Dame Susan Hassall tells Mary Anne Gill she plans to lead Waikato University into a defining moment with its new medical school. But what comes next?
Dame Susan Hassall at home in Cambridge. Photo: Mary Anne Gill
Susan Hassall has her sights set on 2028 and intends to still be chancellor of Waikato University when its long-awaited medical school opens.
“That’s the dream,” she says.
“I’d like to be part of that journey.”
It is a fitting goal for a leader whose career has been defined by long term commitment to education and the region.
Hassall, 71, who was made an Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit in 2021, has now been made a Dame Companion in the King’s Birthday Honours.
Erica Stanford
Education minister Erica Stanford described her as among those making significant contributions to educational leadership across New Zealand.
Her influence in the Waikato has been far-reaching.
Best known as headmaster of Hamilton Boys’ High School for 25 years, she retired in 2024 after more than four decades at the school. But retirement lasted only days before she was drawn into further leadership roles across the region.
She is now the university’s chancellor, chairing the governing council at a time of rapid growth and transformation.
“The university is doing very, very well,” she says.
“We are increasing our numbers against market trends, so it’s exciting.”
Central to that momentum is the proposed medical school, scheduled to open in 2028 with an initial intake expected to be about 120 students.
Waikato-Tainui chair Tukoroirangi Morgan gestures to Prime Minister Christopher Luxon to take a spade ahead of the sod-turning ceremony at Waikato University’s new medical school watched by Health minister Simeon Brown, behind him MPs Tim van de Molen, Louise Upston, Tama Potaka and Ryan Hamilton; vice chancellor Neil Quigley, former chancellors John Gallagher and Anand Satyanand with present chancellor Susan Hassall.
Chancellor Susan Hassell, Sir Anand Satyanand, Vice-Chancellor Neil Quigley. Photo: Mike Walen / Barker Photography.
Hassall credits vice chancellor Neil Quigley for pushing the project forward.
“He’s fought and fought and fought,” she says.
“It’s his medical school.”
The facility is expected to have significant regional impact, not just for tertiary education but for healthcare workforce development.
Momentum Waikato, where Hassall is deputy chair, is already working on scholarship models to support students into medical training and encourage graduates to return to their home communities.
“It’s about lifting the whole Waikato. Not just the university,” she says.
She is also involved in Te Pae Kōkako The Aotearoa New Zealand Opera Studio, known as TANZOS, working alongside fellow dame Malvina Major.
Former Momentum Waikato Chair Leonard Gardner and Dame Malvina Major.
TANZOS and Momentum Waikato launched the TANZOS Dame Malvina Major Legacy Fund in January.
The two dames caught up for coffee over the weekend, where Hassall shared news of her honour.
She is chair of Hospice Waikato Trust, a role she returned to after stepping in as acting chief executive for nearly a year following her retirement from teaching. Her connection to hospice is personal, after her husband James died under its care in 2023.
“It means a lot to me to be able to support them,” she says.
She has also contributed to Momentum Waikato’s philanthropic initiatives and remains involved in tertiary and national education governance, including the Teaching Council.
Her influence has also reached a wider audience through a recent episode of the Between Two Beers podcast, hosted by Hamilton Boys’ High School old boys Seamus Marten and Steven Holloway, who spent two years persuading her to take part.
The episode has since attracted more than 60,000 listens and saw Hassall reflect on love, leadership and loss, as well as what it takes to raise good men.
She spoke about her guiding belief that “you can pretend to care, but you can’t pretend to show up”, the Greek concept of aretē that underpinned the school’s culture, and her view that vulnerability is one of the most important qualities in a leader.
Between Two Beers podcasters, Seamus Marten, left and Steven Holloway with former All Black captain Sam Cane. Photo: Mary Anne Gill
Tom Roa, left, with Hospice Waikato acting chief executive Susan Hassall, and regional retail manager Terese Bidlake at the opening of the new store in Te Awamutu.
Hassall believes voluntary boards are often underestimated but play a critical role in communities.
“You get very professional boards,” she says.
“People give their time where they can make a difference.”
Her appointment as a dame comes during a period of both professional achievement and personal transition.
She describes the past few years as challenging, marked by loss and retirement, but also by new opportunities.
“I feel very fortunate that I’ve had so many things to go to. If you’ve got something to give, then the world needs it.”
Her legacy as an educator endures. Old Boys Foundation boards and fellow educators praised her tireless work ethic and her ability to connect with students as individuals, noting that when she spoke at assemblies “you could hear a pin drop”.
That mindset continues to shape her work today.
From education leadership to philanthropy, healthcare and the arts, Hassall’s influence remains embedded across the Waikato.
As 2028 approaches, Hassall is determined not just to see the doors open but to help shape what comes next.
Dame Susan Hassall at home in Cambridge. Photo: Mary Anne Gill
Dame Susan Hassall at home in Cambridge. Photo: Mary Anne Gill
