NZQA Board appointments and reappointments

Education Minister Chris Hipkins today announced a number of appointments and reappointments to the New Zealand Qualifications Authority (NZQA).

Lili Tuioti was appointed and Mary Chamberlain and Antony Royal reappointed as members for terms of three years, Chris Hipkins said.

Professor Neil Quigley has been appointed Deputy Chair, with the expectation that that he will exercise all of the functions and powers of the Chair during the temporary absence of current Chair Murray Strong.

Mr Strong has been appointed as interim Executive Director of the New Zealand Institute of Skills and Technology. He has stood aside as Chair of NZQA for the duration of this appointment, and will return to the NZQA Board on 1 April 2020.

Chris Hipkins also announced the Board’s decision to appoint Scott Tambisari as a Future Director for a term of eighteen months. The Future Director programme enables candidates to gain valuable experience by sitting at the board table of a New Zealand company or public sector organisation for a 12 to18 month period.

“I’m pleased with these appointments and confident they will serve NZQA well,” Chris Hipkins said.

“Lili Tuioti brings a strong Pacific education perspective, and will complement the assessment knowledge that Mary Chamberlain, and the ICT and Māori business development expertise, that Antony Royal bring to the Board.”

“It is important that we grow future governance talent within the education sector. Mr Tambisari will be the inaugural Future Director with the NZQA Board. His experience in community development and links into Pacific communities in the Nelson region will provide valuable insights.”

Editor’s note:

NZQA co-ordinates most of the qualifications in schools and post-school education and training.  It oversees the setting and regular review of standards as they relate to qualifications, administers national secondary examinations and ensures New Zealand qualifications are recognised overseas and overseas qualifications are appropriately recognised in New Zealand.

NZQA plays an important role in the education system and in the implementation of the Government’s Education Portfolio Work Programme.

Following these appointments and reappointments, the NZQA Board will comprise:

• Murray Strong (Chair)
• Neil Quigley (Deputy Chair)
• Antony Royal
• Jenn Bestwick
• Kate Shevland
• Lili Tuioti
• Lyn Provost
• Mary Chamberlain
• Scott Tambisari (Future Director)

Brief biographies

Neil Quigley, member of NZQA Board since 1 November 2010

Neil Quigley is the Vice-Chancellor at the University of Waikato. Previously he was a Professor of Economics and Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Research) at Victoria University of Wellington. He completed his BA and MA at the University of Canterbury before completing a PhD at the University of Toronto and currently serves on the boards of a number of educational organisations and companies, including being Chair of the Board of Trustees of Wellington College. Neil’s research interests are in applied finance, industrial organisation, and the boundaries between law and economics. His most recent work has been on the pricing of real estate leases, and compensation for takings of property rights. Neil is also the Chair of the Reserve Bank.

Antony Royal, member of NZQA Board since 13 September 2016

Antony has strong community involvement and a background in the ICT industry. He holds a degree in Electrical and Electronics Engineering from Auckland University, has spent many years in the ICT industry and currently holds a number of governance positions. He also chairs Te Mana o Kupe Trust, which was established to support the cluster of 13 schools in Porirua East whose focus is to deliver greater educational achievement by engaging tamariki, teachers and whanau through the use of technology.

Previous roles have included Global Infrastructure Manager and Web Initiatives Manager for the NZ Dairy Board (Fonterra), implementation of financial management systems for a number different government departments, and positions on a number of advisory boards. Antony has been involved in many projects that involve technology and better educational outcomes.

Mary Chamberlain MNZM, member of NZQA Board since 13 September 2016

Mary is a successful leader of educational reform. From 2001-2011 she led a large team at the Ministry of Education to design strategies to improve teaching, learning and student outcomes. From 2004-2007 she led the development of the New Zealand Curriculum for primary and secondary schools and the design of National Standards in literacy and numeracy from 2010-2012. Mary is currently a director of an independent consultancy company, Evaluation Associates Ltd.

Mary has in-depth knowledge and up to date experience in designing strategies to bring about effective change in education. She holds an Executive Master's degree in Public Administration and in 2012 she became a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit for her services to education.

Lili Tuioti

Lili is currently Mission Services Manager for the Salvation Army in Newtown, Wellington. Her governance experience is in the community and education sectors. She is a trustee with the JR McKenzie Trust and has also been a member of the New Zealand Teachers Council Board, the University of the South Pacific Council and the ASB Community Trust Board. Ms Tuioti was recently awarded an MBA from the Australian Institute of Business.

Scott Tambisari

Scott is a Community Partnerships Advisor for the Nelson City Council. His skills include understanding community needs, designing and implementing strategies to meet those needs, and relationship building with communities, business and government departments.

Scott’s governance experience includes Deputy Chair of the Fifeshire Foundation, a Charitable Trust which works to raise money locally to support local people in need. He is a board member of the New Zealand Red Cross, and is involved in several of its advisory committees as a member and is Chair of the Refuge Advisory Committee. He is also the Red Cross’s Board Liaison for the Pasifika Advisory Group and Tasman Marlborough Area Council.