Hastings Girls’ High School – Ngā Rau Huia o Ākina is delighted to announce the appointment of Lisa Akers as our new Principal

Lisa brings more than three decades of experience in secondary education, with an extensive background in leadership, pastoral care, curriculum innovation, and community engagement. Her career includes senior leadership at Wairoa College and she has led major portfolios in pastoral systems, curriculum development, wellbeing, senior assessment, learning enhancement, and school-wide operations. She comes to us from Iona College but has also worked at Napier Girls’ High School, and Te Kura Correspondence School.

A proud former student of Hastings Girls’ High School, Lisa has a deep and lifelong connection to our kura and the Hastings community. She attended Frimley Primary, Heretaunga Intermediate, and Hastings Girls’ High, where she achieved proxime accessit and academic honours before beginning her teaching career. She later returned to HGHS as a Physics teacher, an experience that cemented her passion for education and her strong sense of responsibility to the school’s legacy and future. 

Throughout her career, Lisa has demonstrated a commitment to equity, excellence, and inclusive education. She has led significant initiatives that strengthened student engagement, transformed school culture, and improved outcomes across diverse communities. Her leadership at Wairoa College saw the successful revitalisation of pastoral systems, improved attendance and achievement, and national recognition through One News for the school’s transformation journey. 

Lisa is known for her strengths in:

• building strong relationships with students, staff, whānau, and iwi

• fostering collaborative, high-performing teams

• leading personalised, place-based learning

• growing leadership capability in others

• maintaining calm, strategic decision-making under pressure

• driving change with clarity, compassion, and integrity

She is deeply committed to ensuring that every learner feels seen, valued, and supported to reach their full potential — aligning strongly with the values of Ākina and the aspirations of our community.

Lisa and her husband have recently returned home to Hawke’s Bay, and she is looking forward to reconnecting with the kura that shaped her, and to leading Hastings Girls’ High School into its next chapter with authenticity, vision, and heart. 

We warmly welcome Lisa back to Ngā Rau Huia o Ākina and look forward to the leadership, stability, and passion she will bring to our school.