50 New Zealand State School Principals Worth Knowing
Updated 13 August 2026.
New Zealand public schools are led by people working in very different settings: large urban colleges, small rural schools, specialist provision, area schools and communities spread across the motu. The job title is shared, but the daily work changes with the students, staff, whānau and place each principal serves.
This is a national list of current principals and tumuaki across government and state schools. It is a starting point for noticing the people shaping school culture, adult teamwork and student experience in their own communities.
50 New Zealand State School Principals Worth Knowing
1. Claire Amos
Claire Amos is the principal at Albany Senior High School in Auckland.
The profile describes a 25-year teaching career and national education projects.
2. Davida Suasua
Davida Suasua is the principal at Rosehill College in Papakura, Auckland.
The college publishes a principal message for its Papakura school community.
3. Matt Fraser
Matt Fraser is the tumuaki / principal at Manawatū College in Foxton.
The school describes itself as co-educational for Years 9 to 13 and centres relationships in a restorative approach.
4. Steve McCracken
Steve McCracken is the principal at Whangaparāoa College in Auckland.
The principal message frames learner engagement as a shared school community priority.
5. Vicki Barrie
Vicki Barrie is the tumuaki / principal at Northcote College in Auckland.
The welcome page centres the school community and learning in a current principal message.
6. Jonathon Tredray
Jonathon Tredray is the principal at Northcross Intermediate in Auckland.
The school describes learning across intellectual, cultural and social dimensions.
7. Jen Rodgers
Jen Rodgers is the tumuaki / principal at St Clair School in Dunedin.
The school says its community spans 60 cultures and offers specialist music, Mandarin and physical education.
8. Gareth Swete
Gareth Swete is the principal at Sawyers Bay School in Dunedin.
The people page introduces Sawyers Bay as a Dunedin-area community school and names its current principal.
9. Adrian Fastier
Adrian Fastier is the principal at Lincoln High School in Lincoln, Canterbury.
The school describes itself as a contemporary co-educational public school outside Christchurch.
10. Kent McDonald
Kent McDonald is the principal / tumuaki at Parkview Pārua School in Christchurch.
The site foregrounds the school values and enrolment-zone information around its current leadership.
11. Scot Kinley
Scot Kinley is the principal at Bromley School in Christchurch.
The current people page is labelled Our People 2026.
12. Geraint Tuiletoa Tagaloa
Geraint Tuiletoa Tagaloa is the principal / tumuaki at Māngere College in Auckland.
The school says he began in 2024 and is its first Pasifika principal.
13. Stuart Kelly
Stuart Kelly is the principal / tumuaki at Waiuku College in Auckland.
The site links the principal listing to a curriculum and values-led school overview.
14. Louise Addison
Louise Addison is the tumuaki / principal at Edgewater College in Pakuranga, Auckland.
The welcome page connects academic and co-curricular success to the college vision.
15. Tom Webb
Tom Webb is the principal / tumuaki at Mount Roskill Grammar School in Auckland.
The school describes itself as inclusive and gives its values a central place in the welcome.
16. Aidyn Rasmussen
Aidyn Rasmussen is the tumuaki / principal at Ruawai College in Ruawai, Kaipara.
Ruawai College is a co-educational secondary school in Kaipara.
17. Jon Ward
Jon Ward is the principal / tumuaki at Rotorua Lakes High School in Rotorua.
Jon Ward is named as principal in a 2026 enrolment notice.
18. Fiona Hawes
Fiona Hawes is the principal / tumuaki at Tauranga Primary School in Tauranga.
The current people page lists Fiona Hawes in the principal role.
19. Jill Weldon
Jill Weldon is the principal at Te Puke Intermediate School in Te Puke.
The school contact page names Jill Weldon as principal in its current public information.
20. Gareth Cunliffe
Gareth Cunliffe is the principal at Otonga School / Te Kura o Tihiōtonga in Rotorua.
The school profile notes 28 years of experience and publishes its values.
21. Lorraine Northey
Lorraine Northey is the principal at Rotorua Specialist School in Rotorua.
The current staff page identifies Rotorua Specialist School as a specialist state school.
22. Lynden Cook
Lynden Cook is the principal at Kaharoa School in Rotorua.
The school site carries 2026 newsletter information alongside its principal listing.
23. James Bracefield
James Bracefield is the principal at Western Heights High School in Rotorua.
The senior leadership page carries current 2026 term information with James Bracefield as principal.
24. Craig McFadyen
Craig McFadyen is the principal at Sunset Primary School in Rotorua.
The current school page publishes a July 2026 whānau message under the principal listing.
25. Fred Whata
Fred Whata is the principal at Rotorua Primary School in Rotorua.
The school publishes its principal name with its public contact details.
26. Rachel Weinberg
Rachel Weinberg is the principal at Westbrook School in Rotorua.
The school page contains a current 21 July 2026 notice with Rachel Weinberg named as principal.
27. Stu Barclay
Stu Barclay is the tumuaki / principal at Gisborne Central School in Gisborne.
