Crombie Lockwood and Vero Liability Study Awards

Thanks to the continued generosity of Crombie Lockwood and Vero Liability, NZSTA is able to offer up to five study awards annually, valued at up to $4,000 each.  The awards are available to persons who are elected or appointed as trustees to boards of trustees within the New Zealand compulsory education sector.

The awards may be used, for example, to:

  • Follow a programme of study and/or self development with direct relevance to trusteeship in New Zealand
  • Undertake a study tour in New Zealand or overseas
  • Undertake a research project

The selection committee will have regard to the potential benefits of the applicant's proposal, firstly to the sector as a whole, and secondly to the individual applicant.

Applications for the 2012 study awards will close on Friday 18 November, 2011.  The information and an application form can be downloaded, or sought from the Office of the President, NZSTA, Beverley Dixon P: 04 471 6419; E: bdixon@nzsta.org.nz; after July 2011.

With twenty applications for the 2011 Crombie Lockwood/Vero Liability Study Awards, it was not an easy task for the panel when they met in November 2010 to make the awards.  The following six trustees impressed the panel with their commitment to trusteeship and the quality of their application.

Andrew Bateman
Parent elected trustee and chair of Cambridge High School
Andrew will complete an Institute of Directors Regional Development Programme in Hamilton in June 2011.  The course goals include understanding the role of the board and board protocols, distinguishing between the roles of governance and management, and recognising the importance of meetings, agendas, and getting the right information through board papers. Andrew also hopes to learn more about asking the right questions to ensure his board meets its obligations.

Graham Henricksen
Parent elected trustee on the board of NewWindsorSchool in West Auckland
Graham will undertake research into what motivates people to become trustees and then to remain as trustees for longer than two terms.  It is his hope that his research outcomes will lead to a better understanding of why people become trustees and so help to provide focus to support present and future trustees. 

John Houghton
Parent elected trustee and chair on the Nelson Intermediate board
John is attending a four day course on governance at the University of Western Sydney.  The course includes the principles of good governance and how they can be extended into all parts of an organisation.  As part of this course, John will complete a governance audit on his school which may be of interest and benefit to other boards.

Kay Major
Parent elected trustee at ShirleyBoys High School in Canterbury
Kay will study papers in adolescent development and the effectiveness of interventions, which will include research into options used with success in other schools.  She hopes to improve the board’s role in discipline by reviewing past cases and examining the effectiveness of interventions, theoretically and in practice, in order to ensure the best outcomes for students.

Richard Stolwerk
Parent elected trustee at Waipu Primary and Bream Bay College
Richard plans to study two papers towards a Master of Professional Studies – Education.  His papers will be Researching Educational Settings and Educational Leadership. His research proposal would continue work already begun on ascertaining how effective school boards of trustees govern and how effective they are in improving the quality and delivery of education.  In particular he will compare primary school boards to those that govern secondary schools to see what these boards can learn from each other.

Kiri Turketo
Parent elected trustee on the board of Onehunga Primary
Kiri is studying towards a Master of Professional Studies in Education – Leadership and Management at the University of Auckland.  The course is designed to provide participants with the theoretical understandings and practical skills needed to make a difference to the quality of education in schools.  Kiri believes that having good understanding of current pedagogy, educational trends, policy, and procedure will allow for informed learning and decision making by the board.