Education news – Chief of Staff and Tiriti Outcomes appointments made to leadership

Te Pūkenga has confirmed the appointment of Paora Ammunson as Deputy Chief Executive Tiriti Outcomes and Ziena Jalil as Chief of Staff.

Chief Executive Peter Winder says Ziena brings the breadth of experience, and the drive needed to lead key oversight functions and to deliver high quality advice to the Chief Executive.

“An organisation of the size and scale of Te Pūkenga, with 250,000 ākonga (learners) and 10,000 kaimahi (staff) needs strong systems and processes to ensure we are open, transparent and accountable – to our people, to government and to the public. Ziena’s experience will ensure we have confidence in those systems,” Mr Winder says.

The Office of the Chief Executive supports and advises the Chief Executive, coordinates the governance system and ensures academic quality expectations for Te Pūkenga. It also leads legal and risk functions, communications and stakeholder engagement.

Ziena has helped some of New Zealand’s largest businesses and education institutions build their reputation and revenue, advised Ministers and boards. She has received several international awards for her work promoting New Zealand trade and education in Asia, where she was based for 10 years. Her governance experience includes board roles for public, private and not-for-profit entities, including in the education sector.

“Ziena’s understanding of our sector, of international markets, governance and communications are a strong fit for this role. Her passion for equity and opportunities for people of diverse cultures, abilities and experience will help us drive towards our organisational goals,” Mr Winder says.

Ms Jalil says “Education transforms lives. It helps to build a stronger, more productive society where all our people can realise their potential. I look forward to contributing to Te Pūkenga and its focus on vocational education which is relevant for our world today and in the future, and supporting its commitment to equity.”

Tiriti Outcomes will provide specialist equity, Māori, Te Tiriti o Waitangi and Māori educational expertise, and set the direction and guide continuous improvement in Tiriti excellence across Te Pūkenga.

“Paora’s deep commitment and experience to driving progress will help us realise our pursuit of equity, and uphold Te Tiriti o Waitangi. His relationships across Wellington, government, the tertiary sector, including with Te Wānanga o Aotearoa, and his background in working with and for iwi organisations will bring significant and valued expertise to our leadership team,” Mr Winder says.

Mr Ammunson says “Te Pūkenga has been established with a clear, legislated mandate to uphold Te Tiriti o Waitangi, the te reo Māori text. That is a significant opportunity to think differently about how we partner with hapū to shift the system so that it delivers for our rangatahi. I’m excited about contributing to that.”

Te Pūkenga confirmed the roles that would make up its permanent executive structure on 6 October 2022. Since then Chief Executive Peter Winder has confirmed Keri-Anne Tane as Chief People Officer, Teresa Pollard as Chief Digital Officer, Michelle Teirney as Chief Financial Officer, Gus Gilmore as DCE Ako Delivery, Dr Megan Gibbons as DCE Academic Centre and Learning Systems and Andrew McSweeney as Deputy Chief Executive Learner and Employer Experience and Attraction.

Mr Ammunson and Ms Jalil will begin in their roles on 6 March. Recruitment for a permanent Deputy Chief Executive Strategy and Transformation will also begin shortly to replace Richard Forgan.

Kua whakatūturutia e Te Pūkenga te kopoutanga o Paora Ammunson hei Kaihautū Putanga Tiriti me Ziena Jalil hei Kaihautū Kaimahi.

Hei tā te Kaiwhakahaere Mātāmua Peter Winder haramai mai ana a Ziena he tautōhito, he pūmanawa hoki, me te manawanui ōna hei arataki i ngā mahi matawhānui e puta ai he tohutohu kounga rawa ki te Kaiwhakahaere Mātāmua.

“Anei a Te Pūkenga me tōna rahi, tōna whānui me tōna 250,000 ākonga me āna kaimahi 10,000, nā reira kia tika, kia pakari tonu āna pūnaha, āna tukanga kia noho tuwhera, mārama, noho haepapa tonu – ki ō tātou tāngata, ki te kāwanatanga ki te iwi whānui hoki. Nā ō Ziena wheako e tōtika ai aua pūnaha,” tā Mr Winder kī.

Ko tā te Tari o te Kaiwhakahaere Mātāmua he tautoko, he tohutohu hoki i te Kaiwhakahaere Mātāmua, he whakarite i te pūnaha kaitiakitanga, he whakaū i te kounga o ngā hiahiatanga pūmātauranga mō Te Pūkenga. Ko tāna hoki he arataki i ngā mahi mō taha ture me ngā tūraru, ngā whakapāpātanga me te whakaanga kaiwhaipānga.

Kua hāpai a Ziena i ētahi o ngā pakihi nui rawa me ngā pūtahi mātauranga o Aotearoa kia piki te mana, i te taha pūtea, kua noho hoki ia hei kaitohutohu ki ngā Minita me ngā poari. Kua whakawhiwhia ia ki ngā tonu ā-ao mō āna mahi whakatairanga i ā Aotearoa tauhokohoko me te mātauranga i Āhia, nōna i reira e noho ana mō ngā tau 10. Ko te whānuitanga o āna mahi kaitiakitanga i pā ki ngā tūranga poari tūmatanui, tūmataiti me ngā hinonga mahi aroha, tae atu hoki ki te rāngai mātauranga.

