The New Zealand Institute of Skills and Technology Establishment Board (the Establishment Board) is today announcing directors for the boards of subsidiary Institutes of Technology and Polytechnics (ITPs), effective from 1 April 2020.
The following people have agreed to serve as directors on the board of Waikato Institute of Technology (Wintec) from 1 April 2020:
Niwa Nuri (Te Arawa) – Chair
Michael Crawford
Margaret Devlin
Kiri Goulter
Raewyn Mahara (Waikato Ngāti Mahuta; Te Āti Awa, Otaraua; Taranaki, Ngāti Moeahu)
Pamela Storey
“The appointment of this Board of Directors is a significant step forward in the journey towards a cohesive, sustainable vocational education system,” says Establishment Board Chair Barry Jordan.
“In making these appointments we have balanced the need to ensure continuity of operation with sound local and regional relationships. We are delighted with the diversity of thought within each board, alongside the complementary skills and experience that will drive positive outcomes for their respective communities.”
The Education (Vocational Education and Training Reform) Amendment Act requires that the initial board for each subsidiary ITP comprise at least four and no more than eight directors, of which at least half must reside within the region that the subsidiary primarily serves.
Wintec Board Chair Niwa Nuri says, “It's an honour to be asked to Chair the new board and I'm looking forward to being a part of this journey. These reforms give us the opportunity to think differently with others across the network as we tackle the challenge of addressing parity in outcomes with Māori and Pasifika levels of achievement.
“I'm committed to having the right conversations with employers to make sure our learners are work-ready and that the training we offer enables them to contribute to resilient and vibrant communities."
To further drive the shift from competition to operating as one regionally accessible network of provision, the Establishment Board has decided that one NZIST Council member will be a director on each subsidiary ITP board. Each board may also receive a ‘cross-Board appointee’. These names will be confirmed in April.
The Establishment Board based its approach to the appointment of directors on the Treasury framework used to appoint directors to the boards of Crown companies. More than 370 expressions of interest were received over the Christmas and New Year period.
All appointments to subsidiary boards are subject to ratification and approval by the NZIST Council on 1 April 2020. Members of this Council will be confirmed by the Minister of Education, Hon Chris Hipkins, before the end of March.
Niwa Nuri – Chair
Niwa was appointed a member of Wintec Council in 2017 and Deputy Chair in 2018.
He is an elected member of the Te Arawa Lakes Trust and currently chairs the Lakes Trust’s Audit Finance and Risk Committee, as well as a Board of Trustee member on Rototuna Primary School and a fellow of Chartered Accountants Australia and New Zealand.
He holds a Bachelor of Management Studies from the University of Waikato and is a former chair of Trust Waikato. Niwa has a strong desire to contribute to Waikato Institute of Technology Limited and to create a regionally accessible vocational education and training facility.
Michael Crawford
Michael is a Waikato-based professional director active in areas including insurance, health, accommodation and investment. His directorships include the Wairoa Iwi investment arm, Tātau Tātau o Te Wairoa Commercial Limited, and he chairs the board of insurance broker and risk manager Frank Risk New Zealand Limited.
His wide-ranging experience includes strategy development and implementation, change management, and financial governance and risk management. Over 30 years of business experience informs his approach to achieving good outcomes for stakeholders including customers, owners, staff, iwi and the community.
Michael is a Chartered Director, Chartered Accountant and an enrolled Barrister and Solicitor.
Margaret Devlin
Margaret is an experienced independent company director, working primarily in the infrastructure and service sectors throughout New Zealand. Her governance roles include Chair of Watercare, Lyttleton Port and Women in Infrastructure, a network established to improve diversity and inclusion within the infrastructure sector.
She is a director of Hamilton Airport, MetService New Zealand, Aurora Networks, Infrastructure New Zealand and IT Partners. Margaret is the independent Chair of the Waikato Audit and Risk Committee. She is a Chartered Fellow of the Institute of Directors. Margaret is passionate about working with businesses to achieve sustainable benefits and outcomes, focusing on People, Planet and Profit. She is based in Hamilton.
Kiri Goulter
Kiri has over 20 years’ experience in the tourism and economic development sectors. She was the Chief Executive of Hamilton & Waikato Tourism for seven years and held management roles with Tourism New Zealand and Enterprise Northland.
Kiri is the Deputy Chair of the Waikato Regional Economic Development Agency Te Waka, Trustee of Te Awa Cycle Trail, and member of the Wintec Council since May 2018. Kiri is a former teacher, has a Graduate Diploma in Economic Development and is a member of the Institute of Directors.
Kiri has her own consultancy company and is currently leading the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment’s destination management and planning programme.
Raewyn Mahara
Waikato, Ngāti Mahuta. Te Ati Awa, Otaraua, Manukorihi. Taranaki, Ngāti Moeahu
B.Ed, MBA – University of Waikato
Raewyn is a passionate advocate for elevating the iwi lens across the education sector. As General Manager for Education and Pathways at Waikato-Tainui, she has led the development and implementation of the current Waikato-Tainui Education Plan for the last seven years.
Her team is responsible for managing extensive relationships with hapū, other iwi, education providers, government agencies, employers and industry partners. With over twenty-five years’ experience in education, Raewyn sits on several advisory panels to the Ministry of Education and brings a unique iwi perspective and approach to transforming education for Māori learners.
Pamela Storey
Pamela is currently a Director with Primary ITO, an elected Waikato Regional Councillor and Chair of the WRC Strategy and Policy Committee, Trustee of the Dairy Women’s Network, Chair of the Upper North Island Client Council for Rabobank, and Deputy Chair of The Good Collective.
She is a proud food producer and dairy farmer in the North Waikato and has held numerous governance roles in a variety of sectors including education, energy, environmental, healthcare and primary industry. Pamela holds an Electrical Engineering degree from Washington State University (USA) and an MBA from the University of Reading (UK).