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The Independent Taskforce was appointed by the Minister of Education on 3 April 2018.
Bali Haque Bali Haque, Chair, has provided leadership to principals and teachers as the President and Executive member of the Secondary Principals Association of New Zealand, and as an Executive member of the PPTA. He has been the Principal of four secondary schools and Deputy Chief Executive of NZQA. Author of Changing our Secondary Schools published in 2014, Bali critiques the education reform process in New Zealand since 1989. He also authored New Zealand Secondary Schools and your Child a Guide for Parents, published in 2017. Bali has presented extensively to school leaders and teachers on change management, strategic planning and self-review, professional development and assessment practice.
Barbara Ala’alatoa Barbara Ala’alatoa is a New Zealand Samoan, born and raised in Auckland. Barbara is currently Principal at Sylvia Park Primary School, where she and her team have designed a unique home school partnership, Mutukaroa, which has resulted in significant shifts in student achievement and is currently being rolled out to other schools. Barbara has over 30 years’ experience in teaching and working across the education sector, including lecturing at Auckland College of Education and coordinating schooling improvement at the Ministry of Education. In 2014, she received the Honour, Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit for services to education. In 2015 she was appointed as inaugural Chair of the Education Council of Aotearoa NZ. Her term expires on 1 July 2018.
Professor Mere Berryman Professor Mere Berryman, iwi: Ngāi Tūhoe, Ngāti Awa, Ngāti Whare, is a Professor at the University of Waikato and Director of Poutama Pounamu. She aims to challenge the pervasive and historical discourses that perpetuate educational disparities for Māori students and disrupt these through school leadership and reform initiatives. In her research, she combines understandings from kaupapa Māori and critical theories and has published widely in this field. In 2016, she received the New Zealand Honour, Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit for services to education and to Māori in education.
Professor John O’Neill Professor John O’Neill is Head of the Institute of Education at Massey University. For over 35 years he has been a teacher, teacher educator and educational leader in schools and universities in England and New Zealand. In 2012, he received the Teacher Education Forum of Aotearoa New Zealand career excellence award and a Massey University Research Excellence medal. He is an honorary member of the Normal and Model School Principals’ Association and an honorary life member of the New Zealand Association for Research in Education.
Dr Cathy Wylie Dr Cathy Wylie is a Chief Researcher at New Zealand Council for Educational Research (NZCER). Her main research expertise is education policy and how it impacts on learning, teaching, school leadership and more equal learning opportunities. Cathy’s 2012 book, Vital Connections, makes a case for system change to strengthen all our schools and counter uneven educational opportunities. Her longitudinal study 'Competent Learners' provides important understanding about engagement and achievement in learning from early childhood education into early adulthood, and of the importance of the national curriculum’s key competencies. Cathy received the NZ Association of Educational Research's McKenzie Award in 2010 and was made a Member of the Order of New Zealand for services to education in 2014.