New NZQA board members announced

5 November 2003 Media Statement

New NZQA board members announced

Education Minister Trevor Mallard has appointed four new members to the board of the New Zealand Qualifications Authority.

The new members are: Tracey Bridges, a partner in public relations firm Senate Communications; Peter Chrisp, chief executive of Norske-Skog Tasman Ltd; Angela Foulkes, former secretary of the Council of Trade Unions and now an independent consultant; and Graeme McNally, dean of the Faculty of Commerce, University of Canterbury and a partner at Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu.

All new members have been appointed for a four-year term.

"I am delighted with the make up of the new board and have every confidence that it will successfully guide the Qualifications Authority through a process of strengthening its operating systems and its capacity," Trevor Mallard said.

“This is a dynamic group of people who bring a passion for education as well as enormous experience at a governance and strategic level.

“We now have a great deal of financial management experience at board level, which will ensure the Qualifications Authority remains as cost effective as possible.

“Many of the members have been intensively involved in workplace literacy and industry training programmes and they are committed to making New Zealand a place of life-long learning,” Trevor Mallard said.

Dr Graeme Fraser was announced as board chair earlier this year.

Tina Olsen-Ratana, manager of Kokiri Marae Keriana Olsen Trust, a private training establishment based in the Hutt Valley, has been re-appointed to the board for a further four-year term.

Profiles of new board members are attached.

Board member profiles:

Tracey Bridges is currently a partner in Senate Communications, a business she has established with two other colleagues. She has 12 years experience working in Parliament, the broadcast news media and public relations. Prior to forming Senate Communications she was a director and general manager of Porter Novelli New Zealand.

Peter Chrisp is the Chief Executive of Norske-Skog Tasman Limited, based in Kawerau. He began his career with the Engineers Union taking, amongst other roles, a responsibility for training and education. He pioneered on-site job training for Tasman Pulp and Paper and led the company to become the first enterprise in New Zealand accredited as an NZQA provider. More recently, he has overseen “Te Whare Ako”, based at Norske-Skog Tasman’s Kawerau Mill, the longest running workplace literacy programme in New Zealand.

Angela Foulkes is a former secretary of the Council of Trade Unions. She is currently consulting for her own company. She has extensive governance experience and has served on a variety of advisory boards and commissions over the last 15 years. She is currently a member of the New Zealand Fire Service Commission and the Crown Forestry Rental Trust.

Graeme McNally is a partner at Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu and dean of the Faculty of Commerce, University of Canterbury. He holds a number of other appointments including crown observer at Taranaki Polytechnic and the Western Institute of Technology, crown manager for Wanganui Polytechnic, crown development advisor for Te Wananga o Aotearoa, and business advisor for Otago Polytechnic.

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