Dame Susan Hassall pictured in Lake Te Koo Utu Domain
Susan Hassall loves Cambridge. It is where the new dame has lived for more than three decades, where her family has settled, and where she walks regularly, often around Lake Te Koo Utu, near her home.
Dame Susan Hassall pictured in one of Lake Te Koo Utu Domain’s gardens, a favourite walking spot. Photo: Mary Anne Gill
But if she could change one thing about the town, she is clear what it would be.
“I’d build a new library,” she said.
Hassall, named a Dame Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit in the King’s Birthday Honours, says the current Cambridge library no longer meets the needs of the growing community.
“It’s too crushed,” she said. “The books don’t look cared for.”
She often travels to Te Awamutu for what she describes as a better experience. Her comments come as Cambridge continues to expand rapidly, placing pressure on community facilities.
The honour recognises a lifetime of service to education and the wider community. Education minister Erica Stanford said recipients this year had shown exceptional commitment and impact in education across New Zealand.
While her professional life has largely been centred in Hamilton, Hassall’s personal base has long been Cambridge.
She moved to the town more than 35 years ago.
She has made the trip into Hamilton thousands of times over the years. Before the Waikato Expressway it took much longer. Now it is quicker. Hassall says she recently made it to the university in 15 minutes.
Her family connections run deep, and her three children and grandchildren live locally. Walking is part of her daily routine.
Susan Hassall
Susan Hassall received an ONZM in 2021. Photo: Mary Anne Gill
“We’re so lucky. We’re so blessed,” she said.
Despite her long list of leadership roles, Hassall says she would be open to contributing more directly to the Cambridge community.
“Oh, I would,” she said of local voluntary work. “Nobody’s ever asked me.”
Her career has been defined by service.
She spent more than 40 years at Hamilton Boys’ High School, including 25 as headmaster, before retiring in 2024. Former students often recall her ability to command attention, noting that when she spoke at assemblies “you could hear a pin drop”.
Since then, she has taken on a range of governance and voluntary roles. She is Chancellor of the University of Waikato, chair of Hospice Waikato Trust, and deputy chair of Momentum Waikato.
Her involvement with hospice is particularly close to her heart, after her husband James died after time under hospice care in 2023.
The Rt Hon Dame Cindy Kiro with Susan Hassall on 3 May 2022 at Government House in Wellington.
Hassall believes communities rely on people stepping forward to contribute their time and expertise.
“I think you gain so much more than you give,” she said.
That philosophy extends to how she approached her leadership in schools and governance roles.
She says showing up matters.
“You can pretend to care, but you can’t pretend to show up.”
Now 71, she has no plans to stop contributing.
“I just want to keep going while I can and give what I can,” she said.
Her new title as a dame adds to a list of honours that includes the ONZM she received in 2021.
Tom Roa, left, with Hospice Waikato acting chief executive Susan Hassall, and regional retail manager Terese Bidlake at the opening of the new store.
Dame Susan Hassall pictured in Lake Te Koo Utu Domain, a favourite walking spot. Photo: Mary Anne Gill
