Module 2: Te Whakatū o te Ārahi (Developing a Leadership Vision): This module focuses on setting personal leadership goals, crafting a vision for student success, and aligning with the school’s mission.
Theme: Leading Self
Due: 30th March
“He waka eke noa”
We are all in this together.
Module Objectives:
Upon completion of this module, participants will be able to:
- Articulate their personal leadership philosophy and goals.
- Develop a compelling vision for student success that is inclusive and equitable.
- Align their personal goals and vision with the school’s mission and strategic plan.
- Identify and utilise relevant resources to support their leadership development.
- Personal Leadership Reflection
Task 1: Defining Your Leadership Philosophy
Reflect on your values. What are the core values that guide your personal and professional life? How do these values influence your approach to leadership?
Consider your beliefs about learning. What are your beliefs about how students learn best? What are your beliefs about the role of the teacher in the learning process?
Define your leadership aspirations. What impact do you want to have as a leader? What are your long-term goals for your leadership journey?
Explore different leadership styles (e.g., transformational, servant, instructional). Which styles resonate most with you? Why?
Briefly journal your reflections and insights from this activity. Share your thoughts with your learning partner(s), as a way to introduce yourself at a deeper level than you might do ordinarily. You will meet your learning partner at PLG 1 (19th March).
Task 2: Defining Student Success
Explore diverse perspectives on student success. Consider the following questions:
- What does it mean for students to be successful academically? Socially? Emotionally? Culturally?
- How can we ensure all students, regardless of their background or learning needs, experience success?
Develop an inclusive definition of student success that applies to all learners in your school.
Discuss your definition of student success with colleagues and seek their feedback.
Task 3: Aligning with the School’s Mission
Carefully review the school’s mission statement, values, and strategic goals.
Analyse how your personal leadership goals and vision for student success align with the school’s overall direction.
Identify any areas where your personal leadership goals and vision may need to be adjusted to better support the school’s priorities.
Share your reflections on the forum in 150 words or less.
Resource Bank:
- “The New Zealand Curriculum” – See NZ Curriculum website]
- Provides a framework for learning and teaching in Aotearoa New Zealand, emphasising key principles such as equity, inclusion, and cultural responsiveness.
- “Tātaiako: Cultural Competencies for Teachers” – See Tātaiako website]
- Outlines the cultural competencies required for effective teaching in a culturally diverse context, relevant for all leaders within the education system.
- “Leading Learning: A Professional Standards for Principals and Senior Leaders” – See Professional Standards and Leadership Capability Framework]
- Provides a framework for professional practice and ethical leadership in New Zealand schools, offering guidance on leadership expectations and responsibilities.
- Leadership Styles – https://professional.dce.harvard.edu/blog/how-to-determine-what-my-leadership-style-is/#Leadership-Style-Types
- Transformational Leadership –https://www.forbes.com/councils/forbescoachescouncil/2024/08/13/transformational-leadership-the-how-and-why/
Assessment:
- Self-reflection throughout the module.
- Completion of all activities – conversation at PLG 1 for Activity 1, conversation with colleague for Activity 2 and post on forum for Activity 3.
- Peer feedback and discussion within the online forum.
37 Responses
My leadership aligns closely with Milford School’s mission to develop compassionate, curious, lifelong learners. As the Year 3 Team Leader and Maths Lead, I focus on building strong relationships, creating a sense of belonging, and maintaining clear, consistent expectations for both staff and students.
Within Goal 1: Ako, I support teachers to use clear, consistent approaches in maths so all learners can access and succeed. Within Goal 2: Whanaungatanga, I aim to build a team culture in which teachers feel supported, valued, and confident in reflecting on and improving their practice.
I tend to prioritise relationships and support within my team, but I’m working on stepping up to lead school-wide approaches and build consistency across levels. I’m also working on looking outside of my team and thinking more long-term across the school. Moving forward, I want to continue aligning more closely with the school’s strategic plan and fostering the goals more deliberately within my own practice.
My vision for student success is deeply rooted in Hurupaki School’s mission, “Learning Today for Tomorrow,” which aligns with my commitment to delivering a future-focused, innovative curriculum. I believe success is achieved when students engage in authentic learning that integrates real-world problem solving and modern technology, such as STEM projects and our inquiry model. By fostering a culture where learning is fun and meaningful, I aim to inspire students to reach their full potential. As a leader, I prioritize transparency, honesty, and connection, values that mirror the school’s strategic goal of building strong partnerships with staff, whānau, and the wider community. I am dedicated to a transformational leadership approach that nurtures a safe, collaborative environment, ensuring our staff and students are both supported and empowered to thrive.
