Meet the Evaluation Team

The Education Kaikōura process is being evaluated as it is being undertaken. This allows changes to be made to the process as they are needed, and for information to be provided to the ministry for policy development so that the Kaikōura project can inform other similar projects.

Dr Reynold Macpherson and Dr Ruth Gorinski are serving as Process Evaluators of the CIEP Project. This involves providing feedback on planning processes as they unfold and developing a model for community-initiated education planning in other parts of New Zealand.

Dr Reynold Macpherson is an independent international consultant and researcher. He was trained as a primary school teacher and additionally qualified as a secondary mathematics teacher, educational administrator and researcher. He has helped lead educators, institutions and professional associations in a number of countries, participated in Ministerial commissions and published extensively on educative leadership. His three most recent appointments were as Professor and Director the Centre for Professional Development at the University of Auckland, CEO of Waiariki Institute of Technology, and Foundation Chancellor and CEO of Abu Dhabi University. He is currently conducting the `National Review of the Preparation and Succession of Educational Leaders in New Zealand/ Aotearoa' under the auspices of the 2007 Konica Minolta Dame Jean Herbison Research Study Scholarship awarded by NZEALS.

Dr Ruth Gorinski is an independent consultant, researcher and project director of a number of Ministry of Education contracts. Ruth originally qualified as a primary teacher and has subsequently worked in university, teachers college, and polytechnic settings. She is the National Project Director for the NZ Ministry of Education Te Kauhua (raising Māori student achievement in mainstream schools) teacher professional learning initiative. Ruth has also directed research projects in Pacific Island contexts. Her research interests are in mentoring, building home-school partnerships and professional leadership. In 2006 Ruth was awarded the New Zealand Educational Administration and Leadership Society (NZEALS) Dame Jean Herbison Konica Minolta Research Study Scholarship and in 2004 she was awarded the NZEALS President's Research Award in recognition of meritorious research and scholarship. In her leisure time Ruth is a keen snow and water skier, tramper, camper and pianist.