Bio Pages

Speakers Auckland Education Summit

Tista Lythe

Please click on read more for a full overview of the speakers at the Auckland Education Summit or click here to download a PDF.

Bernadine Vester

As Chief Executive of COMET, Bernardine has developed a model of local government and education collaboration, and an internationally recognised intergenerational family learning model, Manukau's first youth transitions service, led the city’s response to increasing participation in early childhood education.. She is an Eisenhower Fellow and recipient of Victoria University of Wellington’s Holmes Prize in Public Policy for her research on the relationship between local government and education. Bernardine has previously worked as a teacher and Assistant, and was Junior Vice President of PPTA. Her governance experience includes leading the establishment boards of the Mission Heights schools and serving on a number of local community organisations.

Ngaire Addis

Tista Lythe

Ngaire Addis BA, MA (Hons), M. Ed. Admin.

Ngaire’s main areas of interest and expertise are mathematics, assessment and leading professional development for secondary teachers. She has taught at secondary schools in Hawkes Bay since 1981. Most recently she has been a Senior Manager at Havelock North High School.

Over the past few years, she has been a facilitator for the Secondary Numeracy Project and ATOL/Asttle projects and run courses for Massey University. She has presented papers and workshops at the National Numeracy Conferences, New Zealand Association of Mathematics Teachers conferences and an ATOL conference. She has also worked on the Ministry of Education writing group, writing resources for the Secondary Numeracy Project. Most recently, she’s also been involved with Massey University for a third year Teaching of Mathematics paper. Currently, Ngaire is completing a doctorate, EdD, through Massey University. Her dissertation is on the use of mathematics assessment data by school leaders with a main interest in the Data Wise project which has been conducted by Professor Kathy Boudett at the Graduate School of Education, Harvard University, and how this could have significant implications and benefits for the professional development of school leaders in assessment literacy in New Zealand.

Thinking professional growth participants

Tista Lythe

Dr Jenny Horsley

Jenny’s field of interest includes gifted education with particular focus on those factors that facilitate high-academic learning in regular classrooms. She is on the editorial board of APEX- The NZ Journal of Gifted Education, and a member of the Ministry of Education’s Gifted and Talented Policy Advisory Group. Jenny is a Lecturer in Primary and Secondary Programmes, Victoria University and was the first Fulbright-CERT Scholar in 2009.

Arni Wainui

Arni is tumuaki (principal) of Te Wharekura o Arowhenua, Invercargill. She is a very experienced teacher and principal and has an in-depth knowledge of KKM (Aho Matua), our philosophy, the demands and expectations on kaiako(teachers) and the regard with which they are held in the KKM world. Arni joins us as a representative for Te Runanga Nui o nga Kura Kaupapa Maori o Aotearoa, the national association of Kura Kaupapa Maori (Aho Matua) nationally.

Melissa Denzler

Melissa is a mother of 3 and teaches English and Japanese at Wainuiomata High School. Last year she led Professional Learning at the school and has been involved in team teaching, Assess to Learn (aToL), and was Specialist Classroom Teacher (SCT )for the school in 2008. Currently, Melissa is Year 11 Dean, and coordinator for Maori Achievement at the school. Dr Jock Phillips Jock taught American and New Zealand history for many years, was Chief Historian at the Department of Internal Affairs and later the Ministry for Culture and Heritage and worked as a conceptual leader at Te Papa. Jock is the author of A Man’s Country? The Image of the Pakeha Male-A History(1987 and 1996) and has written ten other books. Jock is General Editor of Te Ara the Online Encyclopaedia of New Zealand (www.TeAra.govt.nz) and a 1978 Fulbright Research Scholar.

Dr Veronica O'Toole

Tista Lythe

Veronica O'Toole is a qualified adult educator and former health professional, with extensive experience in mentoring and facilitating the professional development of adult educators. Veronica was a lecturer in Adult Education in the former Christchurch College of Education. Veronica's prior adult and tertiary teaching experience includes Hospital, Polytechnic, College of Education, Community Education and Private Sector contexts. She has also tutored in education and psychology degree programmes at the University of Canterbury and supervised classroom-based research of qualified teachers upgrading to bachelor’s degree, from early childhood through to secondary school level.

Enosa Auva'a

administrator

Enosa is the principal of Mount Albert Primary School and has researched ethnic minority leadership in American schools at the University of Hawai‘i. He is the second recipient of the Fulbright-Cognition Education Research Trust Scholar Award.

Please click here for Enosa's final report part A and here for part B