This article outlines a research study into the perceptions of a small sample of New Zealand school leaders about the nature of leading in a high-needs school environment. Reflective data collected from leaders indicated that a broad-based concept of high needs centred on the socially disadvantaged world of families, student-related factors both inside and outside of the school, changing teachers' pedagogy to meet students' diverse learning needs, and specific contexts such as those found in geographically isolated schools. Common leadership skills and dispositions were identified in areas of pedagogical, personal and professional leadership that relate both to this high-needs study, and to generic New Zealand research findings on successful leadership practices in schools.