Take the next step in your leadership career and apply for the Aspiring Principal Programme
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Last updated 22 October 2025
Each year the Aspiring Principal Programme accepts 200 applicants who want to make the move to become a principal. The programme is open to experienced educators with high levels of leadership aspiration and potential. You do not need to be an assistant or deputy principal to apply.
Before making an application, consider the following:
Do I intend to apply for principal roles within the next 2 to 3 years?
Am I ready to commit to a programme with diverse programme components while continuing to meet current role expectations?
Can I demonstrate formal or informal leadership experience in my current or past roles?
If you can answer yes to all three questions, we welcome your application.
Applications for the 2026 programme close 5pm, 29 October 2025.
Aspiring principal referee endorsements are required by 5pm, 31 October 2025.
Key programme information
The programme aims to prepare you to lead a school or kura with clarity, cultural competence, and strategic focus. It is designed to combine structured learning, collaboration, and personalised support to connect theory with practice. You will work with a mentor principal and will be required to undertake a practical leadership project in your school.
Commitment to the programme, including meeting programme expectations, will be carefully managed alongside your teaching workload, other work commitments and time constraints.
To further support your success, the Ministry will make a contribution of three teacher release days to your school or kura if you are accepted into the programme.
Aspiring Principal Programme
Number of places available
200
Application dates
17 September to 5pm, 29 October 2025
Deadline for referee endorsement
5pm, 31 October 2025
Notification period
To be confirmed
To be eligible to apply, you must:
Be currently employed as a permanent teacher (at least 0.6 full-time teacher equivalent (FTTE)) in a New Zealand state or state-integrated school or kura.
Hold a Tiwhikete Whakaakoranga Tūturu | Full Practising Certificate (Category One).
Have a minimum of four years FTTE teaching experience, including at least two years in New Zealand state or state-integrated school settings.
Have informed your principal | tumuaki you want to apply and have their support.
Home school support and referee choice
Your current principal must support your application. Choosing your current principal to also act as your referee is an obvious choice, but not the only one.
You can also choose a previous principal or other professional; someone who knows you well enough to assess your leadership ability and potential across several capability areas.
Referees will be required to complete an endorsement form, including an assessment of your existing leadership competency.
Please ensure your referee understands they will need to submit the endorsement form to complete the application process.
The format of the application includes demographic data, referee details, an eligibility check and three long-form responses about your career, aspirations and leadership impact to date. You will also be asked to make a declaration and confirm the information provided is correct.
The three key questions ask you to detail your:
teaching career
leadership experience
principalship | tumuaki aspirations.
The information you provide in the long-form responses will form the basis of your application assessment.
See the applicant guidance linked below for more information about the programme and instructions for completing an application. The guidance is also located in the popular resources section of the webpage.
As a referee, you will be asked to assess the applicant's readiness, current leadership competency and potential across key capability areas.
Referees should read the referee guidance linked below and included in the popular resources section of the webpage before completing the online endorsement form. You will also need to know the applicant's MOE number so your endorsement can be matched with their application.
To ensure an aspiring principal applicant can be assessed for the programme, referees must submit their endorsement form.
