Schools are operating in an increasingly complex legal and regulatory environment, with growing pressure on principals, boards and senior leaders to make confident, well-informed decisions. This practical one-day conference delivers essential guidance on the key legal, governance and workplace issues currently affecting schools across Aotearoa New Zealand, from staff management and investigations to privacy, AI, health and safety and board-principal relationships. Hear directly from leading experts, gain clear answers to difficult questions, and take away practical strategies you can apply immediately in your school or practice. Leave with the confidence, clarity and practical tools to manage risk, strengthen governance and support better decision-making across your school community.
Thursday, 15 October 2026
9.00am to 1.15pm Session 1 details coming soon!
Description
Attend and earn 7 CLD/PLD/CPD hours
Legalwise Seminars Education Law Programmes are included in the Principal Development Plan list of Courses and Programmes on the Education Workforce website. This programme will be uploaded shortly
Secure your place now and ensure your school is prepared for the legal and operational challenges ahead.
Managing Poor Performance Within Your Team
- Gain practical guidance on managing underperformance confidently and lawfully
- Receive expert assistance to help you address performance concerns early, navigate difficult conversations
- Implementing effective processes to support improvement while minimising risk
Presented by Gretchen Stone, Partner, Harrison Stone
Running an Investigation When a Compliant Has been Received
There will be occasions where schools will be in receipt of a complaint that requires an investigation. This complaint may be from a student about a staff member, a member of a student’s whanau against a staff member or a staff member raising concerns about another staff member.
Take a deep dive into:
- When an investigation is required
- Whether that investigation should be internal or external
- What the steps are in an investigation
- Possible outcomes to the employment relationship following an investigation
Presented by Fiona McMillan, Partner, Lane Neave
11.00am to 11.15am Morning tea break
Complaints: Risks or Opportunities?
Complaints are inevitable in the school environment. A lot of complaint handling in schools is driven primarily by risk aversion. But by framing complaints in this way, schools can become defensive and respond in ways that don't survive scrutiny. Tim Sterne makes the case for a different philosophy: complaints aren’t just risks to be managed - every complaint also presents an opportunity to build reputation, trust and confidence. This session provides a practical roadmap for getting there.
In this session we will explore:
- The current complaint landscape in Aotearoa New Zealand schools
- Why the risk management default is itself a risk
Presented by Tim Sterne, Founding Director, Basalt Solutions
Health and Safety Update for Schools
Understand your obligations and responsibilities in a rapidly evolving health and safety landscape
- Health and Safety at Work Amendment Bill: Navigate through the key changes and practical implications for the education sector (noting the amendments may or may not be enacted by October)
- Understand the regulatory approaches and emerging trends in the schools context: Gain insights into WorkSafe’s current approach to schools, including recent enforcement trends, areas of focus and what this means in practice
- Gain practical guidance for principals and school boards: gain targeted, pragmatic steps to support effective governance of health and safety risks, including officer due diligence in a school setting
Presented by Sanja Marin, Senior Associate, Duncan Cotterill
AI, Data Protection and Privacy in the Education Setting
The risk for Boards of Trustees, Principals and schools in respect of AI, privacy and data breach has never been higher. New Zealand’s Cyber Security Strategy and Action Plan flagged a likely new penalty regime under the Privacy Act 2020 (PA 2020). The associated consultation paper recommends director-level penalties of up to NZ$500,000 for those who negligently, recklessly or knowingly fail to meet minimum cyber security requirements. Schools also face the risk of vast class-action lawsuits by those impacted by large-scale privacy / data breaches.
Gain a working understanding of:
- Effective preparation and mitigation of these risks, including:
- Development and implementation of robust AI-Use, Privacy and Data Breach Response Plans
- Educating workforces on responsible use of AI
- How to calmly navigate the myriad legal obligations that kick-in upon a serious privacy/data breach
The session will be interactive, with opportunity to ask burning questions on a topic of hot interest for which we are seeing several headlines over the past few months alone.
Presented by Joseph Harrop, Special Counsel, Lane Neave
Tips and Best Practice for Creating a Good Principal/Board Relationship
A strong, trust-based relationship between the Board and Principal is central to school success in Aotearoa New Zealand.
- Explore how a clear, respectful partnership between governance and management drives better outcomes for learners, staff and communities
- Unpack common pitfalls such as blurred roles, poor communication and unmanaged tension
- Showcase what best practice can look like in the New Zealand context, drawing on current NZ guidance and case experience
- Gain practical tools, questions and examples you can take away to strengthen trust, avoid common traps and build a productive, future-focused partnership
Presented by Patrick Ikiua, Chief Advisor Employment/ Manager Collective Bargaining, New Zealand School Boards Association – GovHub
Plus, More to Be Announced
More leading speakers and high-value sessions will be added soon, keeping the programme current, practical and responsive to the issues schools are facing now.
