Mr Bali has taken on the role of principal at Kaikorai Valley College after his predecessor Richard Geerlofs retired at the end of last year after 12 years at the helm.
Mr Bali was previously the deputy principal at Ngaruawahia High School for four years in Ngaruawahia, a town about 20 minutes north of Hamilton.
He said it was an honour to be appointed principal at Kaikorai Valley.
"I take the responsibility very seriously.
"It’s about building on the good things that have been done and figuring out what we need to work on."
Mr Bali said a rigorous academic education was really important to him, particularly for the pupils who did not have the cultural capital at home.
"They might not have the support at home or their parents might be too busy.
"It’s our job for quality sake that everyone gets a rigorous academic education — that’s my No1."
He also said he had high behavioural expectations for pupils including having the correct uniform, being focused and ready to learn in class and being respectful.
He said he wanted to create pathways for pupils by giving them guidance for a vision of what they wanted to do after school.
Mr Bali said he was a strong believer in co-education because it was a more realistic reflection of what society was like.
"I think boys and girls balance themselves out and they learn about how to actually interact with the opposite sex."
He said it was important for teachers to use methods proven by science about how our brains worked.
"It’s about what actually works for the kids and not what we feel we should be doing.
"You can’t try something untested because you’re dealing with the kids’ futures here."
Mr Bali’s first job as a teacher was at Menzies College in Wyndham and he was happy to be back down south.
He said he loved the natural features of the area and being about 15 minutes away from everything in Dunedin.
He had moved to Dunedin with his wife and 12-year-old daughter.
