Briar Stewart

Principal Advisor

Briar is a principal advisor for Waiariki/Bay of Plenty. She lives at Papamoa Beach, Tauranga.

Briar has experience as a principal and educational leader predominantly based in the Bay of Plenty. Her teaching and leadership roles have included work in Auckland, Tauranga, Rotorua and the UK, and most recently as a principal in Rotorua. Briar was actively involved in the Rotorua Principals’ Association, holding the position of RPA President. Briar has completed two International study awards that focussed on transitioning between learning centres in Europe and the strengthening of bi-lingual education in Wales. The awards have added to the knowledge of how children transition successfully across sectors and stronger emerging bi-lingual opportunities in mainstream learning for all learners.

Building strong relationships and the impact of leading culturally responsive schools has helped create learning communities that everyone can engage in, for the best outcomes for our children. Briar completed her Master’s in Educational Leadership in 2006, and more recently completed the Mindlab Post Grad Diploma in Applied Practice: Digital and Collaborative Learning. She has also completed significant leadership learning with the Academy for Collaborative Futures with Vikram Murthy. Briar continues to be highly motivated by continued learning in educational leadership roles and how we can achieve the greatest impact for all learners. Some of that work includes:

  • Building relationships with local iwi.

  • Developing rich, inclusive local curricula.

  • Ensuring equitable opportunities for all learners with a focus on Māori learners.

  • Growing leadership capacity.

  • Evidence-based evaluation of systems, structures and learner outcomes.

  • Strategic planning and change management.

  • Using data effectively for improvement.

In her spare time, Briar looks forward to catching up with family, grandchildren and entertaining friends. She enjoys being out on the golf course, all kinds of sports, walking in our local areas and bush, and travel.