Navigating Well: A Wellbeing Retreat for NZ School Principals (Rarotonga)

Navigating Well: A Wellbeing Retreat for NZ School Principals

11-13 August 2025 , Crown Beach Resort, Rarotonga

With online meets throughout the year

Your investment includes the facilitator fees, preparation and resources, venue and catering throughout the retreat,as well as a conference dinner, and local school visits. Additional costs of travel and accommodation are your responsibility.

Special rates for Accommodation at Crown Beach Resort. Book directly by email mailto: reservations@crownbeach.com and quote Principals Retreat

• 1 Bedroom Garden Villa @ NZ$403 per night (Usually NZ$575 per night)
• Courtyard Pool Suite @ NZ$557 per night (Usually NZ$795 per night)
• 1 Bedroom Beachfront Villa @ NZ$627 per night (Usually $895 per night)

Or alternatively The Edgewater Resort is a short stroll to the Crown Resort and has cheaper accommodation. Contact https://www.edgewater.co.ck/

Or check out other options on booking.com

Overview:

As a school principal, you lead the way for your school, charting a course through unpredictable waters. But even the most experienced navigators need a chance to recharge, reconnect and restock for the journey ahead.

Join us for Navigating Well, a transformative wellbeing retreat in Rarotonga. Immerse yourself in the island’s natural beauty, nourish your mind, and forge lasting connections with fellow principals.

Navigating Well is a PLD programme in a retreat format, designed to be trauma-informed, systems-aware, and culturally responsive, offering you the space and support to reflect, renew, and return to your leadership role refreshed and inspired.

Key Outcomes:

• Deepen your self-care practices and resilience through evidence-based tools
• Build a strong network of peer support
• Gain valuable tools for influencing wellbeing in your school and personal life
• Experience a structured journey of learning and co-regulation

About the facilitators

Paul Tupou-Vea is a passionate and experienced educator, facilitator and consultant specialising in wellbeing and human improvement. With over 20 years in the field, Paul has held various roles, including youth development practitioner, coach, outdoor instructor, teacher, manager, board member, and wellbeing consultant. He has qualifications ranging from social science to positive psychology and as the co-founder of Teachers’ Well, founder and co-director of Clifftop Wellbeing, Paul is dedicated to empowering leaders, educators and rangatahi to thrive.

Asha Tupou-Vea is an educational leader and strategist who thrives on learning and creativity. She has held various teaching and leadership roles across Primary, Middle, and Secondary Schools, and now works alongside school leaders and teams, other educational institutions and organisations. Currently, Asha is the Co-director of Clifftop Wellbeing, consults for EdConnect as an accredited Ministry of Education facilitator, and leads Special Projects for Dilworth School. Passionate about co-designed transformational change, Asha supports others in developing strategy, change management, curriculum and learning design, and improving systems and structures. Her core business is to serve others by making the complex, simple.

Some feedback from Principals who attended in 2024…

“It was a wonderful week, if only that moment and energy could be captured! It was the elixir I think many of us craved and needed.”

“Thank you for such an inspiring experience. I appreciate you sharing these resources with us. The video and the resource pack brought tears to my eyes. It was truly a special experience and I’m already trying hard to implement some of the learnings.”

“I loved loved LOVED! The conference. Best ever.  I will honestly use all the new knowledge . My kete was full.”

“This was truly the best conference I have attended in my 5 years of principalship.”

See draft programme below