Waikato Principals' Association

Waikato Principal's Association 2025 Kaupapa - Leading Observable Learning Cultures

Welcome to the Waikato Principals' Association

Welcome to 2025.

The Waikato Principals’ Association (WPA) is the collective voice for primary and intermediate school principals in the greater Waikato region.

WPA is a strong lobby and support group that has influence at both the local and national level

The WPA is a strong and viable professional organisation that has a history of successful service, initiatives and representation of principals’ interests in addressing the needs of primary and intermediate school education in New Zealand.

Waikato Principals' Association 2025 Kaupapa

Leading Observable Learning Cultures.

Schools act as collective, visible, and ongoing educational environments where actions support a shared vision of a commitment to growth through practices that inspire, support, and sustain a school culture centered on learning.

Mà pango mà whero ka oti te mahi. With your thread and my thread the work gets done. 

 

 

Waikato Principals' Association 2025 Events

 

Making Connections Day Term 3  (Week 5) Thursday – 14th August 2025

Featuring Di Foster – Seasoned Coach and Business Leader Speaker

Andrea Twaddle – Experienced, highly effective, specialist employment lawyer and workplace investigator.

 

Making Connections Day Term 4  (Week 3) Thursday – 23rd October 2025

Featuring Andrew Miller – Roar Coaching NZ

Making Connections Day Term Three Thursday 14th August 2025 Di Foster - Seasoned Coach and Business Leader Andrea Twaddle - Experienced, highly effective, specialist employment lawyer and workplace investigator.

Who is Di Foster?

I have an accounting and commerce degree and started working for Tamahine Knitwear in Dunedin as soon as I graduated. That led to a career in management in a variety of companies in the knitwear and production industry. With major shifts in the industry and involvement in business closures, mergers, and start-ups, my coaching career began as a natural transition from working as a business consultant for 15 years.

I’ve had breast cancer twice. Last time they told me I was terminal and I had a year to live. That was 14 years ago. I’m alive and, without being too trite, I want to help people live their best life – both in business and in every other aspect of life. Let’s not delude ourselves, it’s all connected. Business is my true passion and I’m much, much more than a cancer story. It just so happens cancer gave me a ripping yarn and some good life lessons.

Coaching, for me, is about giving people a perspective shift and making them understand life’s too short to sweat the small stuff. We should be doing cool things with the time we have.

Andrea Twaddle

Director, Employment Law and Workplace Investigations.

Andrea is an experienced, highly effective, specialist employment lawyer and workplace investigator.

Andrea is well known for providing astute, commercially sound, and pragmatic advice. Her experience as a Director and prior career in human resources ensures a first-hand understanding that people are essential to an organisation’s success and that some rewards and challenges arise from managing staff.

Andrea is recognised as one of the few specialists in the greater Waikato region to conduct high-quality, independent workplace investigations into allegations of misconduct (including harassment and bullying). She is a member of the Association of Workplace Investigators (AWI) and holds the AWI Institute Certificate in international best practice investigations.

Andrea has expertise in the health (in particular mental health) and education sectors, and also includes:  Employment law, Workplace investigations, Coronial Inquiries, Education Law, Health Law, Sports Law.

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Making Connections Day Term Four Thursday 23rd October 2025 Andrew Miller - Roar Coaching NZ

ANDREW MILLER

Senior Coach

Real. Relatable. Impactful.

As the lead coach here at Roar Coaching, Andrew operates with genuine care and a clever curiosity for understanding what makes you tick.

He has a natural ability to work with individuals and teams to unlock potential, encourage deeper connections and overcome challenging situations. Andrew gets a kick out of knowing he is making a difference.

Andrew navigates life with his wife Hana and their children Brigitta, Quinn, Darcy and Zinzan, together they are proud to call Hamilton home.

 

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