11 June 2002
The eight members appointed to the Transition Tertiary Education Commission (TTEC) collectively possess all the skills
and attributes the new body will need to achieve a quantum shift in the performance and connectedness of New Zealand’s
tertiary education sector, says Associate Education (Tertiary Education) Minister Steve Maharey.
Six new members were agreed to by Cabinet yesterday. Steve Maharey said all will bring a detailed knowledge of the
issues relevant to the tertiary sector from both an institutional and stakeholder point of view. The new members will
join the current Chair and Deputy Chair of TTEC, Dr Andrew West and Kaye Turner, and it is intended that all will be
confirmed in their roles once the Tertiary Education Commission is formally established by legislation.
Steve Maharey said the 8-member Commission will be responsible for overseeing the reshaping of New Zealand’s post-school
education system to better meet the challenges of developing a tertiary education sector which maintains excellence,
relevance and access.
“Tertiary education has a key contribution to make to New Zealand’s economic and social development. Our tertiary
education reforms, of which the Tertiary Education Commission is the centrepiece, are designed to ensure we build a
well-educated, skilled and adaptable nation.
“When determining the membership of the Commission it was important that we were able to appoint people from the range
of stakeholders that participate directly in the sector, while at the same time ensuring excellence in governance of
this new Crown entity,” Steve Maharey said.
The Transition Tertiary Education Commission will comprise:
- Dr Andrew West (Chair) - appointed in August 2001;
- Associate Professor Kaye Turner (Deputy Chair) - appointed in August 2001;
- John Blakey, Chief Executive of the Forest Industries Training Organisation;
- Shona Butterfield, Chief Executive of The Open Polytechnic of New Zealand;
- Jim Donovan, Managing Director, Isambard Ltd and a member of the government’s ICT Taskforce;
Andrew Little, National Secretary of the Engineering, Printing and Manufacturing Union;
- Tina Olsen-Ratana (Ngati Porou), Manager of Te Kokiri Marae at Seaview and a board member of the New Zealand
Qualifications Authority; and
- Dr Ian Smith, Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Research and International) at the University of Otago.
Biographical information on the Commissioners is attached.
Transition Tertiary Education Commissioners: biographical information
Dr Andrew West (Chair) was appointed Chair of the Transition Tertiary Education Commission in August 2001. Previously he
was Chief Executive of the New Zealand Qualifications Authority and is a former Chief Executive of the Institute of
Geological & Nuclear Sciences. He has extensive experience in the establishment and management of crown entities in the complex
science and technology sector.
Associate Professor Kaye Turner (Deputy Chair) was appointed Chair of the Transition Tertiary Education Commission in
August 2001. Previously she was Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Academic) at the University of Waikato. She has an academic
background is in the law and she has lectured in New Zealand and overseas. Ms Turner has an in-depth understanding of
the university system from an academic and management perspective and has broad experience working with a wide range of
groups within the tertiary sector.
John Blakey is the Chief Executive of the Forest Industries Training Organisation and has a broad experience in
education at all levels, particularly industry training. He has taken a leading role in tertiary education and training
policy development and has an excellent overview of the sector and the important complementary roles played by the
Industry Training Organisations. He is the Chair of the Industry Training Federation, a member of the Training and
Education sub-committee of the NZ Forest Industries Council, and a member of the Health and Safety sub-committee of the
NZ Forest Owners Association.
Shona Butterfield is the Chief Executive of the Open Polytechnic of New Zealand, a position held since 1989. She has had
a long career in education, both in teaching and in administration and has been an active participant in the development
of policy for education and training. She was a member of the Tertiary Education Advisory Commission (TEAC) and has been
a member of a number of professional groups and boards relating to vocational education.
Jim Donovan is the Managing Director of Isambard Ltd, a management and investment consulting company. He has held senior
management roles in distribution and technology businesses in Britain and NZ and is a strategy consulting partner with
Ernst and Young, working with medium and large companies in New Zealand. He has a strong understanding of the needs of
business in relation to skill development for business growth and their requirements of the tertiary education system.
Andrew Little is the National Secretary of the Engineering, Printing and Manufacturing Union, the largest trade union in
New Zealand with 55,000 members. He has had extensive involvement with the tertiary education sector, having been
President of the Victoria University Students Association (1987) and the New Zealand University Students Association
(1988-89). He has also served two separate terms on the Victoria University Council (both as a student representative
and as an elected member).
Tina Olsen-Ratana (Ngati Porou) is the Manager of Te Kokiri Marae at Seaview in Lower Hutt, a complex that, among other
activities, provides community education at all levels from Te Kohanga Reo to tertiary level training. She has broad
experience in all facets of education and in the administration of education and training, as well as a strong national
perspective and knowledge of training needs for Maori across the tertiary sector. She has been a board member of the New
Zealand Qualifications Authority since 1999 and from 1991 to 1999 was the National Co-ordinator for the Association of
Maori Providers of Training and Education. She was also a member of the Youth Training/Training Opportunities Review
Team.
Dr Ian Smith is the Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Research and International) at the University of Otago. He has experience in
governance and executive management in industry and in other areas of the public and private sectors, as well as
experience in both New Zealand and Australia of service on major government boards. Dr Smith’s experience includes the
fostering of industry-tertiary sector relationships from both the university and industry positions. In Western
Australia he chaired an industry/tertiary education committee to establish co-operation between tertiary institutions
and industry through sharing facilities and teaching.