Who should attend?
School management, principals and executive, senior educators, school Board members nd education lawyers.
Why Attend?
- Stay informed on the latest legal and regulatory developments
- Gain practical, real-world strategies you can apply immediately
- Learn from experienced education law specialists and sector leaders
- Strengthen your confidence in managing complex legal issues in your school
- Network with peers facing similar challenges
2.00pm to 5.15pm Session 2 details coming soon!
Presenters
Patrick Ikiua, Chief Advisor Employment/ Manager Collective Bargaining, GovHuPatrick is part of GovHub, where he leads the development of best-practice employment advice for school boards across New Zealand, supporting effective governance and leadership in the education sector. He hold degrees in Commerce and Law from the University of Auckland, along with postgraduate qualifications in Financial Securities and Strategic Projects. His professional background includes practice as a lawyer and corporate legal counsel in New Zealand and internationally, with a strong focus on employment and commercial law. Alongside his legal career, he maintained a commitment to education through lecturing roles as adjunct faculty in commercial and contract law, reflecting a strong interest in building capability and sharing knowledge. His governance experience includes serving as a school board presiding member, where he developed a clear appreciation of the pivotal role of board leadership and the importance of a strong, trust-based relationship between the board and principal. He recognised this relationship as central to driving strategic direction, supporting effective school leadership, and ultimately improving outcomes for students.
Tim Sterne, Founding Director, Basalt Solutions
Tim Sterne is the Founding Director of Basalt Solutions, a consultancy serving education and nonprofit organisations across New Zealand, Australia and the Pacific. Formerly a Detective Sergeant with New Zealand Police, Tim brings a wealth of experience leading sensitive and complex investigations. He also brings lived experience in education, having worked as a teacher. He remains closely connected to the sector through his wife, a teacher and co-owner of Basalt Solutions. Since founding Basalt Solutions in 2024, Tim has worked primarily in the school sector. He has worked alongside state, state-integrated, and independent schools across New Zealand, Australia, and the Pacific Islands, helping leaders respond to concerns and complaints. His services span independent investigations, reviews, training, and advisory, with a growing focus on upstream solutions such as speak-up mechanisms and no-blame organisational reviews. His services include unique professional learning that equips pastoral leaders to conduct high-quality investigations into student conduct. Tim's work is grounded in the conviction that how organisations respond to complaints shapes the reputation they hold within their community.
Gretchen Stone, Partner, Harrison Stone
Gretchen Stone specialises in employment and education law. She advises secondary principals through the Secondary Principals Association of New Zealand and with primary principals as the Honorary Solicitor for Auckland Primary Principals Association. Gretchen has extensive experience advising Principals and Board of Trustees in relation to employment and disciplinary issues, governance and management, student discipline issues, social media, and all areas of legal liability within the education sector.
Sanja Marin, Senior Associate, Duncan Cotterill
Sanja is a specialist health and safety lawyer with significant experience across New Zealand and Australian jurisdictions. She has previously worked as a prosecutor for WorkSafe New Zealand and the New South Wales health and safety regulator in Australia. She has also worked and as a senior legal advisor for WorkSafe providing legal advice on commercial, operational, regulatory, legislative, public law, and criminal law matters.
Fiona McMillan, Partner, Lane Neave
Fiona is the Auckland Partner of the Lane Neave Employment Law team and commenced her career with Lane Neave in 2007. Fiona and her team act for both employees and employers in matters involving employment relations, health and safety, human rights, privacy and ACC. Fiona advises on all aspects of termination including performance management, misconduct, serious misconduct, medical incapacity, restructurings and redundancies and negotiated exits. She also specialises in collective bargaining, human rights commission matter and independent external investigations. In 2019, Fiona undertook the certification from the Association of Workplace Investigators in Vail, Colorado, USA. Fiona regularly represents employers in Mediations, Employment Relations Authority Investigation meetings and the Employment Court. In 2022 and 2023, she was recognised as an Elite Woman in NZ Lawyer’s annual rankings. Fiona has also been recognised in Doyle’s Guide, Legal 500 and Chambers & Partners as a leading employment and health and safety practitioner in New Zealand.
Joseph Harrop, Special Counsel, Lane Neave
Joseph specialises in Employment and Privacy Law, along with Health and Safety. He is particularly focused on the intersection of these areas with the emerging risks and opportunities presented by AI. In the privacy and data sphere, Joseph helps businesses and organisations develop AI-Use, Privacy, and Data Breach Response Plans and manage AI use within the workplace. He assists with implementation of plans, including trial-runs and education. In the event of a data breach, Joseph has the expertise to guide organisations calmly through their obligations under a variety of different intersecting laws. He also connects organisations to cybersecurity experts for a wrap-around service. Joseph has considerable litigation experience and can assist with further steps, such as obtaining injunctions to limit further unwanted disclosure in the event of a breach.
