Secretary for Education and Chief Executive, Ministry of Education

24 Jul 2024

The search for the next Secretary of Education and Chief Executive, Ministry of Education went live this month. Partnering with the New Zealand Public Service Commission | Te Kawa Mataaho on this critical public service leadership appointment is a real privilege.

The Ministry of Education is the Government’s lead advisor on New Zealand’s education system. It shapes direction for education agencies and providers and is responsible for delivering the Government’s priorities for education. The Ministry of Education fulfils this role through a range of work, including the provision of policy advice on the education system and substantial operational functions such as the management of the Crown’s $31 billion school estate, and delivering salaries to over 94,000 school staff.

The Secretary for Education leads and stewards the highly devolved education system to drive performance, deliver high-quality policy advice to Government, and work collectively with organisations to effectively develop, implement and understand the impact of changes to the education system. A dedicated workforce of about 4,500 carries out the Ministry of Education’s roles and responsibilities at 43 locations across New Zealand. The Ministry of Education administers Vote Education and Vote Tertiary Education with annual appropriations totalling approximately $21 billion

The Education Review Office is a critical partner to the Ministry, in its role of evaluating education for priority learners, keys aspects of its provision and key issues, and performance of the education system. The Ministry monitors the performance of the New Zealand Qualifications Authority. It also monitors Education New Zealand and the Tertiary Education Commission. It manages the process of appointments to a number of Crown entities, statutory boards and advisory groups on behalf of the responsible Ministers.

The Secretary for Education is accountable to the Minister of Education, Associate Minister, and Minister for Tertiary Education for providing high-quality policy advice to the Government on the education system, covering early childhood, primary, secondary, and tertiary education.

New Zealand’s education system performs well for many children and learners, but there are also many who are not served as well by our current system. The Ministry of Education has a leadership role to deliver world-class public education, improving attendance and engagement, lifting academic achievement, and delivering positive change for New Zealand children and future generations.

The Secretary for Education will support the whole Ministry in its delivery of Government priorities, including:

The Secretary for Education will build relationships, collaborating and influencing across the broad range of stakeholders in the education system, and provide timely and accurate advice to Ministers. They will develop a strong team to build organisational culture and capabilities to lead across the system and have an understanding of how educational outcomes for Māori can be strengthened.

Find out more information about this opportunity here.

For a confidential discussion about this fantastic opportunity, please contact:
David Hughes
E: dhughes@hardygroupintl.com
T: +64 (0)21 286 4470