Guided by our school value, Te Puna Whakatipu, I truly believe every student can succeed regardless of the health challenges or personal hurdles they face. My leadership style blends Visionary and Servant approaches; I aim to support our team while looking ahead, encouraging teachers to move past “the way we’ve always done it” so that student voice and choice lead the way.
I work hard to cultivate a safe, upbeat environment where staff feel brave enough to innovate and follow their passions to support our unwell learners. By prioritising staff wellbeing, I ensure our team feels valued and inspired, which filters directly into consistent, high-quality education. Ultimately, my goal is for students to transition out of the NHS feeling like capable learners with bright futures – where they can continue to grow and thrive.
My leadership goals align with the school’s mission to empower inquiring, knowledgeable, and caring learners as I prioritise relationships, belonging, and culturally responsive practice. Through leading mātauranga Māori, my goal is to ensure it is not treated as an add-on, but woven authentically across the kura, guided by the principle of “nothing about us without us.” This supports the school’s focus on inclusion, inquiry, and real-world, culturally connected learning, as reflected in the annual plan’s emphasis on embedding mātauranga Māori across all areas. My focus on understanding tikanga and purpose also helps address cultural disconnect and builds awareness of cultural positioning for both staff and students. Moving forward, I need to continue strengthening alignment with whole-school priorities by ensuring this work is integrated across all curriculum areas and supports the broader strategic direction. The mātauranga Māori team are also working on 3 year strategic plan of how to do this too which has been a great experience.
Our mission statement, Te Puna Whakatipu – A place to grow and thrive, strongly aligns with my values as an NHS teacher, leader, and member of the community. Our school whakataukī, Whāia te iti kahurangi, ki te tuohu koe, me he maunga teitei (“Seek the treasure you value most dearly; if you bow, let it be to a lofty mountain”), guides my practice by encouraging high aspirations, perseverance, and respect. In my mahi, I focus on supporting students and staff, recognising strengths, and fostering and believing in growth. By creating environments where people feel valued and empowered, I am contributing to the school’s mission and strategic goals. It is important that we create “pockets of perfect” where students and staff can experience success, and i belive within our kura, we are well placed to help make that happen. This whakataukī reminds me to maintain ambition, honour the potential of others, and dedicate my leadership to outcomes that are both meaningful and impactful.
Our school motto “Kia Ako, Kia Atawhai, Kia Arahi” (Learning, Caring, Leading), along with our four core values of Manaakitanga, Whanaungatanga, Mahi tahi and Ako, align well with my leadership approach. By focusing on building relationships and a sense of belonging, we want to create an environment where students feel valued, feel safe, and are willing and able to get fully involved in their learning. As a team-leader I see my role as knowing my teachers and students well, so that I can do what I can to provide them with what they each need to experience success in their respective roles.
The Northern Health School (NHS) mission statement is Te puna whakatipu -A place to grow and thrive. Our mission statement, values and strategic goals align with my leadership style and vision; I am focused on our ākonga and on my team striving confidentially to be the best they can be.
My aim in leadership is to place the ākonga at the core, build team capacity, foster connection and trust, and develop and use a shared language and direction. I endeavor to reflect critically on my practice. I want to be a leader that my team (teachers, support staff and ākonga) can rely on, and to be available no matter the issue. Reliability and integrity are key to build relational trust.
I am committed to growing my leadership, while continuing to develop as a collaborative, reflective, and lifelong learner. I also aim to support and grow my colleagues and support their future leadership ambitions.
When I look at NHS’s values and strategic direction, there is strong alignment with my own leadership values of equity, relational trust, integrity, and cultural responsiveness, and therefor the way I lead through a moral‑purpose‑driven, relational and culturally responsive approach. The focus on putting the learner at the centre, supporting wellbeing, and strengthening pathways fits closely with how I try to lead day to day.
A big part of our strategic direction is about helping learners build confidence and a sense of worth through progress, contribution, and successful transitions, while also improving learning outcomes and reducing inequity. This has made me reflect more critically on my practice. I’m confident in building trust and safe conditions for learning (for kaiako and ākonga), but more challenged on how clearly learning progress is tracked, how consistent practice is, and how we know learning is accelerating where it needs to.
At Cambridge Middle School, my leadership vision is deeply rooted in the mission to ‘Connect, Inspire, Grow’.
My primary goal is to ‘Connect’ through building high-trust relationships; I prioritise transparent communication to ensure staff feel safe to be vulnerable and take risks. This trust is the essential foundation for us to ‘Grow’ together, particularly as I lead the implementation of Structured Literacy.
