Derek’s blog

Derek’s Blog, launched in 2003, serves as a platform for sharing thoughts and reflections related to his work. It offers over 20 years of searchable posts, categorized by the tags below. Feel free to comment, as your feedback contributes to ongoing reflection and future posts.

Education Leadership Educational Transformation

Why Do Schools Lose Their Capacity to Learn?

July 29, 2026

This is the first of a four-part series exploring why a number of the innovative schools I’ve worked alongside or observed over the past two decades gradually drift back toward […]

Where do you even begin with an AI policy for your school?

July 20, 2026

Where do you start when your Board asks for an AI policy? These are conversations I’m having more regularly now with school leaders across Aotearoa. There is a growing recognition […]

Education Leadership Educational Transformation Learner Agency New Measures of Success Pedagogy

Why child-centred learning isn’t the ‘soft’ option

July 8, 2026

In my latest podcast conversation with Dr Sarah Aiono she describes taking a teacher by the arm and asking them to “melt into the wall” of their own classroom, inviting […]

Digital Education Leadership Educational Transformation

Evidence is no match for ideology

July 2, 2026

What happens when 44 years of hard-won educational wisdom collides with the current moment? You get one of the most provocative, refreshing, and urgently necessary conversations I’ve had in a […]

Education Leadership Educational Transformation

When the urgent drowns out the important

June 30, 2026

I’ve just been reading through the newly released findings from NZCER’s 2025 National Survey of Secondary Schools – a survey of 106 secondary principals across Aotearoa conducted between October 2025 […]

Digital Pedagogy

Our kids are at risk!

June 22, 2026

Last week I was speaking at the Hawkes Bay Primary Principals Association conference about the work I’ve been doing with the 2026 Education Environment Scan. At the event I had […]

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Education Leadership Educational Transformation New Measures of Success Pedagogy

Moving from performance to learning

June 21, 2026

Here’s ten minutes of viewing that I think every New Zealand educator, principal, and policymaker should make time for. Farida Shaheed, the UN Special Rapporteur on the right to education, […]

Beyond the personalisation debate

June 20, 2026

During the past week I read a post by Daisy Christodoulou titled Why personalising education based on student interests doesn’t work, which got me thinking about the current state of […]

Education Leadership Educational Transformation

A tale of two stadiums

June 16, 2026

Earlier this week I heard a friend of mine speaking to a group of people about his experience of change and a lesson he’d learned from attending a game of […]

Digital Learner Agency Pedagogy

Screens, Learning, and Getting the Balance Right

June 10, 2026

This week I was asked to speak with the SLT group in a local school who are wrestling with the issues being raised in their community around the use of […]

conference entry Education Leadership Educational Transformation New Measures of Success

Why Good Ideas Don’t Stick

June 4, 2026

A question from a conference participant led me to think more about how schools approach change. At the Whakaoriori Kahui Ako conference this week in Masterton I spoke about the […]

Education Leadership Educational Transformation

From Taylorism to Cognitive Management

June 1, 2026

Earlier this week I came across an article on Academia by James Michael Walker titled From the Scientific Management (Taylorism) to the Cognitive Management which got me thinking about what […]

Education Leadership Educational Transformation Open, Distance & Flexible Education

The morning everything converged

May 25, 2026

[NOTE – this post further illustrates some of the thinking that emerges from the 2026 Education Environment Scan, in particular around the idea of convergence and our response when schools […]

Blogs Education Leadership News & current events

A Life Well Spent

May 21, 2026

My personal tribute to Nick Billowes ONZM There are moments in life that remind you why some things matter more than the noise of the everyday. This week was one […]

Learner Agency Learning Ecosystems Pedagogy

Engagement types and social cohesion

May 13, 2026

In this blog post I explore the intersection of Winthrop & Anderson’s engagement framework and the Helen Clark Foundation’s Social Cohesion in New Zealand report. Imagine this common classroom setting. […]

Curriculum New Measures of Success

Rethinking assessment through a split-screen lens

April 25, 2026

Yesterday I had the privilege of hosting a webinar with Bill Lucas, Professor of Learning and Director of the Centre for Real-World Learning in the UK. Bill is also a […]

Education Leadership Educational Transformation Pedagogy

Everything sounds worthwhile – that’s the problem

April 20, 2026

A conversation with Scottish educator and NoTosh founder Ewan McIntosh Here’s a provocation to open with: the most important thing we can teach young people right now has nothing to […]

Learner Agency Pedagogy

Are we educating our young people to become our peers?

April 10, 2026

A reflection prompted by Rhonda Broussard and One Good Question “Are we educating our young people to become our peers?” That was the question I found most intriguing when Rhonda Broussard […]

Education Leadership Educational Transformation

If This Fails, Why? A Pre-Mortem for Education Change

April 8, 2026

What if we stopped pretending every new education initiative was automatically a good idea? That may sound harsh, but it is a question schools increasingly need to ask. Across Aotearoa […]

Educational Transformation Learner Agency Pedagogy

Is our lack of ambition limiting learning?

