Palmerston North Girls' High School deputy principal Marie Gordon has been appointed principal of Hamilton Girls' High School.

Mrs Gordon has been the deputy principal at Girls' High since 2003.

Hamilton Girls' High board of trustees chairman Andrew McRae said Mrs Gordon was appointed after an ''exhaustive process'' and was the right person ''to lead our school into the future''.

Mrs Gordon, who is of Ngati Tuwharetoa descent, is married with two teenage children. She is originally from Taumarunui.

In her nine years at Girls' High Mrs Gordon spent six terms as acting principal. Before joining the school she was the assistant principal at Freyberg High School.

Mrs Gordon was trained at Massey University and holds a BA, a Diploma of Teaching and a Master of Educational Administration.

Her departure is the latest in a series of changes at Manawatu secondary schools announced this month.

David Bovey was this week named as the new rector of Palmerston North Boys' High School, replacing Tim O'Connor who starts as headmaster of Auckland Grammar School next term.

Last week Awatapu College appointed Feilding High School associate principal Gary Yeatman as its new principal. Mr Yeatman replaces Tina Sims who is taking up a role with the Ministry of Education.

- © Fairfax NZ News