The NZCEO acts as the national office of the Association of Proprietors of State-Integrated Schools and of individual state-integrated schools, and maintains links with about 250 schools attended by 66,000 pupils.
Mr Ferris (68) said he and his wife Marie would live in Wellington, but retain the property at Glenorchy where they had lived since he stepped down in 2010, after spending 20 years as principal at Kavanagh.
He was mindful of having "big shoes'' to fill when he succeeded Br Sir Patrick Lynch as chief executive on February 1, he said.
Mr Ferris said he would bring "new eyes'' to the role and emphasised the importance of maintaining relationships in his new duties.
In recent years he has worked as a contractor to the Ministry of Education as a commissioner and limited statutory manager in several schools in the southern region.