To ‘Inspire’, I am focusing on innovative tools like AI to reduce workload and enhance feedback. However, I recognise that my personal vision must stay aligned with our school-wide priorities. This means adjusting my focus to ensure these advancements are consistent across all 22 classrooms, rather than just in silos. By streamlining our systems and maintaining clear communication, I can ensure our strategic direction—supported by the trust we’ve built—becomes a lived reality for every teacher and student at CMS.
Georgina, well done on articulating your leadership vision. I agree with your comment on the importance of alignment of this to school-wide priorities and like how you have stated you will ensure this happens.
Milford’s mission to nurture compassionate, curious, lifelong learners aligns deeply with my leadership philosophy. As the Year 0/1 Learning Lead, Maths Lead and Tūrangawaewae Lead, my work is grounded in equity, belonging, and creating systems that minimise barriers so every child and whānau can thrive. I believe students learn best through explicit, responsive teaching that honours identity, oral language, and connection to place.
My vision of student success is holistic: academic progress, emotional well-being, cultural belonging, and the confidence to communicate and contribute. In maths, this means building collective capacity through clear structures, shared language, and purposeful inquiry. In Tūrangawaewae, it means strengthening community connection and ensuring every learner feels a deep sense of place and pride.
Aligning with our school’s strategic direction, I am refining my adaptive leadership to create coherence across curriculum, PLD, and home–school partnerships, ensuring our mission is lived in every classroom.
Congratulations on the alignment of your vision with the school’s strategic direction. You are fortunate to have this as it doesn’t occur in every Kura.
I do like your focus on Tūrangawaewae and held it as an essential value throughout my leadership journey.
Our mission statement is “Kuhu mai ki te ako, haere ki te Awhina” (Enter to learn, go forth to serve). It is in Te Reo Maori as that is where our kura’s heart is and it fits our community and the people. We want our students to learn when they enter the gates and leave with the confidence and skills to go into our community to serve. We start leadership from our youngest tamariki, where they have leadership opportunities in hosting assemblies and doing small duties such as milk delivery. As a leader I run a program called Discovery Program where I take a small group of year 8 students to visit and do activities with our local ECE’s every few weeks, where the students can develop their leadership skills while giving service to our local community. I feel our mission statement relates to my leadership style which is a mixture of Participative Leadership and Servant Leadership.
St Matthews Collegiate
Vision
Empowering and guiding learners to be the best they can be.
Mission
To provide, as part of the Trinity family of schools, an education which will encourage young women to engage, progress, and achieve in every aspect of their lives- academic, spiritual, cultural, social, and sporting.
Students and staff striving confidentially to be the best they can be sounds like a great direction to project and aligns with my own leaderships style. The mission is well rounded and, in some way, acknowledges Te Whare Tapa Wha which I believe is essential for everyday life. This is also a large focus in the BOT’s strategic vision around creating good, all round citizens. One area I could develop my leadership is the special character aspect of our school. While I model special character in many ways I don’t do so confidently and I am often questioning the why/traditions. Taking some time to appreciate and understand would be beneficial for my own leadership. It would mean moving from tick box/surface level leadership to being authentic and a good role model.
Milford’s mission to develop compassionate, lifelong learners is my anchor. I believe a happy, curious student is at the heart of my practice, supported by leadership built on connection, trust, and the vulnerability to admit mistakes.
To support school priorities, I am adjusting my leadership in Goal 1 (Ako) by shifting from teacher-led enquiry to student-led data. I am building team capacity to use rubrics and self-assessment, transforming ‘joy’ into purposeful, evidence-based progress. In Goal 2 (Whanaungatanga), I am moving from personal modelling to systemic belonging. I am working to ensure we have a shared language for compassion, so that belonging isn’t left to chance but is a guaranteed part of our culture. Finally, for Goal 3 (Tūrangawaewae), while I am strong at grounding students locally, I am now ensuring this curiosity translates into global agency. I want students to be active Kaitiaki who have the principled tools to improve the world.
Emma, well done on identifying adjustments in your leadership practice to further support school priorities. I like the way you are being responsive to the needs of your Kura. Ngā mihi nui
The mission statement for Waitaki Valley School ‘Our place, to belong, to learn, to achieve, and the G.R.E.A.T values of Good Friends, respect, Engaged, Aiming High, and Teamwork align well with my vision and leadership goals. My vision for learners is the holistic development of a confident, connected learner who possesses the academic capabilities, emotional resilience, and social empathy to thrive as an active, culturally grounded member of their local community and the wider world. My leadership goals are to become a more confident and knowledgeable leader by better understanding policy and the school’s direction. By basing my leadership goals in the school’s established framework, I allow my practice to consistently reflect the G.R.E.A.T. values, fostering an inclusive culture free from discrimination. My vision for holistic learner development – focusing on academic capability, emotional resilience, and social empathy reflects the school’s commitment to high-quality programmes and diverse learning experiences found within the school’s strategic goals.
