowded transit lounges, and dateline crossing, whirlwind, world trips.
Our conviction lies in the belief that the real future of education in Aotearoa is found in constructive korero and getting the cultural and connection pieces right; around loungers, sodas, and tables, rather than from international figureheads, sharing from stages.
