2026 - Tauranga Innovative Education Summit
Description
The University of Waikato, in partnership with Mount Maunganui College and Priority One are pleased to bring the 2026 Tauranga Innovative Education Summit back to the Bay on 12th June 2026.
Full timetable available now - click here
Combination of Keynotes from experts and Bite Size workshops - Dr Tim Gander confirmed as keynote for 2026 (scroll down to read about some of our other facilitators)
Led by locals like you - learn from a blend of peers and academics (see bios below)
Network with other teachers from in and around Tauranga and the Bay of Plenty
Morning tea and lunch included (along with a coffee from 101 Cafe Experiment after you have signed in)
With the incedible change occuring in the education space in Aotearoa, TIES gives you the opportunity to upskill, network and collaborate. TIES gives you access to the latest in PD trends, curriculum changes and experts (both from universities, and peer teachers just like you).
Some new additions for 2026:
The TCC Community Resilience team will be present so you can experiment with their VR Flooding experience
PB Tech will bring Robot Dogs and some AR Tech to test out
Confirmed presenter bios below
If you are an experienced senior leader, a team leader, a new classroom teacher, or an aspiring educator, the Tauranga Innovative Education Summit has something for you. Work with fellow local teachers - workshops are run by academic experts, Ministry of Education representatives and Tauranga based teachers (Primary/Intermediate/College) with real life examples allowing you to curate the day around what you need.
Some of our presenters and facilitators for TIES2026:
Keynote speaker: Dr Tim Gander
Dr Tim Gander is an experienced educator who advocates equitable and thoughtful technology integration in education. Having worked with AcademyEX, been the executive director of the Educatiuon Partnership & Innovation Trust (EPIT) and now with FutureLearning, he has collaborated with teachers on innovative practice-based research in Aotearoa for over a decade, building an understanding of the challenges and opportunities. His current focus is research and practice in AI in education. Dr Gander works with educators to use AI well, develop practical resources, and study impacts on equity, assessment, and teacher learning.
Steve Smith
Steve Smith is the Program Manager for Google for Education NZ. Steve stepped out of the classroom after 16 years of teaching in NZ as well as 2 years spent teaching in London. Steve is a Social Sciences teacher and has been an International Presenter at Google education events. A dynamic and engaging presenter, Steve has a focus on the why and how, not just the what of using Google Workspace tools.
Pip Osborne
Kaiārahi for Technology Education New Zealand (TENZ) and Professional Teaching Fellow at the University of Auckland, Pip has led national assessment implementation, supported hundreds of kaiako, and co-designed meaningful professional learning that bridges policy and practice. With experience across early childhood, secondary, and tertiary education, she brings a uniquely holistic lens to educational design and leadership. Her work has spanned everything from co-authoring NCEA achievement resources and delivering national PLD, mentoring teachers, to designing immersive, culturally sustaining STEAM projects.
Henry Collette
MOE - Manager, NCEA. Qualifications & Pathways | Te Poutāhū (Curriculum Centre). Henry brings experience as an English teacher, Assistant Principal and now working for the Ministry of Education and central to the development of the guidance around Ai and Assessment.
Kate Rhodes
Kate Rhodes is a Teaching Fellow at the University of Waikato, based in Tauranga. She has extensive experience in primary education, having taught across all age levels up to Year eight before joining the university. She has focused on integrating digital technology into the curriculum throughout her teaching career. At university, she also teaches science, math, literacy, and technology education, offering a comprehensive approach to STEM and digital literacy.
Mat Synge
Mat Synge is a Chemistry and Physics teacher at Aquinas College in Tauranga and is also the Bay of Plenty representative for the New Zealand Institute of Physics (Education Section). Having been awarded a Study Award, Mat studied Te Reo full time and now teaches Te Reo and Tikanga in addition to Science at Aquinas College.
Dr. Kristen Moreland
Dr. Kristen Moreland is a lecturer in the Master of Educational Leadership program at the University of Waikato. Her global experiences as an educator driver her values based, culturally affirming, and relational practices. Her research explores adult development, instructional coaching, and professional learning as pathways to leadership growth. Kristen contributes to international networks focused on leadership and coaching, and she brings a practitioner’s lens to research that strengthens the development of leadership capacities.
Dr. Michele Morrison
Dr. Michele Morrison is a senior lecturer and Director of the Centre for Educational Leadership Research at the University of Waikato. Her scholarship explores culturally responsive, ethical, and socially just leadership, emphasizing context, identity, and dialogic praxis. Drawing on extensive practitioner experience, Michele engages with global research networks and professional communities to advance leadership development that honours lived experience, fosters critical reflection, and promotes transformative educational change.
Professor Nicola Daly
Nicola Daly is a sociolinguist and Professor in the Division of Education, University of Waikato, where she teaches children’s literature.
Sharon Barrett
Sharon is currently a secondary English teacher at Tauranga Girls' College with a background in international languages and an interest in dual language picturebooks.
James Goatley
James Goatley is a Teaching Fellow at the University of Waikato. With 15 years of teaching experience in Tauranga, predominantly at the intermediate level, James brings a deep practical understanding of the classroom to his work. After receiving a TeachNZ Study Award in 2025, he recently completed his Master’s thesis, which focused on teachers’ perceptions and the instructional application of virtual manipulatives.
Dr Cathy Buntting
Cathy is a senior lecturer in education at the University of Waikato, with an interest in educational change and extensive experience in the volunteer sector supporting people through change.
Andrew Macdonald
A Primary school teacher and author/illustrator, with experience and expertise in inquiry based and play based teaching approaches, Andrew is currently working with the Ministry of Education as Curriculum Advisor. Having worked in mutliple schools both in the Bay of Plenty and in Australia, Andrew brings together contemporary approaches and practical applications.
Dr David Parsons
David Parsons is Research Director at academyEX, supporting staff and student research across a range of programmes, and an Adjunct Professor in the School of Educational Studies and Leadership at the University of Canterbury. He holds a PhD in Information Technology and has had a broad and varied experience as a teacher, academic, industry practitioner, and researcher, with a particular interest in the role of technology in education.
Richard Cameron
Richard is the founder and convenor of the Tauranga Innovative Education Summit. A History teacher by trade and current HOD at Mount Maunganui College, Richard has teaching experience in Australia, UK and New Zealand. Recognising that the regions are often devoid of world class PD, he started TIES with the aim of promoting greater collaborative efforts among Tauranga educators, build greater relationships between the University of Waikato and Tauranga based schools, and to recognise the innovative capcity and potential within the local education sector. In 2026, he is utilising a Secondary Teachers Study Award to (hopefully) complete his EdD through the University of Canterbury. He can be contacted at ties@mmc.school.nz
Rachel Duckworth
With a rich career in teaching and leadership, Rachel’s passion lies at the intersection of pedagogy and technology. She empowers educators to create more engaging, efficient, and inspiring learning experiences. Fostering a mindset of innovation, Rachel models the how and the why of digital tools.
Brendon Shaw
Brendon Shaw is a Primary and Tertiary educator, co-founder of the New Zealand AI Education Community of Practice and PHD student researching effective AI implementation and use in Aotearoa schools. Brendon bridges hands-on, classroom-based practice with knowledge of the most current research and trends in AIED and works alongside AI focused educators across practice, research and policy groups. He is particularly interested in exploring ways AI can be introduced responsibly within indigenous spaces, ensuring these technologies honour and preserve the cultural, social, and linguistic integrity of Māori and uphold the principles of the Treaty of Waitangi.
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