Our schools mission statement is “provide a rigorous and enriching education in an environment that supports the unique social, emotional and academic needs of emerging adolescents. The aim of this education is to develop resilient, compassionate and responsible members of a global community and our values are service, integrity and reliability. I think these align perfectly with my leadership style of servant leadership as I am committed to practicing what I preach. I believe that the dynamics of teaching creates situations where you work with people of all different backgrounds, ages and experience levels. Therefore understanding what is going on is integral to success. This philosophy aligns with our values given they are centred around being a person that is honest, accountable and willing to help. It is really important to me to maintain connection to people and situations.
RIs mission statement is that we will “provide a rigorous and enriching education in an environment that supports the unique social, emotional and academic needs of emerging adolescents. The aim of this education is to develop resilient, compassionate and responsible members of a global community.” We have three core values that we consistently refer to which are service, integrity and reliability. My leadership vision aligns to each of our three core values. I want to be a leader that my team (teaching staff and students) can rely on, and be available for no matter the issue. Reliability is key if we are to build trust. Integrity – doing the right thing even when no one is looking. I want to advocate for my people in middle management meetings so that their concerns or ideas are both heard, and credited to them. I also want to ensure that I am supporting my team with our wider community as well. I got into leadership to serve others, and grow others in the leadership space. Education needs to build capacity, and needs to continue to grow good leaders. I see it as part of my role to grow others in my team, and provide them with opportunities to lead and experience success in this space.
Placing students at the center of decision-making is at the heart of my leadership practice and aligns strongly with my school’s vision of ‘Connect, Inspire, Grow’ and our HERO values. I committed to growing my leadership and moving toward an Assistant Principal role, while continuing to develop as a collaborative, reflective, and lifelong learner.
A key area of alignment is my commitment to continuing my journey in te reo Māori, supporting the school’s strategic goal of strengthening Te Ao Māori. This aligns closely with Tātaiako and our partnership with Mana Whenua, ensuring culturally responsive practice underpins my leadership.
I also value my school’s focus on a localised, conceptual curriculum and targeted programmes to accelerate progress. To strengthen this alignment, I am continuing to refine my use of data and evidence to support priority learners and contribute effectively to schoolwide improvement.
Natala, I really like your focus on refining your use of data and evidence to support priority learners. This aligns clearly with your commitment to your journey in te reo Māori to ensure culturally responsive practice underpins your leadership. Ngā mihi nui.
The NHS mission is; Te puna whakatipu – a place to grow and thrive, where every learner is supported to build confidence, capability, and a sense of identity. I believe this mission is also applicable to all who work in our space. My aim is for my leadership to be based on connection, trust, and teamwork. I try to be approachable, fair, and honest, including being willing to admit mistakes. Brené Brown’s ideas about courage and vulnerability building strong, trusting teams really resonate with me. As a leader, I want to grow others and support future leaders, while continuing to strengthen inclusive and culturally responsive practices.
I really like the way your own philosophy and practice flows from the NHS mission. You have some valuable goals for leadership
My school’s vision is “Inspiring a community of passionate learners”, and my personal leadership goals align with two key aspects of this. I have a strong focus on building collaborative and supportive teams in both roles, and if staff can function as a good unit, we can foster a community that students feel a part of. In my role as HOD, I want to ensure that our programmes are authentic and relevant to our learners, and my goal is to build up the confidence and skills of newer team members. By doing this, we can create an environment where learning is seen as a lifelong process, and we can encourage our students to be curious about their world.
These also align with our school’s strategic goals of (1) creating a community where everyone feels that they belong and are valued, and (2) continuous improvement.
Braden, I really like your focus on community which flows from a focus on the wider team. I agree that in a learning institution it is essential to model learning as a life long process to encourage students to be curious.
The values of my school are Respect, Responsibility, and Resilience, and are three values I aim to consistently embody in my leadership style. Modelling these values with both students and the teachers in my team promotes a positive, inclusive environment where all students and teachers feel valued.
The values of the school also align with my goal. By displaying these values I continue to build high-trust relationships within my team, creating conditions for open communication and a space for courageous conversations, particularly when managing conflict or change.
