We welcome four new Trustees to our board - Debbie Burrows, Luella Linaker, Rob McIntosh, and Tim Gander who join
existing Trustees Lorraine Mentz, Hana O’Regan and Liz Gibbs.
Co-Chair Lorraine Mentz said “the new appointments to the Education Partnership & Innovation Trust (EPIT) board are an important evolutionary step for EPIT as we mature and continue to deliver
transformational change in education in Aotearoa. I’m confident that the newly expanded board will be well-placed to
continue developing EPIT’s kaupapa and status as a key player. The addition of Debbie, Luella, Rob and Tim contribute
such a rich and diverse set of skills and experience at the board table.”
“EPIT has a unique role to play in providing collaborative, multi-sector partnership opportunities to drive systems
change. Our focus on improving equity by encouraging a ‘whole of community’ approach and working closely with our
partners delivering in our ECEs and schools, aims to ensure our young learners get the best possible educational
experiences and outcomes.”
New Trustees
Debbie Burrows Debbie is a business leader with over 20 years of management and 15 years governance experience in SME,
NFP, and corporate sectors, with a strong personal belief in equality and equity. She is currently the Deputy Chair of
Maungakiekie Tāmaki Local Board and an Auckland District Licensing Committee Chair.
As the former CEO of a kaupapa Māori not-for-profit organisation delivering education outcomes, Debbie focused on
delivering education and career pathways for Māori and Pasifika youth to create equal opportunities. She is a vocal
advocate for equity and inclusion and is passionate about a future Aotearoa where everyone has the resources and
opportunities to be the best that they can be.
Luella Linaker Luella is Tūwharetoa ki Kawerau, Ngāti Rangitihi, Ngāti Awa and Fiji Indian. She was raised by a solo
father in Manurewa, South Auckland and this upbringing shaped her outlook and passion to help others. A career in the
public sector was carved from a deep-seated drive to serve her community and change the system from within. Luella is
relationships driven, a strategic thinker and clear communicator who looks beyond issues and uses design to enable
people to create their own solutions to challenges or pathways to aspirations.
Luella is Chief Executive of The Pride Project, a locally grown not for profit organisation staffed by local residents
in South Auckland, with lived experience of the challenges whānau face. With a suburban heritage fruit tree orchard, she
propagates and distributes fruit trees to the community.
Rob McIntosh
For over twenty-five years, Rob has been involved in organisational and thought leadership in the education sector,
always driven by a desire to see ongoing system improvement and particularly improved equity of outcomes.
A former Deputy Chief Executive in the Ministry of Education,
Rob has been an independent adviser since 2012, undertaking strategy and policy projects for a range of New Zealand
education organisations, and also internationally, including supporting Pacific education system development. In
addition, during this time, he has been the Acting Chief Executive of the Education Review Office (2013/14), Acting
Director of the New Zealand Teachers Council (2014/15) and a ministerial appointee to the Teachers Council in 2013.
Wellington-based Rob is currently an Adjunct Research Fellow in the Faculty of Education, Victoria University of
Wellington.
Tim Gander Tim is Postgraduate Director at AcademyEX (formerly The Mind Lab). He is an experienced educator who
advocates equitable and thoughtful technology integration in education. He has collaborated with teachers on innovative
practice-based research in Aotearoa for over a decade, building an understanding of the challenges and opportunities.
Based in Te Tai Rāwhiti Tim is the founder of the peer-reviewed, open-access, bi-lingual academic journal 'He Rourou',
which shares practitioner-based knowledge and research. He also hosts the 'Impact Series' podcast on innovation and
change.
No stranger to learning, Tim has a Bachelor of Education from the University of Exeter, a Master of Education from
Massey University, and his PhD explores collaborative coaching in education to build relationships and create
connections.