John is a Leadership Advisor to beginning principals, based in the Greater Wellington region, including the Whanganui, Taranaki, Hawkes Bay and Marlborough regions.
John has been a secondary school principal in three schools over the last 29 years, including the last 11 years as the principal of Naenae College, a very diverse multi-ethnic school in Lower Hutt. In this role he was honoured as Senior New Zealander of the Year in 2016 for his work in community empowerment.
John has been a first-time principals’ mentor for a number of years and has represented the Wellington region on the Secondary Principals’ Council for the last five years. He has served on a number of working parties and ministerial inquiry groups.
John’s current role involves working with principals in the following areas:
- Strategic leadership and capacity building
- Creating positive change
- Developing culturally responsive practice
- Developing relationships between schools and their communities
- Building evaluative capability in leaders
- Working collaboratively and building relational trust
- Developing robust appraisal practices
John lives in Porirua with his wife Rosemary who is a music teacher. He has three married daughters and 10 grandchildren, including five adopted African boys. His interests include keeping up with his extended whānau , landscaping and building projects, exploring issues of social justice and equity and maintaining a tolerable level of fitness.