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New appointments to Te Pūkenga Council

April 5, 2023 | 4 min read

Two new appointments to Te Pūkenga Council will bring new perspectives and experience says Council Chair Murray Strong.

"I’m delighted to welcome Sue McCormack and Bill Moran onto Te Pūkenga Council," said Mr Strong.

"Bill and Sue have strong governance backgrounds including in tertiary education. They bring fresh perspectives, passion for the sector and are excited about the future Te Pūkenga offers for ākonga, employers, our communities and the country.

"As we move from the transition phase of bringing 24 organisations together and onto transforming Te Pūkenga to deliver better outcomes for learners, employers, communities and our economic future, their contributions will be welcomed.

"Sue will be my Deputy Chair. Sue is a judicial member of the Canterbury Earthquakes Insurance Tribunal and Deputy Chair of Kiwirail. She has a long-standing interest in education having been a trustee on school boards for many years and as member of the University of Canterbury Council from 2009 until she retired as Chancellor in 2022.

"Bill brings with him more than seven years of experience in governance roles as chair, deputy chair and director of a range of public and private sector and charitable organisations across all sectors of the economy and community. He was previously Deputy Chair of Otago Polytechnic," said Mr Strong.

"I am excited to be part of a reform that will lead to a better long-term investment of resources to achieve the best education, employment, and economic outcomes for Aotearoa New Zealand," said Mr Moran.

Maryann Geddes, Tania Hodges, and Kathy Grant have now finished up their tenures on Te Pūkenga council. "I want to thank all of them for the commitment, intellect and experience they contributed during their time. They leave with my and the Council’s thanks," said Mr Strong.

The Minister of Education, Jan Tinetti made the appointments in March and is expected to make a further appointment in the coming months.

Bill and Sue will attend their first council meeting today.


Sue McCormack

Sue McCormack is a commercial corporate lawyer who retired in 2019 from Mortlock McCormack Law after 35 years in practice to take up her role as Chancellor of the University of Canterbury.

Sue is a judicial member of the Canterbury Earthquakes Insurance Tribunal and Deputy Chair of Kiwirail. Sue’s interest in education has been long standing being a trustee on school boards for many years and she was a member of the University of Canterbury Council from 2009 until she retired as Chancellor in 2022. During her tenure at University of Canterbury, the University recovered from the Canterbury Earthquakes, and as a member she was involved in a post-earthquake construction programme and in the university’s post-quake rejuvenation and transformation.

As a Chartered Member of the Institute of Directors Sue has a strong governance background. Sue was a trustee of the Canterbury Museum, and former director of Lyttleton Port Company, The Public Trust and New Zealand Symphony Orchestra.

Bill Moran

Bill Moran is an independent professional director and over the last seven years has undertaken a variety of governance roles as chair, deputy chair and director of a range of public and private sector and charitable organisations across all sectors of the economy and community.

Bill is currently the Chair of Sport New Zealand, High Performance Sport New Zealand, Southern Generation LP, Community Trust South, and At the World’s Edge Chamber Music Festival USA as well as the Deputy Chair of WorkSafe NZ and a director of Pioneer Energy. He is a trustee of the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra Foundation, Parliamentary Education Charitable Trust, Youthtown Inc, and Sky City Casino Queenstown Charitable Trust.

Bill was previously Deputy Chair of Otago Polytechnic.

Bill was with the New Zealand Treasury from 1985 to 2016. His last role was as Chief Operating Officer and Deputy Secretary of Strategy, Performance and Engagement.