Executive
Members

Deputy Principal, Karamū High School, located in Heretaunga (Hastings)

Serving as the Representative for Hawke’s Bay and the Chair of the Hawke’s Bay Deputy and Assistant Principals Association is a role that keeps me deeply connected to the grassroots of our profession. My journey to leadership in the Bay was far from linear, beginning in Whangamatā before taking me through Suva, Fiji, and Tauranga Boys’. After studying Architecture at Victoria University and spending a decade in the UK film and television industry, I returned to Aotearoa to find my true calling in education. This diverse background in design and technical production, alongside years of coaching volleyball and basketball, shapes how I support our local leaders—viewing school leadership as a blend of creative structure and high-performance teamwork. It is a privilege to lead our regional mahi, ensuring that the unique challenges and successes of Hawke’s Bay schools are recognized and supported.

While I also have the honor of serving as the National President of NASDAP, my work at the regional level remains the foundation of my advocacy. I encourage you to take full advantage of your regional representatives and actively seek financial support through them to bring your local Professional Learning and Development (PLD) initiatives to life. These opportunities are the heartbeat of our association, and by leveraging these resources, we ensure our local networks remain vibrant and well-funded.

Looking ahead, our 2027 Conference in Christchurch is an essential space to step beyond our school gates and connect with the wider collective of Tumuaki tuarua. Gathering in a city defined by its own purposeful redesign provides a powerful backdrop for us to share the "courageous change-making" happening across Aotearoa. I look forward to seeing you there as we collaborate to design a robust future for secondary leadership. Please feel free to reach out at dhollands@karamu.school.nz.

Mā te hā o te ao, mā te hā o te iwi, ka puāwai te kakano. (By the breath of the world and the breath of the people, the seed will flourish.)

Email: dhollands@karamu.school.nz  

Chair of the Otago Deputy Principals and Assistant Principals Association

Deputy Principal
Trinity College Dunedin

Email: sread@trinity.school.nz

Prior to Putāruru College, Jane spent five years as Deputy Principal at Nayland College in sunny Nelson. 

Jane has worked in education for over twenty years, nine in Senior Leadership; eight in Middle Management, and six as a full time Physical Education, Outdoor Education and Health Teacher.

Her current responsibilities include Curriculum and Pedagogy with an emphasis on place and culturally responsive pedagogy. She also led an integrated curriculum programme called active pedagogies and developed an Institute of Sport programme at Nayland College. 

She designs and facilitates workshops for Education Outdoors New Zealand, and has facilitated workshops for Physical Education New Zealand and NZQA, and previously tutored a Post-Graduate Senior Physical Education course for The University of Waikato.

Jane is passionate about the outdoors and the learning opportunities and benefits to Hauora that connecting with our significant places offers. She is also passionate about increasing student engagement and achieving this through culturally and place responsive approaches across and through the curriculum.

As an Executive Member of NASDAP Jane’s intention is to advocate for Assistant and Deputy Principals, further develop regional networks, and  to share great practice and innovative ideas in order to achieve the best possible outcomes for all of our ākonga.

Email Address:  jane.townsend@putarurucollege.school.nz  

Deputy Principal.

Buller High School, Westport.

NASDAP Immediate Past President

Representative for Ōtautahi , Te Tai Poutini/ Aoraki /Canterbury/West Coast (until new one is selected

After 11 years at Rangiora High School, I moved to the West Coast Te Tai Potini in Term 4 2022. Prior to this I was based in Counties – Manukau schools, teaching students in subjects including English, History, Classics and Media Studies.I have been involved in curriculum and programme development, culturally responsive pedagogy and staff professional learning.

I have been a strong advocate, as both a teacher and school leader, of students having greater choice and input around their learning journey at school.

Email Address: alison.cleary@buller.ac.nz 

Deputy Principal.

Albany Senior High School, Albany, Auckland.

Klaris is the Chair of the Auckland Secondary Deputy Principals and Assistant Principals Association.

Klaris started teaching Digital Technology in the late 90’s; dial-up internet was beginning to boom, digital storage moved from floppy disks to CD’s and Google launched at Stanford University.  She loves all things techie and strives to be ‘Geek Chic’. She is happily married, has two daughters and three dachshunds. Klaris is a Deputy Principal at Albany Senior High School, joining in 2020. Klaris is responsible for Specialist Subject curriculum leadership, E-learning and Information Technology systems and is the Principal’s Nominee.   Before joining Albany Senior High School, Klaris was the Head of Teaching Innovation at St Cuthbert’s College for 10 years, working with teaching staff in Year 1 through to Year 13, across subject disciplines and guiding the school's use of learning technology. With a Master's in Education (Information Technology) she has devoted her teaching and educational leadership career to ensuring students and teachers benefit through the advances in and uses of learning technology in the classroom in an ethical and authentic way.

