The 33 rd New Zealand School Trustees Association (NZSTA) Annual Conference has kicked off in Rotorua, as hundreds of
school board members converged on the Energy Events Centre Friday to hear from key leaders, including Minister of
Education Hon Jan Tinetti and Associate Minister Hon Kelvin Davis.
Speaking at the conference this morning, Minister Tinetti, herself a former principal, was effusive in her praise of
school board members and spoke of the "incredibly important" role they play in the education system.
She acknowledged the challenges faced by boards, including the implementation of major legislative changes, and the
unprecedented disruption caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, while thanking them for their unending commitment to doing the
best they can for their school communities.
Conference attendees also heard from Associate Minister of Education Hon Kelvin Davis, who focused his speech on his
portfolio area of Māori education. The Minister spoke of his ambitions to lift the numbers of tamariki Māori in
immersion education, while briefly putting on his other cap as minister responsible for Oranga Tamariki to speak about
the role of schools in preventing harm and improving outcomes for at-risk children.
"Disengagement from the education system is the first step to disengagement from society" the Minister said.
Also speaking at the conference was Paula Tesoriero, former school board member and currently Chief Executive of
Whaikaha - The Ministry of Disabled People, who highlighted the critical role of school boards in ensuring inclusive
school environments.
She said disabled ākonga still experience exclusion in school, and as a result suffer poor outcomes across a range of
measures. She spoke of the legal obligations to disabled learners boards have, and the critical part they play in
ensuring a truly inclusive education system.
Aside from speeches, NZSTA conferences are heavily focused on board member professional development, with dozens of
workshops to grow members’ governance capability and thought-provoking sessions on a variety of topics, including one on
resetting the education agenda, offered this year over two and a half days.
With around 900 registrations this year, it is one of the largest education-centered conferences in the country.