title: Scaling the mountain to principalship Barriers and enablers in a female first time principal’s journey to leadership

authors: Mortimer, Samantha

abstract: The purpose of this presentation is to describe the journey of Janet who was appointed as a first time principal in her 50s. The study is relevant to the field of educational leadership as although girls outpace boys at schools and universities and are currently entering the work force at higher salaries than ever before, there have been minimal changes in the proportion of females in top executive positions in the last decade. For example, in 2012, around 60% of the total number of high school teachers in New Zealand were women but they held less than 33% of all principal positions. This being the case it is useful to reflect on the stories of women who have achieved school principal positions, in order to discover what helped and hindered them on their journey.
In 2015, Janet shared her story about her journey to principalship using a guided interview framework characterised by the creation of themes with open ended questions. Her unique lived experience and the significance of her everyday life to becoming a first time principal was documented and explored by drawing out patterns through coding the transcript and identifying themes through a process of careful reading and reviewing. Janet described her journey, identifying the enablers and barriers along the way and the identity work that enabled her to gain her first position as a school principal. Janet acknowledged the impact of gender, being a wife, and being a mother to a school aged child, and the gender-specific expectations others have of principals, as barriers. She also identified enablers, the people and the processes that helped her to succeed in her career including, her strong belief in social justice which arose from her parents, her support systems including the mentors who guided her throughout her career path to the present day, and the professional development opportunities she was able to enjoy. She talked about a gestalt shift her identity and its collision with circumstances which gave her the confidence to apply for her current job as a school principal. Janet showed she was capable of making workable, manageable and balanced judgments in relation to her work and life including finding people and activities that could support her. Building on the work of Mamood (2015) a visual metaphor that encapsulates Janet’s journey is proposed. This provides a rich view of a woman’s road to principalship and demonstrates the complexity of Janet’s educational leadership journey.

text: Scaling the mountain to principalship Barriers and enablers in a female first time principal’s journey to leadership The purpose of this presentation is to describe the journey of Janet who was appointed as a first time principal in her 50s. The study is relevant to the field of educational leadership as although girls outpace boys at schools and universities and are currently entering the work force at higher salaries than ever before, there have been minimal changes in the proportion of females in top executive positions in the last decade. For example, in 2012, around 60% of the total number of high school teachers in New Zealand were women but they held less than 33% of all principal positions. This being the case it is useful to reflect on the stories of women who have achieved school principal positions, in order to discover what helped and hindered them on their journey.
In 2015, Janet shared her story about her journey to principalship using a guided interview framework characterised by the creation of themes with open ended questions. Her unique lived experience and the significance of her everyday life to becoming a first time principal was documented and explored by drawing out patterns through coding the transcript and identifying themes through a process of careful reading and reviewing. Janet described her journey, identifying the enablers and barriers along the way and the identity work that enabled her to gain her first position as a school principal. Janet acknowledged the impact of gender, being a wife, and being a mother to a school aged child, and the gender-specific expectations others have of principals, as barriers. She also identified enablers, the people and the processes that helped her to succeed in her career including, her strong belief in social justice which arose from her parents, her support systems including the mentors who guided her throughout her career path to the present day, and the professional development opportunities she was able to enjoy. She talked about a gestalt shift her identity and its collision with circumstances which gave her the confidence to apply for her current job as a school principal. Janet showed she was capable of making workable, manageable and balanced judgments in relation to her work and life including finding people and activities that could support her. Building on the work of Mamood (2015) a visual metaphor that encapsulates Janet’s journey is proposed. This provides a rich view of a woman’s road to principalship and demonstrates the complexity of Janet’s educational leadership journey.

year: 2017

title: The seesaw of the governance: getting the balance right

authors: Mueller, Jens

subjects: Australasia

abstract: The increased demand by institutional investors and regulators that corporate directors focus on compliance and internal auditing appears to be driven by a motivation to right the wrongs of the past rather than to create rights in the future. Managing by looking in the rear view mirror is a poor use of corporate strategy and is not supported by our research which shows that shareholders wish their directors to spend time on forward-looking strategy tasks more than on auditing. We believe the focus on compliance management may come at the expense of providing long term vision, sound strategic planning and competent leadership from the boardroom. An over-emphasis on compliance issues introduces the risk that directors spend more time and effort investigating the actions of senior executives and becoming absorbed in operational matters. This means that boards become caught up in micro-management rather than debating and formulating long term strategic plans and providing appropriate stewardship to the organization and support to the CEO and senior executives. Requirements for short term reporting exacerbate the problem by driving board executives to rely more on financial results rather than securing the viability of the organization over the long term. Whilst the increased attention to governance issues is aimed at protecting shareholders, we argue it is likely that shareholders are being exposed to even greater future risks given the limited time being spent on long term planning and strategic change. This paper explores the concept of a balance point where directors effort needs to be appropriately focused on both governance issues and providing leadership from the boardroom. It also discusses some of the leadership attributes and roles of executives in long term high performing organizations in Australasia and explores how these attributes impact positively on organizational excellence and sustainability.

