Experienced Education Consultant Helping Schools Across New Zealand

A black and white photo of an older man with a beard and glasses, wearing a suit and tie, smiling at the camera, standing against a plain background.
A black and white photo of an older man with a beard and glasses, wearing a suit and tie, smiling at the camera, standing against a plain background.

Experienced school leadership, put to work for your school.

For more than 45 years, I have worked across education as a teacher, principal, Ministry of Education leader, mentor and consultant.

I've led schools through growth, change, challenge and turnaround, worked alongside boards and communities, and supported leaders to make difficult decisions.

Through StratEd, I use that experience to help school leaders and boards build the confidence, capability and systems to create lasting improvement.

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starting out

I had to learn how to balance people, strategy, governance, community expectations and student outcomes, often while making decisions with no easy answers.

MY Leadership Story

I know what it feels like to be the person responsible.

I became a principal at 34.

I was ambitious, capable and thought I was ready to lead. What I quickly discovered was that being responsible for a school was very different from knowing how to lead one.

That experience changed how I approached leadership.

I sought out coaching, mentorship, further study and opportunities to learn from others. Over time, my focus shifted from proving myself as a leader to helping other people become better leaders. I focussed on using the people around me and their skills to become a better leader of people. I distributed leadership and developed and empowered others.

That belief has shaped more than four decades of my work in education.

My Philosophy

Strong leadership isn't about having all the answers.

It's about creating the conditions for other people to grow and succeed.

I believe strong school leadership comes from strong values, clarity, trust, accountability, courage and the confidence to make difficult decisions. It also means knowing when to listen, when to challenge your thinking and when to share the load.

It is about a relentless quest to improve your own leadership, to empower those you work alongside, develop their skills and create a trusting environment where those same colleagues are able challenge and change your thinking where needed.

This leads to sustainable change and from your shared vision, people understand where they're going, why it matters and how they can contribute to making it happen as fellow leaders.

My approach

Working alongside you, not above you.

I don't arrive with a ready-made answer and expect you to implement it.

I work with you to understand what's really happening, identify what matters most and develop practical ways forward.

That might mean helping a principal strengthen their leadership, supporting a senior leadership team to share responsibility, helping a board build its governance capability, or working with a school to turn strategic plans into action.

The goal is always the same: build capability that remains when the consultancy work is finished.

Four people, three men and one woman, gathered around a table with laptops, notebooks, and water bottles, smiling and looking at a laptop screen. Two of the men are standing, and one man is seated, while the woman is also seated. They appear to be in a creative or collaborative work environment with colorful abstract art on the wall behind them.

Experience gives you perspective.

After more than four decades in education, I've seen schools face very different challenges. I've also seen the same underlying leadership issues appear in different forms over time.

My experience as both a school leader and Ministry of Education leader means I understand the connection between what happens inside a school and the wider system it operates within.

I bring practical experience, formal leadership and change management expertise, and a strong understanding of the realities facing New Zealand schools today.

But experience only matters if it helps you make better decisions.

That's what I bring to the table.

Build leaders. Build capability. Build a stronger school.

The most rewarding part of my career has been seeing leaders grow in confidence, leadership teams become stronger and schools create better outcomes for their students and communities.

That is why StratEd exists.

To help schools build the leadership capability, relationships and systems they need to keep improving, regardless of who is currently sitting in the principal's office.