Email: kphilipson@ashs.school.nz 

Deputy Principal.

Waiuku College, Auckland.

Gowan is a member of the Executive comittee of the Auckland Secondary Deputy Principals and Assistant Principals Association.

Gowan began his teaching career in the UK where he taught Religious Studies and Philosophy for fourteen years. During that time he was both a Head of Department and a Head of Year. In 2005, fancying a change, Gowan and family immigrated to Aotearoa New Zealand and settled in Waiuku. 

Gowan has been a Deputy Principal at Waiuku College since 2013 and has held a number of portfolios including Principal’s Nominee, Curriculum and Professional Learning and Development, EOTC, relief and timetabling.

Email address: di@waiuku-college.school.nz   

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Deputy Principal
Francis Douglas Memorial College

Melinda is the Chair of the Taranaki Secondary Deputy Principals and Assistant Principals Association and serves as Deputy Principal at Francis Douglas Memorial College (FDMC).

FDMC is a Catholic, Lasallian boys’ school in New Plymouth with a roll of approximately 815 students.

Melinda has been Deputy Principal at the College since 2017. Prior to this role, she worked as a Lead Advisor for Curriculum Design and Assessment at the Ministry of Education in Wellington. Before joining the Ministry, she spent four years as Head of Digital Technologies at Sacred Heart Girls’ College, following a role as Head of Technology at New Plymouth Girls’ High School.  She was also a key player in the design and development of the body of knowledge for Digital Technologies and its introduction as a subject into the New Zealand Curriculum. She has been involved with the design of the NCEA Digital Technologies achievement standards, the refreshed Technology curriculum and the progress indicators for Digital Technologies. Melinda has been a marker for the external Technology assessment and a NZQA Moderator. 

At FDMC, her responsibilities include professional learning and development, teaching and learning, curriculum design, reporting and assessment, and NCEA systems and moderation in her role as Principal’s Nominee.

Outside of work, Melinda is a keen surfer and enjoys being in the water as a way to relax, reset, and recharge. She is married and has three adult daughters and two grandchildren.

Email: mel@fdmc.school.nz 

Deputy Principal
Paraparaumu College, Wellington

Helen is on the DAPA committee for the Wellington Region, and serving on the NASDAP committee is a natural progression from that mahi. 

Her advocacy for teachers and senior leaders is apparent through the many committees she has been involved in over her years as both an English & Media Studies teacher and Senior Leader. Most recently, through the work of the PPTA advisory committees, her time on SPAC enabled her to be the voice of senior leaders in the Wellington region.

Over many years, Helen has been involved in regional and national subject associations, and curriculum & qualification writing and alignment. With a Masters in Educational Leadership, she has dedicated her teaching career to ensuring both teachers and students have a powerful, lasting voice in education. 

Email: bsh@paraparaumucollege.school.nz 

Deputy Principal
Nayland College, Nelson

Rowan is Deputy Principal at Nayland College in Whakatū Nelson, where her current responsibilities include curriculum, assessment, reporting, achievement tracking, and wider school systems.
She was previously DP at Otago Girls’ High School, and has worked as a Ministry-accredited PLD facilitator with CORE Education, supporting schools, leaders, and Kāhui Ako across Aotearoa in areas such as future-focused learning, collaborative practice, Universal Design for Learning, digital technologies, learner agency, and curriculum design.

Rowan’s leadership practice is grounded in clarity, creativity, relational trust, and the belief that good systems should make complex work feel more human, not less. She is particularly interested in how Deputy and Assistant Principals can be supported to navigate the increasingly complex space between daily ‘plate-spinning’ operations, strategic leadership, pastoral care, curriculum change, staff development, and the occasional moment when someone urgently needs a timetable miracle.

As the NASDAP Executive representative for Te Tauihu, Rowan is keen to strengthen connections across the Top of the South, support meaningful regional PLD, and advocate for the vital work of senior leaders in secondary schools. She believes strongly in the value of professional networks where leaders can share practical wisdom, ask honest questions, and remember they are not doing this work alone.

Outside school, Rowan is a published poet and collage artist, and can often be found making zines, hunting for vintage paper, supporting local music, or searching for decent coffee.

Email: rowan.taigel@nayland.school.nz 

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