About us
We provide innovative postgraduate programmes that build relevant skills and capabilities to match the requirements of a constantly changing world.
Our range of educational programmes redefine learning and professional development and aim to enhance human potential and create impactful futures.

Our vision

Our mission

Key objectives
Our story
The story of The Mind Lab is one of recognising and embracing change in the world and providing innovative education that reflects that change.
Founded by Frances Valintine in 2013, The Mind Lab was created to address the imbalance of what children were learning at school and the skills that the future requires by introducing them to collaborative, creative, hands-on digital discovery and problem-solving.
It quickly became evident that to support young learners, we had to raise the digital skills and capabilities of teachers, to give them the confidence and agency to ignite their classrooms and embrace digital change within their school communities.
Now our suite of programmes is rapidly expanding as we identify and seek to build capability in the classroom, the workplace, and beyond, and enable New Zealanders to lead change.
Our teaching and learning is grounded in kaupapa Māori values. We’re focused on making what we teach accessible and valuable for all learners, with learners at the heart of what we do.
In a world where the greatest certainty is change, lifelong learning is key; which is why we are working to ensure the future of learning is accessible, inspiring, fun, practical, and a journey of endless exploration.
The Mind Lab – creating impactful futures.
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.
Our space
The Mind Lab Board
Frances Valintine
Frank Janssen
Nic Kennedy
Rob Lee
Executive & Support Team
Fiona Webby
Craig Hilton
Lorraine Guerin
Deborah Ross
Sandy Taylor
Hayley Sparks
Frank Li
Jarin Klee
Te Mihinga Komene
Melissa Fincham
Emma McTigue
Student Success
Shruti Patil
Fuatino Peilua
Talita Hope
Jessica Culley
Eugenia Lytvyn
Louise Yang
Master of Contemporary Education
Lynley Schofield
Kellianne Apted
Herbert Thomas
Jonathan Lynch
Anna Johnstone
Dor Kayes
Truman Pham
Master of Teaching & Education Leadership
Carla Sutton
Tim Gander
Hancine Samvelyan
Roseline Setu
Cathryn Redgwell
Kylie Tafford
Charles Looker
Jean Fletcher
Karllie Clifton
Cheryl Mitchell
Hannah Reed
Postgraduate Certificate in Digital & Collaborative Learning
David Parsons
Karen Lambrechts
Milla Inkila
Darcy Vo
Kellianne Apted
Postgraduate Certificate in Leading Change for Good
Saskia Verraes
Joni Gordon
Te Mihinga Komene
Hayley Sparks
Tracy Han
Digital Skills for the Workplace micro-credential
Emma Grobart
Melinda Dixon
Rachel Williamson
Tim Gander
Marketing & Communications
Lisa Whittington-Slater
Megan Bruere
Britta Sisam-Jones
Bex Taylor
Aaron Thuraisingham
Advisory Group
Master of Teaching & Education Leadership
Master of Contemporary Education & Postgraduate Certificate in Digital and Collaborative Learning
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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