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An Inquiry Into How New Zealand Catholic Primary School Principals Perceive Their Role As Faith Leaders
Connors, Rosalie
Connors, Rosalie
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Abstract
This study explores the ways in which Aotearoa New Zealand Catholic primary school principals [ANZCPSP] perceive, enact and meet their responsibilities in their role as a faith leader. The study arose from concerns that there were insufficient numbers of people with suitable preparation and depth of faith formation to enact faith leadership, and that variable understandings and expressions of faith leadership were apparent from the researcher’s experience. From these concerns the researcher pursued four research sub-questions:
1. In what ways do ANZCPSP understand their role as a faith leader?
2. How have ANZCPSP enacted their faith leadership role?
3. In what ways have ANZCPSP been prepared for their faith leadership role?
4. What are the challenges for ANZCPSP in meeting their faith leadership responsibilities?
The research method incorporated an interpretivist and symbolic interactionist perspective to data gathered from unstructured interviews with 10 Catholic primary school principals in one diocese of Aotearoa New Zealand. Through employing the common characteristics of grounded theory and specific aspects of systematic and emerging grounded theory, the research questions were explored. A constant comparative method of data analysis, relative to grounded theory, was applied to break open the data allowing the core themes of the study to emerge.
A synthesis of research findings with associated literature identified new understandings to inform practice and scholarship in the field of faith leadership. The study established Catholic school leadership as a multifaceted and complex process with faith central to its enactment. However, the study demonstrated that there is an absence of a shared, clear, and concise interpretation of the characteristics and criteria for the effective enactment of faith leadership. While principals recognise their role as the face of the Church and the school as a place of Church in the changing religious context of many families, their understanding falls short of the wider understanding of the Church’s mission. In addition, the study highlighted a gap in the intentional, ongoing faith formation for principals, leading to a limited understanding of the mission of Catholic schools. Notwithstanding, leaders with experience in the role of director of religious studies were more prepared for faith leadership responsibilities exercised within the role of principal. Within the context of the Catholic school within the life of the parish, the study identified disconnection and limited collaboration toward mission goals between principals and parish priests.
Recommendations from the study underscored the necessity of generating a faith leadership framework for principals and generating and resourcing of a faith formation framework for teachers and principals. As well, an examination of the mission of Catholic schools due to the changed socio-religious context is advocated to support a shared vision for mission by principals, parish priests, and Catholic education office leaders. Finally, the study recommends opportunities for leadership formation and support of directors of religious studies with leadership potential.
Limitations of the study recognised the positionality of the researcher, the subjective interpretation of data, and the generalisability of results. Future research was recommended to incorporate wider subject populations and attention to the formation needs of younger Catholic teachers, the faith needs of Catholic school families, and preparation of seminarians and parish priests as pastors to Catholic school communities.
The research underlined the important role the principal as faith leader holds in Catholic schools in leading and advancing the mission of the Church. The ability of the principal to engage in this mission is impacted by several factors, all of which are founded in formation and processes of recruitment and empowerment of teachers for mission, engaging parents in the faith journey of their children, and maintaining an effective relationship with the parish priest.
Keywords
Leadership, faith, mission, formation, challenges
Date
2026-01-06
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Thesis
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Page Range
1-216
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ACU Department
School of Education
Faculty of Education and Arts
Faculty of Education and Arts
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CC BY 4.0 (Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International)
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This work © 2026, Rosalie Connors, is licensed under Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International CC BY 4.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/