The 33 rd New Zealand School Trustees Association (NZSTA) Annual Conference is wrapping up in Rotorua today, where hundreds of school board members have converged on the Energy Events Centre.

On Saturday, members voted in favor of a name change for NZSTA, to reflect both its commitment to te reo Māori, and the terminology of the Education and Training Act 2020, which changed the term ‘school trustee’ to ‘board member’.

NZSTA will rebrand to Te Whakarо̄putanga Kaitiaki Kura O Aotearoa - the New Zealand School Boards Association - NZSBA.

Over the three-day conference which started on Friday, they have heard from key leaders, including Minister of Education Hon Jan Tinetti and Associate Minister Hon Kelvin Davis.

Speaking at the conference on Friday, Minister Tinetti, herself a former principal, was effusive in her praise of school board members and spoke of the "incredibly important" role they play in the education system.

She acknowledged the challenges faced by boards, including the implementation of major legislative changes, and the unprecedented disruption caused by the Covid-19 pandemic, while thanking them for their unending commitment to doing the best they can for their school communities.

Conference attendees. Photo: NZSTA.

Conference attendees also heard from Associate Minister of Education Hon Kelvin Davis, who focused his speech on his portfolio area of Māori education.

The Minister spoke of his ambitions to lift the numbers of tamariki Māori in immersion education, while briefly putting on his other cap as minister responsible for Oranga Tamariki to speak about the role of schools in preventing harm and improving outcomes for at-risk children.

"Disengagement from the education system is the first step to disengagement from society," says Davis.

Also speaking at the conference was Paula Tesoriero, former school board member and currently Chief Executive of Whaikaha - The Ministry of Disabled People, who highlighted the critical role of school boards in ensuring inclusive school environments.

She says disabled ākonga still experience exclusion in school, and as a result suffer poor outcomes across a range of measures. She spoke of the legal obligations to disabled learners boards have, and the critical part they play in ensuring a truly inclusive education system.

Aside from speeches, NZSTA conferences are heavily focused on board member professional development, with dozens of workshops to grow members’ governance capability and thought-provoking sessions on a variety of topics, including one on resetting the education agenda, offered this year over two and a half days.

With around 900 registrations this year, it is one of the largest education-centered conferences in the country.