Former Hamilton Boys' High School headmistress Susan Hassall has been made a Dame Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit in the King's Birthday Honours.
Throughout a career spanning decades in education, Susan Hassall has held firm to a simple belief: young people need to know they are valued, supported and loved.
Now, after a lifetime dedicated to education, Waikato and generations of young men, Hassall has been appointed a Dame Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit in the King’s Birthday Honours.
The honour follows her appointment as an Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit in 2021 and recognises her continued contribution to education and community leadership in the years since.
Hassall served as headmistress of Hamilton Boys’ High School from 1999 until 2024, leading the school through a period of significant growth and academic and sporting success.
She has served on the University of Waikato Council since 2016 and was appointed chancellor in 2025.
She is also the chairwoman of Hospice Waikato Trust and, this year, became deputy chairwoman of Momentum Waikato.
Reflecting on her career, she told Waikato Herald, that while the world around young people had changed dramatically, their fundamental needs had not.
“The world may have changed around us, and the only real difference is that young people face far greater challenges than previous generations.
“They need the same basic responses from us as adults that everybody always has, but they need them more.
“We need to be more intentional, we need to be more thorough, and we need to stick at it longer because they are facing a very insecure world.”
Despite stepping away from school leadership, Hassall said she felt fortunate to still be contributing through her community and governance roles.
“I’ve always loved being busy,” she said.
“I feel very fortunate that even though I retired from Hamilton Boys’ High School, I’m still able to contribute and be involved in the lives of young people, particularly, but also in the wider community.
“I’ve been part of Waikato for a very long time and it’s a very special place.”
Hassall said the recognition in the King’s Birthday Honours was also an acknowledgement of the importance of education and those who work within the sector.
Hassall said educators held one of the most important responsibilities in the country.
“The educators of New Zealand are the ones who will make the difference for the next 25 years.
“If somebody like me, who’s just an ordinary person who’s done the same things, is recognised, then I think that’s wonderful for education.”
She said schools played a vital role in creating environments where young people felt safe, valued and able to contribute.
“As a school principal, you have to create a pretty safe world for them, one they feel proud of being part of and which they love contributing to,” she said.
“People love to contribute and be part of things.”
“Young people need to be intentionally loved,” she said.
“You can show that in all sorts of different ways, but that’s the bottom line.”
Hassall has also continued to contribute through her governance roles.
As the University of Waikato chancellor, she helped facilitate the signing of a kawenata (charter) between Waikato-Tainui and the university in 2025, establishing a framework for collaboration on programmes that support their shared strategic objectives.
Looking at the region she has called home for decades, she said much has changed.
“Hamilton has grown up.
“It is no longer seen as a place that’s easy to get to everywhere else from.
“It is seen as a destination.
“It’s at the forefront in terms of innovation, it has a wonderful university, great schools and a good hospital. It’s a fantastic place to bring up children.
But she said growth also brought challenges.
“If there’s any risk, we have to be careful that we don’t grow so fast that we lose sight of who we are,” she said.
“We need to retain that real sense of being a small city.”
Hassall said she planned to celebrate the honour with family and friends.
“We are going to get together and have a fantastic celebration.”
Tom Eley is a multimedia journalist at the Waikato Herald. Before he joined the Hamilton-based team, he worked for the Weekend Sun and Sunlive. He previously worked as a journalist at Black Press Media in Canada and won a fellowship with the Vancouver Sun.