Louise Ānaru Takes The Helm At Secondary Principals Association

Kaitāia College Principal and Member of New Zealand Order of Merit (MNZN), Louise Ānaru, now leads the Secondary Principal’s Association of New Zealand (SPANZ).

Louise is of Ngāpuhi and Te Rarawa descent and is the principal of Kaitāia College. Ānaru has been on the SPANZ executive board for the last six years and takes over from outgoing President, Vaughan Couillault.

Ānaru brings a wealth of experience to the role. She began her career in education as a youth tutor at Te Whānau o Waipareira and Poutama in West Auckland before going on to teach at Waitākere College. This was succeeded by roles as deputy principal at Taipā Area School, in the Far North, for five and a half years before moving to Hawke's Bay. From Flaxmere College, where she was principal for nine years, Ānaru took up the helm at Kaitāia College.

Ānaru said of her appointment: “It is a real privilege to be of service to education. I am delighted to be leading the Secondary Principals Association. Collectively, we can make a positive difference to the lives of our young people and their communities and it starts with looking after our principals. I look forward to continuing the great work of Vaughan Couillault in this capacity.”

Recognised as an MNZM in 2021, for her then 21 years of service to education, Ānaru has been credited with turning around low student achievement and attendance, resulting in a Supreme Award at the 2018 Prime Minister’s Education Excellence Awards.

Ānaru is a member of the NCEA Professional Advisory Group and the Ministry of Education's Curriculum and Assessment Reference Group and judged the 2019 and 2021 Prime Minister’s Educational Excellence Awards. She is actively involved in the National Aspiring Principals Programme and First Time Principals Programme and is an Expert Advisor to the Education Review Office.

Ānaru has been a teacher for 26 years and has served 16 years as a principal.

© Scoop Media