New appointments to Tertiary Education Institutions Councils

Written By: - Date published: 2:01 pm, April 16th, 2015 - 23 comments
Categories: education, tertiary education, uncategorized - Tags:

Steven Joyce has today announced his latest appointments to TEI. These are important because after changes to the Education Act 1989 in 2009 the Minister controls the appointment of half of the appointees of Councils. The Council appoints the other half. Think about the possible implications of Government influence.

Manukau Institute of Technology
Ms Rachael Tuwhangai, who is of Tainui descent, is an Education Manager with Serco and is developing the education programme for the new South Auckland prison. From 2003 to 2014, Ms Tuwhangai was a lecturer in the Faculty of Education at the University of Auckland. She is a trustee of COMET Auckland, the former City of Manukau Education Trust.

NorthTec
Mr Vern Dark is a company director, business advisor and avocado orchard owner and operator. He spent 40 years working as a professional engineer in the aerospace, forestry, energy, petrochemical, dairy and port industries. The positions he held include Managing Director of Fletcher Challenge Petrochemicals, Chief Executive of Northland Dairy Co-operative and Chief Executive of Northland Port Corporation.

Otago Polytechnic
Mr Michael (Mike) Horne is the Managing Partner for Deloitte’s Dunedin office and has worked for Deloitte for 20 years in New Zealand and overseas. He was made a Partner in 2002 and is a board member of Deloitte New Zealand. Mr Horne has a strong governance background as a board member and advisor to a wide range of organisations.

Ms Gillian Bremner is Chief Executive Officer of Presbyterian Support Otago and a member of the New Zealand Council of Christian Social Services. She is a director of Habitat for Humanity, a member of the Disability Support Advisory Committee, and sits on the regional allocation committee for the JR McKenzie Trust.

Auckland University of Technology
Ms Sussan Turner is the former Group Chief Executive for MediaWorks, and had oversight of the company’s radio, television and interactive operations, including TV3 and FOUR. Ms Turner began her career as a journalist in Dunedin, and became the Managing Director of Radio Otago, a publically-listed company.

Ms Lyn Lim is a partner of Forest Harrison, a legal firm that she founded in 2006. Ms Lim specialises in commercial, corporate and governance issues and in litigation and dispute resolution. Ms Lim’s governance roles include the Public Trust, and she is Deputy Chair of the ASB Community Trust, trustee of the Asia New Zealand Foundation, and a member of the Auckland Regional Amenities Funding Board.

Ms Judith Thompson is a design management consultant. As the former Head of Design for New Zealand Trade and Enterprise (NZTE), she led the Better by Design programme and her professional background has included work in economic development and in the not-for-profit sector.

The University of Auckland
Mr Michael Daniell, is the Chief Executive Officer and Managing Director of Fisher & Paykel Healthcare Corporation Limited. A graduate of the engineering programme at the University of Auckland, he has held various positions in Fisher & Paykel’s Healthcare division, including product design engineer and technical manager.

These folk go onto Councils and then vote for other appointees.

 

23 comments on “New appointments to Tertiary Education Institutions Councils ”

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  1. Draco T Bastard 1
    16 April 2015 at 2:05 pm

    It’s an outright power grab by National. Quite simply, the government should not be appointing members to boards. That should be solely left to the organisation and it’s members.

    • Murray Rawshark 1.1
      16 April 2015 at 3:28 pm

      Tautoko 100%. I’m particularly worried by SERCO getting a foot in the door.

  2. mickysavage 2
    16 April 2015 at 2:16 pm

    Wow, Serco, professional director, Deloittes, disability rep, mediaworks CE (bound to be a mate of Joyce’s), corporate lawyer I have never heard of, economic development worker and an ex F&P manager. I see there is a strong level of experience in academia /sarc

    • tracey 2.1
      16 April 2015 at 2:25 pm

      I have heard of the lawyer… had a client against her in a leaky home claim. Her client had made some undisclosed repairs to a leaky home and sold it as a non leaker. He then made himself bankrupt after judgment to avoid paying. She represents alot of folks of Asian origin.

    • tracey 2.2
      16 April 2015 at 2:27 pm

      They have the excuse I am sure that Polytechnics are involved in industry based training so having industry is important… BUT where are the Trades? Where are the Nurses? Business is well represented which is only 1 industry… of sorts, in training terms.

    • Sacha 2.3
      16 April 2015 at 2:52 pm

      Their backgrounds do seem to match what a tertiary board would need, and the specialisations of each institution. But I’m unimpressed with the whole centralised control-freakery of this govt in general.

      • Tracey 2.3.1
        16 April 2015 at 6:22 pm

        knowledge of students and academics and education you mean??

        • Sacha 2.3.1.1
          16 April 2015 at 7:02 pm

          I’m assuming other board members may already have that. Just saying the experience cited seems to at least be plausibly aligned with each institution. Could be worse.

  3. Hateatea 3
    16 April 2015 at 2:39 pm

    As one who has served twice on a Polytechnic Council and seen ministerial appointments clash almost constantly with the representatives of staff, students, trade unions and community, I am unsurprised by any of this.

    Our PCET institutions are being constantly pressured to move away from allowing us to choose what we would like to learn to equip us for life and employment towards only learning what the elite think we need to know to best serve their interests.

    Today’s appointments is just another step along the road to the ultimate goal which is most certainly not a well educated, thinking populace.

    • Sacha 3.1
      16 April 2015 at 3:01 pm

      “seen ministerial appointments clash almost constantly with the representatives of staff, students, trade unions and community”

      Mr Joyce has solved that problem by removing all the latter. Asshat.

      • tracey 3.1.1
        16 April 2015 at 6:28 pm

        I am on my phone so cant put this inside your comment but I write this as a moderator.

        if you are going to stoop to name calling have the decency to be clearer about why you are calling someone names or risk a banning.

  4. Lindsey 4
    16 April 2015 at 3:05 pm

    Judith Thompson is excellent. She chaired the Auckland Lotteries Community Committee some years ago under a Labour government.

  5. Hateatea 5
    16 April 2015 at 3:09 pm

    Indeed. In fact the less the appointees know about the difficulties of running / working or studying in said institutions the better.

    The problem they had with me was that at one time I had been staff, then student and then an iwi representative. I was much harder to con than the accountants and lawyers who were the preferred category. The same was true of the union representatives.

    People who were very, very busy making money and counting it had less time to really delve below the surface of what management presented to them or the latest ministerial brainfart.

  6. AmaKiwi 6
    16 April 2015 at 4:11 pm

    Complain all you want but we will be repeatedly screwed from above (the missionary position, face down!) until we can force our parliamentary dictators to relinquish some powers. The changes have to be imbedded, not able to be abolished by the next cabal that comes to power.

    Neither the Nats nor Labour are going to have a “Paul on the Damascus road” revelation that brings such changes. It’s up to us.

    P.S. NZ First is the ONLY party that ever endorsed binding referendums (long ago). The Greens might also be inclined to help.

  7. Colonial Rawshark 7
    16 April 2015 at 4:23 pm

    Ms Rachael Tuwhangai, who is of Tainui descent, is an Education Manager with Serco and is developing the education programme for the new South Auckland prison.

    The private prison commercial complex is nothing more than a form of neo-slavery for profit, a funnel to shift tax payers cash to corporations.

  8. saveNZ 8
    17 April 2015 at 8:03 am

    Un-F-ing-Believable.

    Not a jot of education experience.

    The corporate welfare/takeover public services with cronies is reaching new levels.