Appointment to Network for Learning board

Former MP Clare Curran has been appointed to the board of Crown company Network for Learning (N4L), Education Minister Chris Hipkins says.

Hon Clare Curran served as a Member of Parliament for Dunedin South from 2008-2020. During this time, she held a number of ministerial portfolios including Broadcasting, Communications and Digital Media, Digital Services across Government, Associate State Services (with responsibility for Open Government) and Associate ACC.

She currently runs a national communications consultancy based in Dunedin and serves on several not for profit boards focused on addressing mental health, poverty and homelessness.

“More than ever, schools and kura need to be supported around cybersecurity and online safety, remote learning and managing their technology so teachers can do their jobs and students are free to learn,” Chris Hipkins said.

“Network for Learning has an impressive track record of delivering major infrastructure projects on time and on budget, which has delivered substantial improvements to schools’ internet connectivity and security.

“We want to deliver a more equitable education system by removing barriers to digital inclusion and making online learning available for all of our students, regardless of where they live or the ability of their whānau to pay.”

Hon Clare Curran joins board chair Colin MacDonald, the former chief executive at the Department of Internal Affairs and Government Chief Digital Officer, and the company’s four other directors, Dame Karen Poutasi, Jeremy Banks, Sharon Cresswell and Anthony Briscoe.

N4L provides internet and cybersecurity services specifically designed for Aotearoa New Zealand’s 2,450+ schools and kura. The company manages and supports these services for more than 855,000 students so they can get on with learning in a safe online environment, and works alongside government, education and technology partners on ways to address digital inequity.