TEI council appointments and reappointments

Tertiary Education, Skills and Employment Minister Steven Joyce today announced appointments to seven tertiary education councils.

There are six new council member including two new appointments to the council of the Victoria University of Wellington. There are also new council members and reappointments to six polytechnic councils.

The appointments and reappointments of council members are:

• Victoria University of Wellington council: new appointments of Mr Neville Jordan and Mr Neil Paviour-Smith, both appointed to 31 May 2017
• Bay of Plenty Polytechnic council: new appointment of Ms Julie Chadwick to 30 April 2017.
• Eastern Institute of Technology Polytechnic council: reappointment of Mr Ross McKelvie to 30 April 2016.
• Nelson Marlborough Institute of Technology council: reappointment of Mr Andrew (Andy) Rowe as a council member, and as Deputy Chair, to 30 April 2016
• Open Polytechnic council: new appointment of Ms Helen Robinson to 30 April 2017; and the reappointment of Ms Sue Duncan to 30 April 2016
• Southern Institute of Technology council: new appointment of Mr Jeff Grant to 30 April 2017 and the reappointment of Mr Michael Skerrett to 30 April 2016
• Universal College of Learning: new appointment of Mr Ben Vanderkolk to 30 April 2017 and the reappointment of Ms Pamela Jefferies to 30 April 2016.

“I am pleased to welcome these high calibre council appointees into their new roles. I also welcome the reappointment of a number of council members in recognition of the high-quality governance they have been providing to these institutions. I look forward to their good work in the years ahead,” Mr Joyce says.

Brief biographical information of the new appointees:

Victoria University of Wellington Council

• Mr Neville Jordan CNZM is a Wellington investor and advisor in science/technology and Executive Chairman of his company, Endeavour Capital. Mr Jordan has a background in electronics engineering and is a Distinguished Fellow of the Institution of Professional Engineers of New Zealand. He founded MAS Technology Ltd in 1975, a telecommunications microwave company which he successfully listed on the Nasdaq stock exchange. His awards and accolades include the Governors General’s Supreme Award for Exporting and induction into both the NZ Hi Tech Hall of Fame and the NZ Business Hall of Fame. Mr Jordan was also President of the Royal Society of New Zealand from 2006–10 and Wellingtonian of the Year in 2012.

• Mr Neil Paviour-Smith has been Managing Director of Forsyth Barr since 2001 and was an inaugural recipient of a Sir Peter Blake Trust Leadership Award in 2005. Mr Paviour-Smith is a director of the New Zealand Exchange and a director of the New Zealand Institute of Chartered Accountants. He is a Fellow of the Institute of Finance Professionals NZ, and has been Chair of the NZ Society of Investment Analysts. He is a member of the NZ Institute of Chartered Accountants, the Institute of Directors, the Institute of Chartered Secretaries NZ, the CFA Institute, and is an accredited Master Stockbroker of the Stockbrokers Association of Australia. Mr Paviour-Smith is from Wellington and alumni of Victoria University.

Polytechnic Councils:

Bay of Plenty Polytechnic

• Ms Julie Chadwick is well networked in the local community and is a member of the Executive Team of Comvita New Zealand Ltd, based in Paengaroa in the Bay of Plenty. Ms Chadwick has particular expertise in communications and she is a member of the Public Relations Institute.

Open Polytechnic

• Ms Helen Robinson has led many technology companies over the past 25 years and is former Chief Executive of Microsoft New Zealand and the TZ1 Registry, which was purchased by Markit, a leading, global financial information services company. Ms Robinson’s current governance roles include NIWA, Sir Ray Avery's Mondiale Technologies, the NZ Business Excellence Foundation and she is the Chair, The Network for Learning Ltd – the Crown company formed to increase NZ educational outcomes by transforming schools to be technology-based.

Southern Institute of Technology

• Mr Jeff Grant farms sheep, beef and deer at Balfour in Southland and has extensive agribusiness and rural sector leadership experience. He has recently been appointed Chairman of the Board of Directors for the new organisation, OSPRI New Zealand. Mr Grant is also Chairman of the Milford Sound Development Authority and AGMARDT, and a Director of SBS Bank and Finance Now Ltd. He was formally Chairman of the New Zealand Meat Board, Meat and Wool New Zealand, and the Primary Industry Council. He served as a Member of Parliament from 1987 to 1993.

Universal College of Learning

• Mr Bernard (Ben) Vanderkolk has been Crown Solicitor in Palmerston North since 1987 and has created the third-largest law firm in the Manawatu. He has served the legal profession as a member of the NZ Lawyers Disciplinary Tribunal. Mr Vanderkolk has close links with the local region being Chairman of Manfeild Park Trust, former Chairman of the New Zealand Netherlands Foundation, Chairman of the Maori-Dutch heritage centre project at Horowhenua and Trustee of the BioCommerceCentre at Palmerston North. Mr Vanderkolk is a Ministerial appointee to the Council of Massey University.