New Zealand Secondary Principals' Council (NZSPC)
Media Release
20 March 2007
Support for Boards of Trustees is essential
“The Cathy Wylie paper on school governance shows that overall the Boards of Trustees system is robust and effective,
but it needs increased government support,” says Arthur Graves chair of the New Zealand Secondary Principals’ Council
(NZSPC).
“NZSPC endorses NZCER research findings that affirm the value of Boards of Trustees to New Zealand schools and show
widespread satisfaction with the system.”
“But we strongly support NZCER’s call to further strengthen the system with more focussed government support.”
“It is timely to review the needs of busy voluntary trustees. The board elections coming up will be strong indicators of
the engagement of communities with the governance of their schools.”
“It is important not to interpret negatively the statement by Cathy Wylie that the Boards of Trustees model should be
strengthened - there is certainly no widespread failure.”
“However, every board should not have to re-invent the wheel when new policies have to be implemented at the
Government’s behest. The Ministry of Education could assist more with governance capability. It is important that the
Ministry recognises that there is not a one-size-fits-all model for Boards of Trustees. There are many boards that have
high levels of capability. So the issue is how to help assist those that struggle.”
“One area where Boards of Trustees and principals can be assisted is increased funding for specialist management
support. And there is certainly scope for assisting boards more in the tricky business of appointing the right principal
to their school.”
Ends