Keynote Speakers Announced For 30th ICDE World Conference 2025 In Wellington This November

Tuesday, 26 August 2025, 4:50 pm
Press Release: Open Polytechnic

An exciting lineup of distinguished keynote speakers will share their insights and expertise at the upcoming International Council for Open and Distance Education (ICDE) conference, including leaders of the world’s largest universities, a renowned Māori academic, an international AI expert, and a programme specialist leading transformative education.

Te Kuratini Tuwhera o Aotearoa Open Polytechnic of New Zealand and Te Kunenga Ki Pūrehuroa Massey University will co-host the conference in Wellington at the Tākina Wellington Convention and Exhibition Centre, from 10 to 13 November, at which hundreds of international and domestic delegates are expected.

Open Polytechnic Executive Director of Learning Design and Development, and current ICDE President Dr Mark Nichols, says each keynote will bring a unique perspective to the conference and exciting conference program. They include:

- Dr Paul J. LeBlanc, Leader of Matter and Space, an AI and Education startup and previous President of Southern New Hampshire University (SNHU), an online mega-university. Dr LeBlanc is recognised as one of USA’s most innovative educators. Under his 20-year leadership as former President of SNHU, the university grew from 2,800 to over 250,000 students to become the largest non-profit online higher education provider in the USA.

- Professor Puleng LenkaBula, Vice Chancellor of the University of South Africa (UNISA). Professor LenkaBula has won multiple international and national teaching awards and now leads South Africa’s largest university by enrolment (370,000 students per year).

- Professor Danny Liu, Professor of Educational Technologies in the DVC Education Portfolio at the University of Sydney. Professor Liu is known internationally for his work on Generative Artificial Intelligence in higher education, and is the developer of Cogniti, an AI application widely used by students.

- Professor Linda Tuhiwai Smith (Ngāti Awa, Ngāti Porou, Tūhourangi), is a Professor at Te Whare Wānanga o Awanuiārangi, and CEO of Ngā Āhuatanga O Te Kai Ltd, The Kai Research Institute. Professor Smith is an internationally renowned and highly awarded researcher, scholar and writer known for her work on Decolonising Methodologies, Kaupapa Māori and Mana Wahine and Māori Education.

- Dr Faryal Khan, Programme Specialist leading Transformative Education at the UNESCO Regional Office in Bangkok and the Office for UN Coordination for Asia and the Pacific (UNESCO Bangkok). Dr Khan brings an international perspective on education reform.

Open Polytechnic, New Zealand’s specialist provider of online and distance learning is a long-standing institutional member of ICDE. The last time an ICDE conference was held in New Zealand was in 1950.

Dr Nichols, says, "ICDE’s roots go back to 1938, and it has been generously hosted by the Norwegian government since 1988. It has members from over 90 countries, including the world’s largest open and distance learning institutions - some with millions of enrolments each year."

"ICDE is committed to advancing inclusive, scalable, and sustainable education and it is a pleasure to be able to bring members from this global movement to Wellington in November."

"Our focus tends to be at the level of policy as well as practice, motivated by the need to improve access to education."

Te Kunenga Ki Pūrehuroa Massey University Provost Professor Giselle Byrnes, who leads the university’s education and research portfolios says, "The ICDE World Conference is always an incredible opportunity to connect with and learn from international leaders from a wide range of countries.

"The conference is expected to bring together hundreds of international leaders and practitioners in the global field of open, scalable and accessible learning to Aotearoa New Zealand. We’re very excited."

The theme for the 2025 ICDE World Conference is ‘Ako: Exchanging ideas for inclusive, scalable and sustainable education,’ and will focus on exploring four areas: accessibility and resilience, context and quality, indigeneity, and innovation and openness.

"We will be exploring together at the conference how the Māori concept of ako, or how a teacher and student can learn from each other, can transform global education through inclusive practices, innovative technologies and community engagement," says Professor Byrnes.

November’s conference will offer an inspiring lineup of pre-conference events.

ICDE Secretary General Torunn Gjelsvik says, "The pre-conference programme on Monday 10 November offers an incredible opportunity for engagement, collaboration and meaningful dialogue with ICDE’s global network. Even before the main conference begins, participants can connect with thought leaders, educators and policymakers, contributing to advancing inclusive, scalable and sustainable education on a global scale."

Registration for the conference is open and includes a day rate, and early bird rates for full registration apply until 19 September.

To register and find out more about the 30th ICDE World Conference, visit: www.icdeworldconference2025.com/

About Open Polytechnic Te Kuratini Tuwhera o Aotearoa Open Polytechnic of New Zealand is a business division of Te Pūkenga - New Zealand Institute of Skills and Technology, together with all other polytechnics in New Zealand. As New Zealand’s specialist provider of open and distance learning, Open Polytechnic enrols 40,000 mainly part-time learners per year. The majority of learners are adult learners, combining work and study.

Website: https://www.openpolytechnic.ac.nz/

About Massey UniversityTe Kunenga ki Pūrehuroa Massey University is a research-led university with a reputation for excellence in innovation and the creation of new knowledge. With campuses in Auckland, Palmerston North, Wellington and Singapore, there is a strong international focus equalled by a commitment to being Te Tiriti led and supporting the growth of Māori and Pacific students. Massey University research helps solve complex national and global problems and translates into exciting commercial opportunities. In the 2026 QS World University rankings, Massey University is ranked 230 th equal and third in Aotearoa New Zealand. Massey University is also a committed global leader in sustainability, ranking 84 th equal in the world and third in New Zealand in the Times Higher Education Impact rankings that assess a university’s contribution and progress towards the United Nation’s Sustainable Development Goals.

Website: https://www.massey.ac.nz/

About ICDE

The International Council for Open and Distance Education (ICDE) is the leading, global membership association working to bring inclusive, quality education to all. Through its global membership, ICDE impacts millions of students, shares knowledge and best practices, facilitates intercultural collaboration, and advocates for inclusive learning worldwide. As a long-standing consultative partner to UNESCO, ICDE and its members work globally and regionally to achieve UN Sustainable Development Goal 4: Equitable quality education for all. The ICDE World Conference is widely recognised as the leading international conference for Open, Flexible and Distance Learning (OFDL), and has been hosted by ICDE members around the world since the organization’s inception in 1938.

Website: https://icde.org/

© Scoop Media