With the departure of Mr Denham to take on a role of Headmaster at Wellington College, Massey High School’s Board of Trustees has much pleasure to announce that it, with the assistance of our whanau group representatives, has appointed Mr Alastair Fairley as our new Principal.

We are excited to have someone of such experience and talent to lead the school. Mr Fairley has been at Massey High for 16 years. He has a proven understanding of our students and wider community’s talents and needs and has a strong desire to see everyone reach their potential through education.

Below is a bio of Mr Fairley. 

Alastair entered the teaching profession in 2006. Prior to that he worked for 10 years in the specialised field of Insolvency Accounting both here and in the United Kingdom. 

Born and bred in the West, he attended Rutherford High School (now Rutherford College) before attending the University of Auckland where he graduated with a Bachelor of Commerce (Accounting, Finance) and a Post Graduate Diploma in Commerce (Commercial and Insolvency Law). He looks back on that chapter in his career as setting the stage for answering the call to teach.

“Whilst personally rewarding, the continued exposure to the impact that barriers to education can have on life choices for young New Zealanders made me acutely aware of the need to embark on a very different pathway”

The catalyst for change was the liquidation of a long established business that saw him putting a large number of young men and women out of work – men and women who had limited choices in terms of alternative employment as the result of limited engagement with education, many of who were raising families that would likely grow up in similar circumstances. 

Teaching was a way to be part of a profession that provides opportunities and choices for young people.

A Post Graduate Diploma in Teaching (Secondary) through Massey University (which included a placement at Massey High School), led him to joining the staff of Massey High School in 2006 – initially as a teacher of Accounting and Economics. He subsequently became the Year 13 Level Co-Ordinator and began his long association with Student Leadership, a role which he still enjoys today.

He joined the Senior Leadership Team in 2015, working closely with the school’s Pastoral Care team, restructuring systems to enhance the already strong support mechanisms in place at Massey High School. His portfolios also included responsibilities for property, finance, and initiatives to strengthen Massey High School’s bonds with the community as well as being involved with teaching and learning.

He is a strong proponent of the mantra that every student counts and champions Massey High School as an environment that, through the work of its teachers, supports the diverse mix of backgrounds, cultures, and talents of the students he has the privilege of working with.