About Us

The Mind Lab launched in 2013 to support education innovation, contemporary practice and the pursuit of highly relevant, applied knowledge in classrooms to improve education access and outcomes.

Our Team Our Founder

Our Vision
Our vision is to transform New Zealand education by aligning digital skills and capabilities with the demands of the contemporary world.
Our Mission
Our mission is to lead New Zealand education, to share knowledge, to collaborate, and to build partnerships in order to achieve sustainable, impactful change.
Key Objectives
Our key objectives are to raise student achievement, build teacher confidence, and challenge outdated legacy education practices.

Our Story

The Mind Lab launched in 2013 to support education innovation, contemporary practice and the pursuit of highly relevant, applied knowledge in classrooms to improve education access and outcomes.

Our mission is to continue to lead New Zealand education, to share knowledge, to collaborate, and to build partnerships in order to achieve sustainable, impactful change.

With a suite of Postgraduate qualifications, workshops, programmes and online learning platforms, The Mind Lab has become New Zealand’s only dedicated Postgraduate Facility for Contemporary Education.

We’ve formally accredited thousands of educators with our Postgraduate Certificate in Digital & Collaborative Learning, and in 2018 launched the Master of Contemporary Education for those who are ready to go even further.

We’ve helped Teach First NZ get 120 brand new teachers into the workforce with our Master of Teaching & Education Leadership, and guided more than 12,000 educators through the 2020 changes to the curriculum with our online course, Digital Passport.

The Mind Lab (including its subsidiary Tech Futures Lab) is a Tertiary Education Organisation registered by the Tertiary Education Commission (TEC) to deliver qualifications approved by the New Zealand Qualifications Authority (NZQA) under the provision of the Education Act 1989.

The Mind Lab started with classes for children in 2013. It quickly became apparent there was a need to help teachers explore digital and collaborative learning too.
Our programmes are known for being innovative and for working around busy teachers. Our Postgraduate Certificate has been all over the country, from Kerikeri to Invercargill and nearly everywhere in-between!
Over 4,500 teachers across the country have taken on the Postgraduate Certificate in Digital & Collaborative learning. That makes our programme the largest integrated Postgraduate Certificate in New Zealand.

The Mind Lab Board

Frances Valintine
CEO & Founder
Frank Janssen
Director & Chair
Nic Kennedy
Director
Rob Lee
Director

Executive & Support Team

Fiona Webby
General Manager
Craig Hilton
National Academic Director
Lorraine Guerin
National Projects Lead
Sandy Taylor
Financial Controller
Hayley Sparks
National Academic Manager
Frank Li
Data Analyst
Florence Suckling
Digital Project Manager
Jarin Klee
IT Manager
Te Mihinga Komene
Pou Ārahi
Justin Roberts
Pou Whirinaki
Melissa Fincham
Assistant to Frances Valintine
Reneé Kelly
Office Manager
Coco Kim-Corey
Next Gen Lead
Emma Grobart
EdTech Educator

Student Success

Debbie Armour
Student Enrolment & Finance Manager
Shruti Patil
Student Enrolment & Finance Manager (maternity leave)
Fuatino Peilua
Academic Registrar
Talita Hope
National Portal Assistant
Jessica Culley
National Portal Assistant
Eugenia Lytvyn
Student Experience Manager

Master of Contemporary Education

Lynley Schofield
National Programme Lead
Kellianne Apted
Programme Co-ordinator
Herbert Thomas
Postgraduate Director
Jonathan Lynch
Postgraduate Director
Anna Johnstone
Postgraduate Director
Dor Kayes
Postgraduate Director
Truman Pham
Online Educator

Master of Teaching & Education Leadership

Joni Gordon
Education Director - Mātauranga Māori
Tim Gander
Education Director
Hancine Samvelyan
Education Director
Carla Sutton
MTEL Programme Lead
Tracy Han
MTEL Programme Coordinator
Rochelle Thorn
Hoe Ākau
Roseline Setu
Hoe Ākau
Cathryn Redgwell
Hoe Ākau
Kylie Tafford
Hoe Ākau
Charles Looker
Hoe Ākau
Jean Fletcher
Hoe Ākau
Karllie Clifton
Hoe Ākau
Cheryl Mitchell
Hoe Ākau
Hannah Reed
Hoe Ākau

Postgraduate Certificate in Digital & Collaborative Learning

David Parsons
National Postgraduate Director
Karen Baker
National Lead
Milla Inkila
Postgraduate Director
Darcy Vo
Online Educator
Kellianne Apted
Programme Co-ordinator
Melinda Dixon
Postgraduate Facilitator

Marketing & Communications

Lisa Whittington-Slater
Outreach Manager - North Island
Britta Sisam-Jones
Marketing Manager
Kate Bruce
Copywriter
Bex Taylor
Project Manager

Advisory Group

Master of Teaching & Education Leadership
Nina Hood, Kate McKegg, Hinekura Smith
Master of Contemporary Education & Postgraduate Certificate in Digital and Collaborative Learning
Stuart Kelly, Te Tuhi Robust

Our Founder: Frances Valintine (CNZM)

Frances Valintine (CNZM) is a passionate educator and technologist. For over 20 years she has been committed to shifting education and business practice to respond to the future of work and industry. In 2013 she founded The Mind Lab, developed to empower students and educators to develop applied digital knowledge and capability.

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