Ms Hutt and her teachers had implemented systems that had been designed to ''leave no child behind'', she said.
Intensive professional development had been a part of teachers' lives at the school every Wednesday for the past two years and Ms Hutt praised the strength of all the staff at the school.
''It's outstanding practice that's going on here; people are working really, really hard in this school; there are very, very hard-working teachers here,'' she said.
Ms Hutt, who has 32 years' experience in education, will begin term 4 in Northland at Kamo High School.
Originally from Christchurch, Ms Hutt, when she made the switch to senior management in 2009, did so briefly at Kamo High School as a deputy principal, which had appealed to her drive to engage with Maori learning first hand.
The decile 4, year 9-13 school has a roll of 703 pupils, 46% of them Maori.
But the importance of embracing New Zealand's indigenous culture - and understanding the different results between pupils of European and Maori backgrounds - had been at the forefront at South Otago High School as well, where of 487 pupils, 15.5% were Maori.
Ms Hutt said results for Maori pupils had been ''absolutely fantastic''.
''It can't be like a cloak that we put on and pull off. All of us, if we choose to live in this country, we have to understand that this is the culture that makes the difference."
Across the board, the school had made ''academic strides'' maintaining an emphasis on attendance.
When Ms Hutt arrived at South Otago High School, 67% of the cohort achieved NCEA level 1.
In Ms Hutt's first year it jumped to 87% and has stayed there. The school has seen similar, if not better, results for level 2.
When Ms Hutt arrived, year 13 attendance was at 57%.
Last year, the minimum the school set out to achieve was 80% and that level was achieved.
This year, the minimum level to satisfy teachers was 90% and at the end of term 2, attendance figures were at that level.
