Anna is the Chief Executive at Evaluation Associates | Te Huinga Kākākura Mātauranga. 

With a background in teaching and school leadership, she has worked in the PLD space for many years.  She has been fortunate to have worked with many people in our PLD whānau through the different roles she has held. About a decade ago, she worked in the Ministry of Education national office, managing the school support services contracts and a range of other PLD contracts. From there, she worked for Cognition Education managing their PLD teams and she was also the foundation consortium manager for Te Toi Tupu.  When she moved into her current role, Evaluation Associates was part of the Consortium for Professional Learning with the University of Auckland.  Given this background, collaboration across organisations is a very familiar and welcome space for Anna.  

Mā whero, mā pango, ka oti te mahi.

Carolyn worked in the Faculty of Education, at the University of Waikato for close to 20 years. Over that time her various roles included Administrator, researcher in Early Years Learning, Research Manager for the Faculty and Manager of the Institute of Professional Learning. She left the university in 2019 to pursue other interests. Being offered the part-time role of Executive Assistant for PLANZ in March 2022 has allowed her to work once again with colleagues and organisations with whom she has had long-standing relationships. She appreciates the opportunity to re-engage with the Education sector where the opportunities for growth and learning are challenging and exciting.

Sharleen is the Director at Te Whai Toi Tangata | Institute of Professional Learning. With a Master’s in Educational Leadership, school and Ministry of Education experience and a wealth of leadership experience across sectors, Sharleen is well positioned to support schools and kura in leadership, change management, integrated and inclusive curriculum, numeracy, Pasifika achievement & online learning.

Sharleen has taught from middle school through to secondary level both domestically and internationally. Her time with Hamilton Girls High School saw her take on leadership roles as Deputy Principal 2IC and Acting Principal where her portfolios included PLD Lead, Curriculum lead, Online learning lead, Oversight of Pasifika Achievement. She also played a vital role in revitalising and managing the Waikato AP/DP cluster.

As an advocate for equity and social justice, Sharleen is committed to making a difference in the lives of ākonga, through advocating for an inclusive and culturally responsive curriculum that gives access to ALL ākonga. She believes that Education is a great equaliser that has the power to open doors and opportunities.

I’m a passionate educator who thrives on the challenge of teaching at all levels. I believe in hands-on, inquiry based learning where learners have ownership of their learning and can therefore access education in meaningful, self-driven contexts.

I began my teaching career as an intermediate teacher, enjoying the challenge of extending gifted and talented students. Likewise, I have worked with struggling pre-adolescents as they developed the necessary skills and knowledge to thrive as young adults. From there, I progressively moved down the year levels, teaching years five and six for several years, and then finally teaching years one, two and three. Teaching at the junior end of schooling equipped me with the skills and understanding to teach foundation numeracy and literacy.

Since leaving the classroom, I’ve moved on to develop my adult teaching skills. During this time, I have been heavily involved in developing Ministry of Education funded professional learning programmes for New Zealand schools. This has involved face to face, internal training, and workshopping to develop, refine and improve our offering, thus ensuring value for money and efficacy of delivery.

Maraea leads CORE’s kaupapa Māori team. She is a passionate educationist whose career has included teaching in kōhanga reo and kura kaupapa Māori, educational research and publishing, and strategic advisory roles.

She has recent research experience that includes: rangatahi use of te reo Māori; wellbeing in schools; and partnerships between Māori organisations and the Department of Corrections. Her PhD study was a longitudinal case study of reo Māori socialisation and acquisition by young children growing up in bilingual whānau.

Maraea has contributed in author, publisher, researcher and developer roles to academic publications, learning resources for children, and support resources for teachers.

He uri tēnei o Te Arawa waka, Mātātua waka, Te Paepae ki Rarotonga, me Tainui waka.  Bobby is Kaihautū Māori at Evaluation Associates | Te Huinga Kākākura Mātauranga.  Prior to this role he was a deputy principal at Ōtūmoetai College in Tauranga and a reo Māori kaiako.  Bobby leads with a kaupapa-driven, relational approach, weaving Te Ao Māori through people, practice and policy.  Toia rā te herenga waka, te herenga tangata.