Every principal in Aotearoa is being asked the same question right now: what does AI actually mean for my school? Most are working it out alone, squeezed into the gaps between everything else a principal already has to do.
As Founder and Director of Summit Institute (NZQA Provider #6659) and mathematics & assessment facilitator for the Ministry of Education, I have spent the past two years training more than 1,000 schools across New Zealand on AI in education. In 2027, I’m distilling that experience into a single, connected, year-long programme built specifically for principals, deputy and associate principals, and senior leadership teams: the AI Powered Principal Programme.
This isn’t another one-off workshop. It’s a structured pathway — regional breakfasts, weekly live PD, a personalised leadership readiness profile, and an NZQA-accredited micro-credential — designed to fit around a principal’s week rather than add another thing on top of it.
“Came in today thinking I was confident in what my school and I knew about AI. I was extremely impressed and ecstatic about my learning and what I can take away to the other leaders from my school.”
— Principal, Hamilton
Why this matters for school leaders now
After my AI breakfasts, teacher-only days, and cluster meetings, I always ask leaders how much time they think they could save by implementing what we’ve covered. The answer, in aggregate: school leaders tell me they save just over 8 hours a week — around 28 to 30 days a year — in administrative work alone. Educators in the classroom tell me something similar, saving around 5.5 hours a week and 28 days a year on differentiation, personalisation, and admin.
That’s not a promise of a shortcut. It’s what happens when AI strategy for schools moves from something a principal picks up piecemeal to something they build deliberately, with support, over a full year.
What’s actually included
I’ve built the programme around three connected parts, delivered across 40 weeks through 3 streams, so it works whether you’re a novice with AI or already using it every day.
1. Real connection, online and in person
- Regional breakfasts across Term Two in Whangārei, Auckland, Hamilton, Tauranga, Wellington, Blenheim, Christchurch and Dunedin
- A live, practical PD session every week (Tuesday or Wednesday, 8–9am), recorded for anyone who can’t make it, with hand-outs and ready-to-use ideas
- A weekly resource pack plus full access to the archive of past sessions and transcripts
- A monthly live AMA for the hardest questions
- A community of school leaders doing the same work, at the same time
- A free copy of my Equity Move book to share with your staff
2. An NZQA-accredited micro-credential, built around how you already work
I’ve designed three pathways so you can choose the one that matches where you’re at:
- Pathway A: AI for Workflow & Productivity
- Pathway B: Fundamentals of AI in Education
- Pathway C: Advanced Applications of AI in Education
You can change pathway at any time before enrolling — this is about matching your real day-to-day priorities, not sitting through theory for its own sake.
3. The Digital Leadership Readiness Profiler™
I built this as a structured 36-item self-assessment across six areas that matter for leading an AI-enabled school: Digital Mindset, Digital Literacy, Leading Digital Change, AI Leadership, Behavioural Leadership, and Digital Execution. It gives you a clear starting snapshot, a curated 90-day action plan, and a way to track how your digital leadership shifts across the year.
“Roadmapping use of AI to support the layers of school structure.”
— Deputy Principal, Auckland
Built for the whole senior leadership team, not just the principal
I’ve structured the programme across three streams sharing the same structure and community:
- Everyone together — leadership-focused, particularly for principals
- Deputy & senior leadership focus — an additional focus for DPs, APs, and SLT members
- Learning support focus — for SENCO leaders, learning support coordinators, RTLBs, RTVs and RTDs, focused on how AI can ease workload around additional and high-need students
You can bring your deputy principals along too — I wanted this to be a genuinely whole-of-leadership-team approach to AI readiness, not something one person carries back to the staffroom alone.
The programme fully includes every breakfast, every weekly session, every resource, the micro-credential, and full access to the Digital Leadership platform. No extra costs, no surprises. You can pay in full, or pay a deposit now and the balance against next year’s PD budget. You can add deputy principals too, with the same full access and community.
“I have so many new tools that I can add to my toolbox. This has been a great investment of my time.”
— Principal, Waikato school
See the full programme here: aipoweredprincipal.nz
Alongside the programme: practical tools you can use today
Whether or not you join the 2027 cohort, two tools I’ve built are freely available to any New Zealand school right now:
- AI Policy Creator and Reviewer — drafts a new AI governance policy or reviews an existing one: ChatGPT version | Gemini Gem version
- NZ Refreshed Curriculum Rubric Maker — a Gemini Gem for building rubrics aligned to the refreshed New Zealand Curriculum
Places are limited
I keep places in the AI Powered Principal Programme limited so the community stays close and the sessions stay genuinely useful. If you’re weighing this up for your 2027 PD budget, now’s the time.
Join the programme: tinyurl.com/aipoweredprincipal
Want to talk it through first — whether it’s the right fit for your school, your SLT, or your learning support team? Contact craig@summitinstitute.ac.nz to schedule an introductory chat.
About the author
Dr Craig Hansen is Founder & Director of Summit Institute (NZQA Provider #6659) and mathematics & assessment facilitator for the Ministry of Education, and New Zealand’s leading AI in education trainer. With a PhD in Education & the Creative Industries, he has researched, published and delivered keynotes on how to prepare graduates for success in fast-paced industries. He has trained more than 1,000 schools across Aotearoa New Zealand and works with teachers, school leaders and school boards to build practical, culturally responsive approaches to AI in education.
