New appointments to the Matatū Aotearoa | Teaching Council Governing Council

Patrick Walsh MNZM – Acting Chair, Governing Council 

Patrick Walsh is a highly experienced New Zealand secondary school principal and educational leader, currently serving as Headmaster of Sacred Heart College in Auckland since 2022. 

He has over 35–40 years of experience in education, including 18–19 years as Principal of John Paul College. 

Patrick has played a significant role at the national level, serving as President of the Secondary Principals’ Association of New Zealand (SPANZ) and President of SPANZ Union, 9 years on the Disciplinary Tribunal and Chairperson of the Schools International Education Business Association of New Zealand (https://sieba.nz/sieba/about-us) for 4 years. He is currently the Vice President of the Auckland Secondary Principals Association and is on the SPANZ Executive.

Andrée Atkinson  

Andrée Atkinson is a New Zealand professional director, chartered accountant, and governance specialist with extensive experience across the education, business, and not for profit sectors. 

A Fellow of Chartered Accountants Australia and New Zealand (FCA), she has built a career in accountancy, business advisory, and strategic consulting, bringing strong expertise in finance, audit, and organisational performance. 

Andrée holds a number of significant governance roles. Alongside her role in the Teaching Council, she is a board member of the New Zealand Qualifications Authority (NZQA) and serves on the board of Te Aho o Te Kura Pounamu (formerly the Correspondence School). She also chairs national organisations such as Youthtown, New Zealand Certified Builders, The Law Association of New Zealand, and several finance and risk committees. 

Dr Sarah Brown

Dr. Sarah Brown is an educational leader who has served as the Principal of Kerikeri Primary School in Northland since 2018. Elevating to the role after a successful tenure as Deputy Principal, she has dedicated her leadership to fostering inclusive, student-centred learning environments that champion both academic achievement and holistic wellbeing for a diverse student community. 

Beyond her school leadership, Sarah has contributed significantly to the wider sector. She has lectured in initial teacher education (ITE) programmes across various tertiary institutions in both early childhood education (ECE) and primary school education. In 2019, she completed her doctorate, specialising in the critical transition between ECE and primary school. 

Sarah is regarded as a committed educational leader dedicated to improving outcomes for tamariki across all sectors. 

Heath Chittenden  

Heath Chittenden is a New Zealand primary school educator who serves as the Principal of Ashhurst School, a co-educational state primary school in Ashhurst, Manawatū-Whanganui. 

Heath began his principalship in 2002 in a small “U1” school in rural south Taranaki, progressing up the ‘U grades’ to become Principal of Ashhurst School in 2016. He leads the school’s senior leadership team and is responsible for guiding its vision of ‘Eke Taumata – Reach for the Highest Peak’, supporting student achievement across Years 1–8. 

Heath developed the inflipped model for students to be provided information prior to teacher instruction. Ashhurst is also internationally known as an exemplar case study of the mastery-based/science of learning model in a school setting, which makes changes to teaching practice to improve student outcomes.  

Heath has considerable knowledge of teaching practice and school leadership, and a deep interest in professional development and learning for schools.  

Patrick Drumm  

Patrick Drumm is a New Zealand educator and school leader who has served as Headmaster of Mount Albert Grammar School (MAGS) in Auckland since 2016. 

Before taking on this role, Patrick built extensive leadership experience in secondary education. He was Principal of Botany Downs Secondary College in 2015 and spent over five years as Principal of Aorere College (2009–2014). Earlier in his career, he was an Associate Principal at St Peter’s College in Auckland. 

As headmaster of one of New Zealand’s largest and most prominent secondary schools, he is known for promoting high academic standards, strong co-curricular programmes, and a values-based school culture often referred to as the ‘MAGS Way’. Patrick is also an elected member on the Secondary School Sport Board. 

Debbie Francis 

Debbie Francis is a senior New Zealand public sector leader and governance specialist with extensive experience in education, strategy, and organisational change. 

She has held a number of prominent executive roles, including Chief Executive of the New Zealand Correspondence School, Deputy Chief Executive of UCOL, and Director of Strategy and Futures at Lincoln University. 

In addition to her work in the education sector, Debbie has worked as a lead partner at PwC, heading its People and Change practice and leading its central government advisory work, where she specialised in large-scale transformation programmes.

Dame Susan Hassall DNZM JP  

Dame Susan Hassall is a highly regarded New Zealand educator and academic leader known for her long service to secondary and tertiary education. 

She spent more than four decades at Hamilton Boys’ High School, including 25 years as Headmaster (1999–2024), becoming the first woman to lead a boys’ state secondary school in New Zealand. Her leadership saw significant growth in the school’s size, academic results, and national reputation. 

Following her school career, Dame Susan moved into university governance and was appointed Chancellor of the University of Waikato in 2025, after previously serving on the University Council and as Pro-Chancellor. 

The Teaching Council looks forward to working with the new Governing Council as the organisation continues to deliver its statutory responsibilities and its focus on safe, trusted teaching across Aotearoa New Zealand.