Welcome to the International Confederation of Principals’ Convention 2026

Kia ora koutou

He mihi mahana kia koutou, nau mai haere mai koutou ki Aotearoa - he ao, he ao tea roa. We warmly welcome you to Aotearoa, New Zealand - The land of the long white cloud.

When news broke that The New Zealand Principals’ Federation (NZPF) had been endorsed to host the International Confederation of Principals’ (ICP) 2026 Convention, ICP Council members, representing 52 countries, expressed enthusiastic delight.

We were both honoured and humbled that principals from across the globe had voted to visit our country to experience our unique brand of education. They want to witness our individualised learning in action, immerse themselves in the multiple innovations in our schools and see first hand how we infuse our indigenous Māori culture throughout our curriculum. They want to join us on outdoor excursions to observe our ‘Education outside the Classroom’ programmes, watch cultural performances and better understand how we produce students with the highest creativity scores in the world. They also want to see and experience the beauty of our natural environment before and after the Convention.

We did not achieve this honour alone and I acknowledge the very generous support of Tourism New Zealand and the Auckland Convention Bureau in shaping our bid and for their continued support as we promote the 2026 Convention to school principals across the globe. I also extend my gratitude to the Prime Minister of Aotearoa, New Zealand, the Minister of Education, the Ministry of Education, Ngāti Whātua of Tāmaki Makaurau (Indigenous peoples of Auckland), the Mayor of Auckland and the Regional Principals' Associations across the country. They all wrote enthusiastic letters endorsing our bid to host the 2026 ICP Convention.

I pay tribute to Te Ringakaha Tia-Ward, a facilitator for our culturally transforming leadership programme, the Māori Achievement Collaboratives (MAC), for gifting us the theme for this Convention. Purapura Korari, Ka ruia e te hau - The seeds of the flax bush are dispersed by the four winds. The theme talks to equity, new generations, the scattering of ideas and people by Nga hau e wha - the four winds of the world, celebrating individual cultures and sharing differences. 

Across the globe, school principals have many issues in common, including equity, revival of the culture and language of indigenous peoples, curriculum and assessment, staffing and resourcing, wellbeing and learning support, advancing technology and more.  This Convention will stage keynote speakers and break out sessions on these topics, so that delegates can immerse themselves, debate and together create global solutions for the future.  

The ICP 2026 Organising Team is excited about welcoming you to our brand new carbon neutral Events Centre in our biggest city, Auckland, to immerse yourselves in culture, learning, debating and entertainment  - New Zealand style.

Ngā mihi

Leanne Otene

National President / ICP 26 Lead Convenor

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