“Ka mutu kei te tika tō Ziena māramatanga ki tō mātou rāngai, ki ngā mākete ā-ao, ki te kaitiakitanga me te whakapāpātanga mō tēnei tūranga. Ka riro hoki māna me tōna ngākaunui kia ōrite te whiwhi o a te tangata ahahoa nō iwi kē, nō ahurea kē e hāpai i a tātou kia tutuki ā tātou whāinga,” te kī a Mr Winder.

E ai kī a Ms Jalil, “Ko tā te mātauranga he whakaumu i te oranga o te tangata. Mā te mātauranga anō e tū kaha ai te porihanga kia whai hua, kia rite hoki ngā moemoeā o te tangata. E anga whakamua ana kia whai koha ahau ki Te Pūkenga me tōna āronga ki te mātauranga ahumahinga he mea whaihua tonu ki te ao o nāianei, o te āpōpō hoki, me te tautoko i tōna ngākaunui ki te ōritetanga.”

Ko tā te Putanga Tiriti he tuku ōritetanga whāiti, Māori, Te Tiriti o Waitangi me te mātanga mātauranga Māori, he whakatakoto huarahi hei tohu i te pikinga paitanga i roto i te hiranga Tiriti puta noa i Te Pūkenga.

“Mā te ngākaunui tonu o Paora me ōna wheako whakapiki kaupapa tātou e ārahi hei whakatinana i te ōritetanga, hei hāpai hoki i Te Tiriti o Waitangi. Ko ōna hononga puta noa i Te Whanganui a Tara, i te kāwanatanga, te rāngai mātauranga matua tae atu kiTe Wānanga o Aotearoa, me te hiranga o āna mahi nunui me ngā whakahaere ā-iwi ka whai hua ai tō mātou rōpū kaiārahi,” tā Mr Winder.

Hei tā Mr Ammunson “Kua tā a Te Pūkenga i runga i tōna mana ā-ture hei hāpai i Te Tiriti o Waitangi, arā te tuhinga reo Māori. Kātahi nei te kaupapa hirahira kia whai tirohanga kē ai, whakaaro kē hoki i runga i te whakahoa me ngā hapū kia nekehia te pūnaha kia whaikiko ia ki ō tātou rangatahi. E hiamo ana ahau ki whai koha au ki tērā kaupapa.”

I whakatūturutia e Te Pūkenga ngā tūranga o te rangapū kaiwhakahaere i te 6 o Oketopa 2022. Mai i taua wā kua whakakoia e te Kaiwhakahaere Mātāmua e Peter Winder ko Keri-Anne Tane hei Tumu Hāpai Tāngata, ko Teresa Pollard hei Tūmu Matihiko, ko Michelle Teirney hei Tumu Taha Pūtea, ko Gus Gilmore hei DCE Tuku Ako, ko Dr Megan Gibbons hei DCE Pokopū Pūmātauranga me ngā Pūnaha Ako me Andrew McSweeney hei DCE Wheako me te Poapoa Ākonga, Kaitukumahi hoki.

Ka tīmata a Mr Ammunson rāua Ms Jalil ki ō rāua tūranga hou ā te 6 o Māehe. Ākōake nei tīmata ai te kimi tangata mō te tūranga o DCE Rautaki me te Whakaumutanga hei kaiwhakakapi mō Richard Forgan. 

Te Pūkenga, New Zealand Institute of Skills and Technology, was established in 2020 as one of seven key changes of the Reform of Vocational Education. Te Pūkenga is bringing together a national network of integrated learning that supports learners, employers and communities to gain the skills, knowledge, and capabilities Aotearoa needs now and for the future.

Ziena Jalil

Ziena has helped some of New Zealand’s largest businesses and education institutions build their reputation and revenue, advised Ministers, and boards. Her expertise includes communications, stakeholder engagement, leadership and governance. She is also a sought after speaker on leadership, and diversity, equity and inclusion.

Recognised by Campaign Asia Pacific as part of its 2020 Women to Watch, a group of 40 outstanding women in the Asia Pacific, Ziena has received several international awards for her work promoting New Zealand trade and education in Asia. Her previous roles include Partner at SenateSHJ, Regional Director (South and Southeast Asia) for Education New Zealand, New Zealand Trade Commissioner to Singapore, and Head of North Asia Marketing and Communications for New Zealand Trade and Enterprise. More recently she has been running her own consulting practice focused on strategy and stakeholder engagement. Her governance experience includes board roles for public, private and not-for-profit entities, including in the education sector.

Paora Ammunson

Bringing significant experience on the governance boards of tribal, government, farming, sporting and commercial bodies, Paora has been an advocate for tertiary, vocational and work-based learning since his very first job in the former Wairarapa Community Polytechnic.

Playing a leadership role in key government initiatives over many years, such as the Rugby World Cup and APEC leaders forum. He has chaired the Wairarapa Rugby Union and been a councillor on the South Wairarapa District Council. He has also served as chair and executive director for his own iwi.

More recently Paora has been a key architect of the Tertiary Education Commission’s learner success work. He is a strong advocate for whole of organisation approaches to achieving more equitable life outcomes for learners and their fānau, and is very committed to the tertiary system working in collaboration to achieve this goal.

Of Ngāti Kahungunu, Rangitāne o Wairārapa, Ngāti

Rārua, Ngāti Apakura, Ngāti Rongomai and Ngāti Whakaue whakapapa, Paora has

served his family marae in Greytown since the 1980s.