She arrived with nearly two decades of leadership experience, then left after ten months
Leadership transitions at storied institutions carry a particular weight — they speak not only to the individuals involved but to the values a community is reaching toward. Charlotte Avery, who spent nearly two decades shaping one of Britain's finest girls' schools, has stepped away from St Cuthbert's College in Auckland after less than a year in the role, leaving the board to steady the ship and begin again the careful work of finding the right steward for a school that has long defined itself by its ambitions.
- A principal who led a prestigious Cambridge school for 17 years has departed her Auckland post after just ten months — a brevity that invites questions the official statement does not answer.
- The abruptness of the exit creates a leadership vacuum at one of New Zealand's most prominent private schools, with no permanent successor yet in sight.
- The board has moved quickly to divide interim responsibilities between senior school head Tom Curtis and junior school head Fe Tomich, signalling a deliberate effort to prevent drift or uncertainty from taking hold.
- A formal recruitment process is now underway, though the board has offered no timeline, leaving the school's next chapter unwritten for the foreseeable future.
Charlotte Avery has resigned as principal of St Cuthbert's College, ending a tenure that lasted barely ten months. She had arrived in Auckland in August 2024 carrying considerable credentials — nearly two decades at the helm of St Mary's School in Cambridge, one of Britain's most respected independent girls' institutions. Her appointment had been seen as a significant coup for the school. Her departure is correspondingly striking.
Board chair Leigh Melville moved swiftly to contain any disruption. Interim leadership has been split between Tom Curtis, who heads the senior school, and Fe Tomich, who leads the junior school — an arrangement the board describes as preserving "leadership continuity" while a permanent replacement is sought. Both will work alongside the wider senior leadership team to keep daily operations on course.
Melville's public statement thanked Avery for her contribution and wished her well, offering nothing beyond the bare fact of her resignation. The contrast between Avery's 17-year tenure in Cambridge and her ten months in Auckland is difficult to ignore, though the reasons behind her decision remain unexplained.
The recruitment process has begun, with no timeline announced. St Cuthbert's retains its standing as one of Auckland's foremost independent schools, and the board's measured response suggests confidence the institution can absorb this transition. Who is chosen to lead it next — and what vision they bring — will quietly determine much of what the school becomes.
Charlotte Avery has stepped down as principal of St Cuthbert's College after spending less than two years in the role. She arrived at the Auckland school in August 2024, bringing with her nearly two decades of leadership experience from St Mary's School in Cambridge, one of Britain's most respected independent girls' institutions. Her departure marks an abrupt end to what was meant to be a significant appointment at one of New Zealand's most established private schools.
The board of trustees, led by chair Leigh Melville, moved quickly to manage the transition. Rather than leave the school without clear direction, the board has divided interim leadership responsibilities between two existing senior figures: Tom Curtis, who heads the senior school, and Fe Tomich, who leads the junior school. This arrangement is designed to preserve what the board calls "leadership continuity" while the institution navigates the gap left by Avery's exit.
Curtis and Tomich will work alongside the college's broader senior leadership team to keep daily operations running smoothly. The board has already begun the formal process of recruiting a permanent replacement, though no timeline for that search has been announced. In a brief statement, Melville thanked Avery for her time at the school and extended wishes for her future, a standard courtesy that offers little insight into the circumstances surrounding her decision to leave.
Avery's tenure at St Cuthbert's was notably short compared to her track record. She spent 17 years building her reputation at St Mary's in Cambridge, suggesting she had established roots and a clear vision for that institution. Her move to Auckland represented a significant career shift—taking on a principal role at a prestigious Southern Hemisphere school. That she departed after roughly ten months raises questions about what changed, though the board's statement provides no explanation beyond the bare fact of her resignation.
The school itself remains one of Auckland's most prominent independent institutions, and the board's swift action to establish interim leadership suggests confidence that the school can weather this transition without major disruption. How the recruitment process unfolds, and what kind of leader the board seeks to replace Avery, will likely shape St Cuthbert's direction in the years ahead.
Notable Quotes
The trust board would like to thank Charlotte for her contribution to St Cuthbert's and wishes her and her family every success for the future.— Leigh Melville, board chairwoman
The Hearth Conversation Another angle on the story
What made Avery leave so quickly after such a long tenure at her previous school?
The board hasn't said. There's no public explanation—just a resignation and a thank-you note. That silence is itself interesting.
Do you think it was a bad fit from the start, or did something happen?
Hard to know. She came from 17 years at a top UK school, so she had real pedigree. But moving countries, moving to a different education system, taking on a new institution—that's a lot of variables. Something didn't align.
How disruptive is this for the school itself?
The board seems to have thought it through. They've split the interim leadership between two people who already know the place, rather than bringing in an outsider. That's a stabilizing move. But losing a principal after ten months does create uncertainty, especially for families and staff.
What does the search for a new principal tell us about what went wrong?
That's the thing—we don't know what went wrong. The board might be looking for someone very different from Avery, or they might be looking for someone just like her but with better luck. The recruitment process will reveal more than the resignation statement ever could.
Do these things happen often in independent schools?
Leadership transitions happen everywhere. But two years is genuinely short. It suggests either a significant mismatch or something unexpected that forced the decision.