In the 1990s Mr Hall was head of department for outdoor recreation at the school, year-11 dean, and taught English and economics.
At present chief executive of the Halberg Trust in Auckland, Mr Hall has also been training manager and school director at Outward Bound. He holds an MBA from the University of Canterbury and has completed a course in non-profit management at Harvard University.
Helping young people was his continued passion and he is a firm believer in the value of education: "Helping them find a good path in life - that's my main thread in life."
He said he had been watching the job for more than a decade and it seemed like "a perfect opportunity" for himself and his family.
He was in Queenstown yesterday in a formal capacity and said he had already rekindled past links with the community.
Since his appointment last week he has received messages of support from past students and parents which was "really lovely to come back to".
School board member Greg Turner said they had "underestimated the level of connection Steve has with the community".
"We kept getting accosted by people in the street."
The appointment follows a year with no permanent principal, after Lyn Cooper resigned, was reinstated then resigned again.
Acting principal Paul O'Connor has filled the role since Ms Cooper resigned last November.
But Mr Hall sensed people were excited about the "immense future" the school could look forward to.
"Clearly, I'm well aware of the recent history - those things have been really public - so there are obvious challenges.
"The contact I've had with the board is that people are really excited about the future - it feels like a great time to come in.
"There's many, many good things here and there's a few things to get on top of and get right."
Mr Turner reiterated the issues the school had been facing were not about education, but about "creating the environment to flourish".
"ERO (Education Review Office) reports have been exceedingly positive."
When asked how he felt about the proposed multimillion-dollar private school for Queenstown, Mr Hall said that while he was aware it had been mooted, he had not yet formed an opinion.
Although he was due to begin the appointment in term three, his wife, Sally Mingaye, and their three sons would delay relocating so the boys could finish the school year.
His oldest son Trent (15) attended Wakatipu High School for three terms in 2009 and would return next year.