April 6, 2026

What if the biggest problem facing education today isn’t declining test scores, new technologies, or even curriculum reform? What if the real problem is that we’ve stopped being ambitious enough […]

Please get in touch to discuss your plans. FutureMakers is an approved provider of Ministry-funded, regionally allocated professional development (RAPLD). Search for Derek Wenmoth on the MoE website’s provider list when making an application.

What others say

The Learning Environments Australasia Executive Committee has received a lot of positive feedback, which is greatly due to your wealth of knowledge and information you imparted on our large audience, your presentation has inspired a range of educators, architects and facility planners and for this we are grateful.

Daniel Smith Chair Learning Environments Australasia

Derek and Maurie complement each other well and have the same drive and passion for a future education system that is so worthwhile being part of. Their presentation and facilitation is at the same time friendly and personal while still incredibly professional. I am truly grateful to have had this experience alongside amazing passionate educators and am inspired to re visit all aspects of my leadership. I have a renewed passion for our work as educational leaders.

Karyn Gray Principal, Raphael House Rudolf Steiner

I was in desperate need of a programme like this. This gave me the opportunity to participate in a transformative journey of professional learning and wellbeing, where I rediscovered my passion, reignited my purpose, and reconnected with my vision for leading in education. Together, we got to nurture not just academic excellence, but also the holistic wellbeing of our school communities. Because when we thrive, so does the entire educational ecosystem.

Tara Quinney Principal, St Peter's College, Gore

Refresh, Reconnect, Refocus is the perfect title for this professional development. It does just that. A fantastic retreat, space to think, relax and start to reconnect. Derek and Maurie deliver a balance of knowledge and questioning that gives you time to think about your leadership and where to next. Both facilitators have the experience, understanding, connection and passion for education, this has inspired me to really look at the why for me!

Jan McDonald Principal, Birkdale North School

Engaged, passionate, well informed facilitators who seamlessly worked together to deliver and outstanding programme of thought provoking leadership learning.

Dyane Stokes Principal, Paparoa Street School

A useful and timely call to action. A great chance to slow down, reflect on what really drives you, and refocus on how to get there. Wonderful conversations, great connections, positive pathways forward.

Ursula Cunningham Principal, Amesbury School

RRR is a standout for quality professional learning for Principals. Having been an education PLD junkie for 40 years I have never before attended a programme that has challenged me as much because of its rigor, has satisfied me as much because of its depth or excited me as much because of realising my capacity to lead change. Derek and Maurie are truly inspiring pedagogical, authentic leadership experts who generously and expertly share their passion, wisdom and skills to help Principal's to focus on what is important in schools and be the best leader they can be.

Cindy Sullivan Principal, Kaipara College

Derek Wenmoth is brilliant. Derek connects powerful ideas forecasting the future of learning to re-imagine education and create resources for future-focused practices and policies to drive change. His work provides guidance and tools for shifting to new learning ecosystems through innovations with a focus on purpose, equity, learner agency, and lifelong learning. His work is comprehensive and brings together research and best practices to advance the future of teaching and learning. His passion, commitment to innovation for equity and the range of practical, policy and strategic advice are exceptional.

Susan Patrick, CEO, Aurora Institute

I asked Derek to work with our teachers to reenergise our team back into our journey towards our vision after the two years of being in and out of 'Covid-ness'. Teachers reported positively about the day with Derek, commenting on how affirmed they felt that our vision is future focused. Teachers expressed excitement with their new learning towards the vision, and I've noticed a palpable energy since the day. Derek also started preparing our thinking for hybrid learning, helping us all to feel a sense of creativity rather than uncertainty. The leadership team is keen to see him return!

Kate Christie | Principal | Cashmere Ave School

Derek has supported, informed and inspired a core group of our teachers to be effective leads in our college for NPDL. Derek’s PLD is expertly targeted to our needs.

Marion Lumley | Deputy Principal |Ōtaki College

What a task we set Derek - to facilitate a shared vision and strategy with our Board and the professional and admin teams (14 of us), during a Covid lockdown, using online technology. Derek’s expertise, skilled questioning, strategic facilitation and humour enabled us to work with creative energy for 6 hours using a range of well-timed online activities. He kept us focussed on creating and achieving a shared understanding of our future strategic plan. Derek’s future focussed skills combined with an understanding of strategy and the education sector made our follow up conversations invaluable. Furthermore, we will definitely look to engage Derek for future strategic planning work.

Sue Vaealiki, Chair of Stonefields Collaborative Trust

Our Principal PLG has worked with Derek several times now, and will continue to do so. Derek is essentially a master facilitator/mentor...bringing the right level of challenge, new ideas & research to deepen your thinking, but it comes with the level of support needed to feel engaged, enriched and empowered after working with him.

Gareth Sinton, Principal, Douglas Park School

Derek is a highly knowledgeable and inspirational professional learning provider that has been guiding our staff in the development of New Pedagogies’ for Deep Learning. His ability to gauge where staff are at and use this to guide next steps has been critical in seeing staff buy into this processes and have a strong desire to build in their professional practice.

Andy Fraser, Principal, Otaki College