Leanne Otene

Leanne Otene is the President of the New Zealand Principals’ Federation (NZPF) and an Executive Member of the International Confederation of Principals (ICP), representing Oceania and Asia. With 30 years of leadership experience across diverse schools, she is a strong advocate for principal and teacher wellbeing. She is also the recipient of the NEiTA 2021 Trans-Tasman NZ Principal Award.

Leanne collaborates with the NZ Government, Ministry of Education, and global education bodies to promote practitioner-led systems. She has held key regional and national leadership roles, contributed to policy development and  authored resources on leadership, wellbeing, and culturally responsive education. Leanne is an experienced keynote speaker and webinar presenter both in New Zealand and globally.

Leanne is dedicated to strengthening the education workforce through advocacy, speaking engagements, and media contributions. As Convention Lead, she will oversee planning for the ICP 2026 Convention.

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