President's Welcome

President’s Welcome

Tēnā koutou katoa

Welcome to SPANZ; the voice of secondary principals from across the country.  We were founded by principals, for principals. We understand the daily needs within schools as we are governed by secondary school principals just like you.

I have been a principal for sixteen years and I am currently at the helm of Kaitāia College. I also have the privilege of serving education in New Zealand as an Expert Advisor to a number of central government bodies, including the Education Review Office and the Ministry of Education. I am a member of the NCEA Professional Advisory Group and the Ministry of Education's Curriculum and Assessment Reference Group. 

It is my privilege to serve as the President of SPANZ, which offers professional support for secondary principals.  

As an organisation our focus is on being a collective voice to the education sector. We speak as one, contributing to government policy, negotiating collective agreements, and working with students and communities.  

The power of the collective should not be underestimated.  There is great value in belonging to an association where the executives are also active in schools.  We share your daily concerns and advocate strongly on your behalf.

Our role as an organisation is to support secondary principals to deliver effectively, to ensure we have an enduring profession that works collaboratively to ensure world-class education in New Zealand.

We have three main functions here at SPANZ:

Legal Support;

Professional Development; and

Professional Representation

We achieve these by operating as, SPANZ Professional, which I lead, SPANZ Legal through HarrisonStone Law,  and SPANZ Union which is led by Scott Haines of Burnside High School in Christchurch.

SPANZ Professional is focused on representing principals and making working lives easier. Please take the time to review where we can help support you and your school.  The Union is dedicated to negotiating our Collective Agreement with the Ministry of Education and SPANZ Legal provides legal advice for members on school related issues.

We have a small team based in Auckland, if you would like to know more, feel free to reach out to myself or other members of the executive team.

Ngā mihi nui,
Louise Ānaru
SPANZ President

Regular updates of the President’s Comment can be found here