Overcoming Isolation: Online Collaboration among Rural Primary School Principals in New Zealand

This paper examines online collaboration between small rural primary schools in New Zealand, focusing on principals' perspectives. Through semi-structured interviews with eight principals involved in the Virtual Learning Network (VLN) Primary, the study explores the benefits, challenges, and key factors for successful collaboration. The findings indicate that online collaboration can provide professional support, workload relief, and expanded learning opportunities for students. However, challenges include varying expectations across schools and tensions between centralized online learning and local curricula. The study highlights the importance of shared understanding, time commitment, equity in contributions, and strong leadership for effective collaboration. It also discusses the principals' mixed experiences with the Communities of Learning, Kahui Ako initiatives. The research contributes to understanding how rural schools can leverage technology and professional networks to enhance educational opportunities, offering insights for school leaders and policymakers on fostering successful collaborative networks in rural education settings.