Kaitiakitanga

Murray Strong

Chair

Murray Strong is an independent director and Chair and has governance and senior management experience across many sectors, including tertiary education.

Murray was the IST Establishment Unit Executive Director, where he was closely involved with all workstreams, key stakeholders and the future direction. Prior to the IST Establishment Unit, Murray was Chair of New Zealand Qualifications Authority. He is currently Chair of the Centre of Digital Excellence in Dunedin and the Digital Transformation Board for the Southern District Health Board.

Sue McCormack

Deputy Chair

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.

Kim Ngārimu

Kim Ngārimu (Te Aitanga ā Mate, Ngāti Porou) is a director of Tāua Limited, a consultancy specialising in public policy and management advice. Earlier in her career, Kim held a range of senior public sector roles in Wellington.

She is a member of the Medical Council of New Zealand and the Waitangi Tribunal, and was previously Chair of Tairāwhiti District Health Board and Deputy Chair of the IST Establishment Board.

Dr Teorongonui Josie Keelan

Ngāti Porou, Ngāti Awa, Tūhoe

Josie is co-chair of Komiti Māori and has worked in tertiary education for 30 years. She was Dean of Teaching and Learning, Mātauranga Māori at Unitec from 2012-2019. She is currently a Senior Research Fellow at Ngā Pae o te Māramatanga, the University of Auckland.

Prior to working in tertiary education, she held several roles in the public sector at iwi, national and international levels. The most challenging was that of Executive Secretary for her iwi authority, Te Rūnanga o Ngāti Porou when it was first established in 1985.

John Brockies

John Brockies is an experienced independent director with a professional background of CEO roles in large New Zealand organisations in the public and private sectors.

He was a Ministerial appointee to the Commissioner's Advisory Panel for Unitec and was an independent member of the RoVE Programme Board.

Tagaloatele Peggy Fairbairn-Dunlop

Tagaloatele Professor Peggy Fairbairn-Dunlop CNZM is Emeritus Professor at Auckland University of Technology. She has contributed to significant government and NGO policy affecting the Pacific community and has carried out a significant amount of educational research.

She has served as the National President of PACIFICA Inc, and was appointed as a Commissioner in 2017 to oversee Samoa’s national inquiry into family violence. Her CNZM was awarded in 2015 for services to education and the Pacific community.

Sam Huggard

Sam Huggard is the former National Secretary of the New Zealand Council of Trade Unions 2014–2019, where he led the union movements’ work on just transitions. Sam is currently an employee of NZEI Te Riu Roa.

Sam is an experienced not-for-profit sector leader, with 20 years’ service across trade unions, the community sector, and students’ associations. His governance experience includes government, not-for-profit, academic and industry advisory bodies.

Heath Sawyer

Heath Sawyer (Ngati Awa, Ngati Hokopu) is co-chair of the Interim Staff Advisory Committee and a Principal Academic Staff member at Te Kuratini o Waikato (Wintec). Previously a Primary School Principal and National Facilitator for the Ministry of Education’s Managed Learning Environment team.

At Wintec, he taught on the Graduate Diploma for Information Technology in Education. He is currently supporting program and tutor development for the Centre for Trades, and Physiotherapy and is involved in a range of other projects.

Jordan Gush

Jordan Gush is a BCITO apprentice and co-chair of the Interim Learner Advisory Committee.

He was part of the Working Group brought together to formulate recommendations for the establishment of the Interim Learner Advisory Committee and has been a work-based learner representative on Te Poari Akoranga - Te Pūkenga Academic Board. He is of Samoan and NZ European descent.

Jeremy Morley

Jeremy Morley brings a wealth of experience in financial and operational management and in leading change processes. He has worked on major assignments in the tertiary education sector including assisting providers with a range of financial, operational and academic matters.  
Prior to joining Te Pūkenga Council, he was a Director at PwC New Zealand and an independent consultant to the Risk and Audit Committee of the Tertiary Education Commission. 

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.

In the 2019 New Year Royal Honours, Bill Moran was made a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit for his services to State, Sport, and Youth.