The school publishes current 2026 information and its values on its public site.
28. Julie McLaughlin
Julie McLaughlin is the principal at Riverdale School in Gisborne.
A June 2026 vacancy notice names Julie McLaughlin as principal.
29. Andy Hayward
Andy Hayward is the principal at Gisborne Intermediate in Gisborne.
The school describes its work with emerging adolescents.
30. Mark Harris
Mark Harris is the principal at Te Wharau School in Gisborne.
The contact page publishes the current principal and school location together.
31. Kim Waite
Kim Waite is the principal at Toko School in Stratford, Taranaki.
The profile notes 14 years of experience and Central Taranaki Kāhui Ako leadership.
32. Dominic Killalea
Dominic Killalea is the principal at Wellington High School in Wellington.
The board information says he was appointed principal in 2017 and has more than 20 years in schools.
33. Barri Dullabh
Barri Dullabh is the principal at Tawa School in Wellington.
The current 2026 board page names Barri Dullabh as principal.
34. Chris Moller
Chris Moller is the principal at Queen Elizabeth College in Palmerston North.
The prospectus describes an inclusive college with cultural and service opportunities.
35. Rachel Skelton
Rachel Skelton is the tumuaki / principal at Rolleston College in Rolleston, Canterbury.
The board information says she has been principal since 2019, was foundation staff and uses Te Kotahitanga and restorative practices.
36. Alistair Luke
Alistair Luke is the principal at Whangamata Area School in Whangamatā, Waikato.
The school serves Years 1 to 13 in one area-school setting.
37. Denise Johnson
Denise Johnson is the principal / tumuaki at Hutt Valley High School in Lower Hutt.
The school describes itself as co-educational and multicultural, with wellbeing in its values.
38. Dawn Ackroyd
Dawn Ackroyd is the tumuaki / principal at Napier Girls’ High School in Napier.
The school page carries its current values and history under the principal listing.
39. Jono Hay
Jono Hay is the tumuaki / principal at Te Waka Kura o Mohua / Golden Bay High School in Golden Bay.
The current principal page highlights student leadership as a priority.
40. Andrew King
Andrew King is the principal at Oropi School in Tauranga.
The school describes mixed-age learning, water safety and a close community culture.
41. Thomas Davison
Thomas Davison is the principal at Okaihau College in Okaihau, Northland.
The current staff page places the principal at the head of the senior leadership team.
42. Mary Nixon
Mary Nixon is the principal at Takapuna Grammar School in Auckland.
Takapuna Grammar School is listed as a state school, with Mary Nixon named as principal.
43. Barbara Agnew
Barbara Agnew is the principal at Queen’s High School in Dunedin.
The principal welcome page sets out the school learning and values message.
44. Aloma Williams
Aloma Williams is the principal at Aparima College in Riverton, Southland.
The principal message links holistic learning with whānau, community and kaitiakitanga.
45. Kath Luoni
Kath Luoni is the principal at Menzies College in Southland.
The people page lists Kath Luoni as principal and records senior maths experience.
46. Andrea Hooper-Carr
Andrea Hooper-Carr is the principal at Opunake High School in Opunake, Taranaki.
The school is listed as a state school, with Andrea Hooper-Carr named as principal.
47. Karen Brinsden
Karen Brinsden is the principal at Botany Downs Secondary College in Auckland.
The prospectus describes a forward-thinking college built around whānau systems.
48. Mark Barratt
Mark Barratt is the principal at Edgecumbe School in Edgecumbe, Bay of Plenty.
The school is listed as a state school, with Mark Barratt named as principal.
49. Helen Newcombe
Helen Newcombe is the principal at East Otago High School in Palmerston, Otago.
The current school site carries 2026 news with Helen Newcombe as principal.
50. Nathan Janes
Nathan Janes is the tumuaki / principal at Mairangi Bay School in Auckland.
A 2026 school newsletter sets out the kura identity and welcomes its community under Nathan Janes.
What these principals have in common
Across this group, school leadership appears in many forms. It is local, relational and practical, shaped by the students, staff, whānau and communities each school serves.
How to use this list
If you are leading a school, use this list as a prompt for your next leadership conversation. Ask which parts of your school culture are already visible, which are only assumed and which need a clearer shared practice. Then choose one small change that would make Monday morning easier for students and staff.
A national starting point
The names are arranged as a national list. The point is to make school leadership examples easier to discover.
Keep reading
For practical ideas on school leadership culture, read 15 Warning Signs of Silos in Your School Leadership Team, 27 Proven Tips for School Staff Meetings, The Six Questions of Organisational Clarity for Schools and 17 Essential Strategies for Principal Safety at Work.
Start a practical conversation
If your leadership team wants a clearer way to talk about culture, communication and how people contribute, email jonno@consultclarity.org to discuss a practical Working Genius session or leadership team offsite.
About Jonno White
Jonno White helps leaders build organisations people would move cities to work at. His work is practical rather than motivational: something people can use on Monday morning, not a feeling that fades by Friday.