Two new general managers have been appointed at the Authority to head expanded services to Māori .

Patsy Karauria is General Manager, Māori Qualifications Services and Carl Ross General Manager, Māori Provider Development and Support. In addition, a Māori Communications Officer, Sandi Barr, has been appointed to boost the Authority’s communications to Māori learners and providers.

The Authority’s chief executive, Norman Kingsbury, said the appointments signal the revitalisation of work on Māori qualifications. “Like most of our services, the Māori unit was reduced to minimal numbers during the years of doubt about the Authority’s future. Now we have to make up for lost time,” said Norman Kingsbury.

“We looked for two respected, able and energetic people and were delighted to welcome Carl Ross and Patsy Karauria. They lead separate but closely related teams and both sit at the senior management table. Two of our five general managers are now Māori and I see that as a signal of just how important this work is,” said Norman Kingsbury.

“The National Qualifications Framework has enabled Māori learners and Māori education and training providers to make great strides. But we have really just made a start,” said Norman Kingsbury. “Māori are represented on the Framework in numbers equal to their proportion in the general population. But we are aiming at achievements at higher levels and in a wider range of industries and learning areas.”

Carl Ross General Manager Māori Provider Development and Support

Carl heads the Māori Provider Development and Support team comprising a National Coordinator, administrative staff and seven regional facilitators who will provide advice and support for Māori education and training providers over the next two years.

There are approximately 160 self-identified Māori private training establishments that cater for Māori learners. The regional facilitators will have an itinerant role but spend three to four days of every month at the Authority’s office in Wellington. The team will be offering assistance to Māori providers to ensure their quality management systems are robust.

Carl has visited each region to present an overview of this new initiative and an overview of the Authority. The regional facilitators have assisted Māori providers in conducting a needs analysis regarding their quality management systems.

Carl has strong views about how his personal commitment to Māori education and his new role can mesh together. He points out: “research has proven that the participation and increased achievement levels of Māori learners are higher within Māori PTEs than within any other learning institution. Ideally, in the next four years, I would like to see the relationships between PTEs and other educational institutions enhanced through this project.”

An educationalist at heart, Carl has come from a position within Auckland University lecturing teachers on catering for the learning needs of Māori students.

“Kaupapa Māori theory encompasses Māori pedagogy including the enhancement of one’s learning environment – ultimately this increases the Māori learners’ chances of obtaining a higher level of achievement. In the future I anticipate new initiatives to address these issues and a greater acceptance of Māori epistemology within the education system.”

Raised in the small rural town of Moerewa by grandparents, Te Kooti and Puti Cotton, Carl was a student of the Māori Affairs Trades Training Programme. However, his love of children led him to the teaching profession including teaching at the Kelston Deaf Education Centre for four and a half years.

Changing direction again, he became a human resources trainer at Sky City. Quips Carl, “there’s no place better to learn business management than at a casino”. The next move was to be Manager of Māori Community Development at UNITEC and then to Auckland University.
Carl’s Iwi affiliation is Ngapuhi – his hapu being Ngatirangi and Te Uri Taniwha. He is a Justice of the Peace, father of four children (Peter Radford, Te Kooti Pairama, Manuao Waimarino Marama and McKennah-Leigh) all fluent in te reo Māori , a keen diver and a fisherman.

Patsy Karauria General Manager Māori Qualifications Services

Patsy’s role is to lead Māori Qualifications Services generating new qualifications and reviewing standards in the Māori field, promoting the uptake of Māori qualifications and providing resources and training for tutors and teachers.

According to Patsy, what is most exciting about her new role is being able to work for her own people and help to expand opportunities for Māori to achieve. Achievement is important to her and she is looking forward to ensuring that there are actual qualifications available, rather than a random assortment of unit standards.

She believes that there are already a lot of choices for Māori , but hopes that developing qualifications that have a Māori dimension, will encourage a stronger uptake. She points out that a Māori dimension does not necessarily mean a language component – it may mean using concepts or bringing in Māori ideology.

“My view is that Māori should not limit themselves to the Māori field of qualifications, rather they should take on a more global view of their choices. My aim is to have more Māori participation in the overall National Qualifications Framework.”

In terms of new qualifications, Patsy says that a recent survey of PTEs and schools has pinpointed specific areas for development, in particular performing arts (to include dance and drama) and broadcasting.

Patsy is from Tikitiki on the East Coast. Ngāti Porou is her tribal affiliation. She was an Assessment Officer in the Examinations Services section of the New Zealand Qualifications Authority, until her new appointment. Before coming to the Authority in 1995, Patsy was a secondary school Assistant Principal at Waikohu College in Gisborne.