Moving forward, I will ensure that my leadership explicitly reflects these values so I am able to support my team effectively particularly when change or conflict arise, and guide students in developing these values themselves in their learning and interactions.
I think I usually lead through servant leadership, focusing on support and empathy, but I want to draw more on transformational leadership to inspire growth and help others reach their potential. I think it strongly aligns with our mission: “Providing the best possible education in a Catholic environment.” I aim to foster resilience, self-belief, and holistic development in students and staff, while also being mindful of nurturing a faith-centered community—an area that doesn’t always get my full focus due to the responsibilities of my role and having an exceptional Director of Religious Studies. This is definitely an area I am trying to be more conscious of.
Tēnā koe for this beautifully balanced reflection; your move to integrate transformational leadership alongside your servant heart shows a powerful commitment to both the ‘how’ and the ‘why’ of your Catholic character.
Our school’s mission centres on providing the best possible education within a Catholic environment. My people-first approach strongly aligns with this, as building relationships, trust, and a sense of belonging underpins both faith and learning. Creating an inclusive, collaborative culture, supports the school’s focus on holistic development and student success. I believe students learn best when there is genuine buy-in: when they feel their teacher is approachable and on their team – alongside clear expectations and purposeful, engaging teaching. My leadership style naturally leans towards servant leadership, supporting staff wellbeing and fostering collaboration, which aligns well with our school culture. However, I recognise the need to be more intentional in integrating faith into my practice and to develop a stronger, vision-driven approach. I also need to build confidence in contributing to wider strategic direction, while continuing to balance collaboration with decisiveness.
Thank you for your honesty. It is wonderful to see your commitment to evolving from a supportive servant leader into a vision-driven one, and your focus on building the confidence to contribute to wider strategic direction shows great professional growth.
At my school our values are:
Respectful – valuing who we are as individuals, welcoming of diversity in others and caring for our environment.
Resilient – ambitious, persistent in overcoming challenges and driven to be the best we can be.
Responsible – for ourselves and for our connection to those around us.
This fits in very well with my own personal leadership style and teaching vision, which is all about supporting students to be the best that they can, as well as making sure that they grow a love for learning. By working with my schools values in my own leadership focus I can ensure that my students are confident, comfortable and kind while at school, all of which creates a wonderful environment for learning.
Tēnā koe for this heart-centered reflection; it is clear that your leadership style is naturally woven into the fabric of your school’s values.
Task 3: Aligning with the school’s Mission
PNBHS aims to ‘develop educated young men of outstanding character’. My leadership vision aligns with this, recognising that character is more valuable than knowledge alone. Without the emotional intelligence to apply learning positively, education loses much of its impact. Both strong and weak characters will face adversity, and their responses will differ too. A young man of strong character is more likely to embrace challenges, recognising opportunities for growth and striving to improve. In contrast, one without this grounding may avoid difficulty, limiting personal development.
My leadership goals reflect this vision. My school and I value courage, humility, integrity, and industriousness as essential qualities of strong leadership and I aim to model them in my own actions. By doing so, I seek to lead by example and support students in becoming resilient, capable individuals of strong character.
I can see that your own values align closely with those of PNBHS. You are very fortunate in this regard as this isn’t always the case in every school. I wish you well in your leadership journey and applaud you leading by example to support students to grow resilience and strong character.
Aligning My Vision and Goals with Milford School’s Mission
As a leader at Milford School, my approach centres on empowering student agency, fostering meaningful connections (building strong relationships), and nurturing belonging. Values that align closely with our mission to develop inquiring, knowledgeable, and caring young people who are active, compassionate lifelong learners in local and global contexts.
Goal 1: Ako (Learning and Achievement), I seek to deliver an innovative IB PYP inquiry-based curriculum. Students set personal goals, reflect on progress, and choose ways to demonstrate learning, strengthening literacy, mathematics, differentiation and self-directed skills for excellent progress.
Goal 2: Whanaungatanga (Connection & Community), I build inclusive relationships through pepehā, collaborative projects, daily karakia and waiata, and cultural celebrations. These practices promote diversity, wellbeing, resilience, and strong whānau partnerships. Though, I still think I can make stronger connections with students and their whānau.
Goal 3: In Tūrangawaewae (Belonging & Environment), I create a sense of place by honouring heritage (e.g., Matariki, Diwali), encouraging student voice via displays like the PYP Wonderwall, and supporting sustainable, engaging learning spaces that connect learners to their community and environment.This student-centred, culturally responsive leadership inspires confident, connected, innovative learners who thrive at school and beyond.
Well done Duane, on compiling a clear outline of how and what you do to align your practice with the schools goals.