text: The seesaw of the governance: getting the balance right The increased demand by institutional investors and regulators that corporate directors focus on compliance and internal auditing appears to be driven by a motivation to right the wrongs of the past rather than to create rights in the future. Managing by looking in the rear view mirror is a poor use of corporate strategy and is not supported by our research which shows that shareholders wish their directors to spend time on forward-looking strategy tasks more than on auditing. We believe the focus on compliance management may come at the expense of providing long term vision, sound strategic planning and competent leadership from the boardroom. An over-emphasis on compliance issues introduces the risk that directors spend more time and effort investigating the actions of senior executives and becoming absorbed in operational matters. This means that boards become caught up in micro-management rather than debating and formulating long term strategic plans and providing appropriate stewardship to the organization and support to the CEO and senior executives. Requirements for short term reporting exacerbate the problem by driving board executives to rely more on financial results rather than securing the viability of the organization over the long term. Whilst the increased attention to governance issues is aimed at protecting shareholders, we argue it is likely that shareholders are being exposed to even greater future risks given the limited time being spent on long term planning and strategic change. This paper explores the concept of a balance point where directors effort needs to be appropriately focused on both governance issues and providing leadership from the boardroom. It also discusses some of the leadership attributes and roles of executives in long term high performing organizations in Australasia and explores how these attributes impact positively on organizational excellence and sustainability.

year: 2009-01

title: Kua Hiri Mai Te Rā - A journey of self identification for the descendants of Ngāti Rāhiri ki Taranaki

authors: Marsh, Melissa Sue-ann

subjects: Ngāti Rāhiri

abstract: Prior to the arrival of Pakehā to the shores of Aotearoa, Māori retained and transmitted their histories, genealogies and protocols orally through such mediums as song and chant. The intracacies of the information held was such that every aspect of the Māori culture had its assigned expert whose job was to both retain and pass on their area of expertise. The settlement of Pakehā saw a change in how information was stored and disseminated, with a number of ethnographers, surveyors and historians recording accounts given to them from various Māori sources in written form. The main motivation for this at the time was to secure the information and cultural practises of a people who were deemed to be a dying race.

The implication that Māori were close to extinction was in vain, as many resisted against the gradual assimilation of Aotearoa (New Zealand) by the new foreign immigrants. The subsequent annexation of Aotearoa under British colonial rule eventually led to war against Māori, as Māori attempted to protect and retain both their lands and their identity. The result of the war led to a great loss of Māori lands, lives, and most importantly – identity.

Within Taranaki the Ngāti Rāhiri Hapū fought many generations for the right to stand unified as a people. Although they can be regarded as a small coastal hapū entity, they are at the forefront of maintaining and asserting their rangatiratanga status within today’s society. At the centre of the proclamation of rights and entitlement within their ancestral lands, questions have been raised that, for a number of generations, had baffled the likes of Elsdon Best and S. Percy Smith, as many sought to find answers regarding the true origins of Ngāti Rāhiri.

The impetus in undertaking this research is to ascertain who this prominent ancestor Rāhiri is from both a Ngā Puhi and Taranaki perspective, and investigate how these combined histories assist in the assertion of self by the Ngāti Rāhiri ki Taranaki people. By undertaking a critical review and analysis of literature, court minute records, hapū documents, proverbs, histories and knowledge from tribal elders pertaining to Rāhiri, this researcher will endeavour to provide and present relevant information and evidence, in a cohesive format, to show the close ancestral ties and affiliations between the two peoples. Furthermore, it is hoped that the research findings presented within this body of work may provide a significant contribution to the descendants of the Ngāti Rāhiri ki Taranaki Hapū, as they continue to assert their mana and rangatiratanga through the knowledge and understanding of self, when posed with the question - Ko wai a Ngāti Rāhiri?

text: Kua Hiri Mai Te Rā - A journey of self identification for the descendants of Ngāti Rāhiri ki Taranaki Prior to the arrival of Pakehā to the shores of Aotearoa, Māori retained and transmitted their histories, genealogies and protocols orally through such mediums as song and chant. The intracacies of the information held was such that every aspect of the Māori culture had its assigned expert whose job was to both retain and pass on their area of expertise. The settlement of Pakehā saw a change in how information was stored and disseminated, with a number of ethnographers, surveyors and historians recording accounts given to them from various Māori sources in written form. The main motivation for this at the time was to secure the information and cultural practises of a people who were deemed to be a dying race.

The implication that Māori were close to extinction was in vain, as many resisted against the gradual assimilation of Aotearoa (New Zealand) by the new foreign immigrants. The subsequent annexation of Aotearoa under British colonial rule eventually led to war against Māori, as Māori attempted to protect and retain both their lands and their identity. The result of the war led to a great loss of Māori lands, lives, and most importantly – identity.

Within Taranaki the Ngāti Rāhiri Hapū fought many generations for the right to stand unified as a people. Although they can be regarded as a small coastal hapū entity, they are at the forefront of maintaining and asserting their rangatiratanga status within today’s society. At the centre of the proclamation of rights and entitlement within their ancestral lands, questions have been raised that, for a number of generations, had baffled the likes of Elsdon Best and S. Percy Smith, as many sought to find answers regarding the true origins of Ngāti Rāhiri.

The impetus in undertaking this research is to ascertain who this prominent ancestor Rāhiri is from both a Ngā Puhi and Taranaki perspective, and investigate how these combined histories assist in the assertion of self by the Ngāti Rāhiri ki Taranaki people. By undertaking a critical review and analysis of literature, court minute records, hapū documents, proverbs, histories and knowledge from tribal elders pertaining to Rāhiri, this researcher will endeavour to provide and present relevant information and evidence, in a cohesive format, to show the close ancestral ties and affiliations between the two peoples. Furthermore, it is hoped that the research findings presented within this body of work may provide a significant contribution to the descendants of the Ngāti Rāhiri ki Taranaki Hapū, as they continue to assert their mana and rangatiratanga through the knowledge and understanding of self, when posed with the question - Ko wai a Ngāti Rāhiri?

year: 2011