
Conference 2022
September 7 - September 9


The NZEALS biennial conference meets in Hamilton on 7-9 September 2022
Join us at the University of Waikato to explore your Tūrangawaewae: your place to stand as a leader. Over three days, you will:
Hear insightful speakers who will provoke your thinking about what leadership is, where you stand as a leader, and where your leadership journey is taking you
Engage with stimulating leadership stories from leaders across the education sector
Explore the concept of leadership through the context of current research
Reflect on your own leadership experiences by sharing them with others
Gain insight into your leadership journey by thoughtful discussion.
We offer you space to ‘be’, to inter-connect with people and ideas, to grow, be stimulated and refreshed.
We extend a warm welcome to all educational leaders and thinkers across the education sectors, and particularly invite those who aspire to leadership to join our kōrero.
To enable delegates to register as a group, we have special rates for groups of three or more from the same school, ECE or tertiary institution: $550 per person instead of $850 (non-members) or $750 (members). Note that the Early Bird rates for full membership of $800 (non-members) or $700 (members) apply until 22 July.
All those attending the conference must have proof of full vaccination. We will only run the conference if it is safe to do so, and in the event of a cancellation, registration fees will be refunded, minus a small admin fee.
The position for international delegates is as follows. The current Government plan is that the NZ border will be open to vaccinated travellers from Australia from 12th April 2022, and for vaccinated travellers from visa-waiver countries (includes UK and USA) from 1st May 2022. There is no period of compulsory isolation. Please check your own situation on
A list of visa-waiver countries can be found at
If at this stage you prefer simply to express an interest in registration, please click the button below and fill in the form. This puts you under no obligation, but it will enable us to keep in touch with you regarding the situation at New Zealand borders.
For a successful conference, we need a multitude of voices, and one of them is yours
This is an invitation to submit an abstract or outline for one of our breakout groups. These are in a range of formats, lasting around 50 minutes, designed to enable attendees to participate, debate and enhance their understandings of leadership in education.
TŪRANGAWAEWAE
As we join together on Tainui land at the University of Waikato in September 2022, after a tumultuous few years, it is appropriate that our conference kōrero (dialogue) should focus on the places where we stand as leaders.
Situated at the confluence of the Waikato and Waipa awa (rivers) in Ngāruawāhia, Tūrangawaewae marae is the official residence of Kīngi Tuheitia Potatau Te Wherowhero VII, the seat of Kīngitanga, and the ancestral Aotearoa home of Waikato Tainui. Further afield, tūrangawaewae is a Māori term for the places where we feel greatest allegiance, belonging, empowerment and connection. Tūrangawaewae constitutes the physical, emotional and spiritual foundation on which we stand (tūranga = a place to stand, waewae = feet).
Hobbiton, the film set of Sir Peter Jackson's epic series adapted from J.R.R. Tolkien's classic stories, is the venue for our conference dinner on September 8th.