Joe Eccleton unveiled as new Christ’s College principal

Tuesday, 7 May 2024

Cashmere High School principal Joe Eccleton has been announced as the new executive principal of Christ’s College.

Christ’s College has announced its new principal - the familiar figure of Joe Eccleton.

The change of hands will also see the first woman in the top role at Christ’s, when Gillian Simpson takes the reigns briefly for a term in between the changeover.

Currently head of Cashmere High School, Eccleton will become the 19th executive principal of Christ’s College, a private school in central Christchurch. He is due to begin his role at the beginning of term four later this year.

Eccleton has led Cashmere for the past five years - during which time it has had record enrolments and increasing popularity - and is current president of the Canterbury West Coast Secondary Principals’ Association.

Garth Wynne, executive principal at Christ's College in Christchurch, will leave the school in July.

He will replace Christ College’s outgoing executive principal Garth Wynne, who finishes at the end of the term after eight-and-a-half years.

Eccleton said he was “excited” about rejoining Christ’s.

“I’ve got great connections at Cashmere High School, but life is about taking opportunities when you can, and the opportunity to lead one of the top independent schools in New Zealand is such an amazing opportunity for myself and my family,” he said.

There were no immediate plans in place for when when he takes over later this year, other than “continuing the great things that are happening”, and working with staff and the community to “set the benchmark for an outstanding education”.

Eccleton worked at Christ’s College from 2016 to 2019 as the assistant principal for curriculum.

Cashmere High School principal Joe Eccleton with headgirl Alice Tiso, left, Jacinda Ardern and headboy Okirano Tilaia in 2019.

“Joe is a strongly committed educator with a focus on delivering strong academic and co-curricular results backed by astute financial management and planning,” said Christ’s College board chair Hugh Lindo.

The Cashmere school community was saddened by the departure of an “inspiring educational leader”, Cashmere board chairperson James O’Connell said in a letter to parents.

Academic, cultural and sporting results were the best the school had seen, O’Connell said, all achieved while Eccleton steered the school through the Covid period and managed property projects.

“We are grateful for the positive impact he has made during his tenure,” O’Connell said.

His role for the regional principals’ association was “a testament to his ability to serve quietly and beyond expectations”.

Eccleton will be on a pre-arranged sabbatical in term three, when associate principal Carla Smith will be acting principal.

Gillian Simpson, former executive principal at St Margaret's College, will be the first female to lead private boys’ school Christ’s College. (File photo)

The school board would begin an “extensive and rigorous process” to appoint the next principal, O’Connell said.

Lindo said Christ’s recruitment process attracted high quality applications from New Zealand and overseas.

Christ’s College board chair Hugh Lindo said the school was delighted at Eccleton’s return.

Simpson, previously executive principal of St Margaret’s College and who has experience with boys’ schools in the United Kingdom, will be the school’s acting executive principal during term three.

“She will be, albeit just for a term, our first female executive principal,” which the school was excited about, Lindo told The Press.

She is a current member of the school’s governing board which she joined about four years ago and “knows our school very well” through its close relationship with St Margaret’s.

Lindo said the school was always looking to diversify its leadership and governance and acknowledged it was a “work in progress”, but said the college had a more diverse group of teaching staff compared to 20 or 30 years ago. “It’s different and that’s great.”

A letter to parents seen by The Press said there would be an opportunity later to thank outgoing executive principal Wynne “for his outstanding leadership”.

Wynne’s resignation was announced three days before the 2024 school year started. His time as principal was praised as “the most transformative and successful period in the history of the college”.

His tenure included scandal last year after it emerged the school had employed a live-in boarding house tutor from 2018 to 2019 who had a sexual relationship with a 16-year-old girl and groomed another teenager.

The remainder of the current school term will be Wynne’s last, before he returns to Australia to take up a role with Round Square, an international network of more than 200 schools, including Christ’s College.