Manager Pacific

Kia ora, Bula Vinaka, Fakaalofa lahi atu, Fakatalofa atu, Kia orana, Malo e lelei, Malo ni, Talofa lava, Tena koutou katoa
- Full-time role through to end of January 2026
- Be a key part of our NCEA Change Programme across the Secondary-Tertiary education sector

Help us shape the future of education
He mea tārai e mātou te mātauranga kia rangatira ai, kia mana taurite ai ōna huanga
At Te Tāhuhu o te Mātauranga | The Ministry of Education, we work nationally, regionally and locally to help shape education for ākonga across the early learning, school, and tertiary systems.
Our organisation is made up of talented and committed people around Aotearoa, from a wide range of backgrounds and cultures. While we work in different groups and on different projects, we all strive every day to make the biggest difference we can for our ākonga in our education system.
Our overarching purpose is to shape an education system that delivers equitable and excellent outcomes.
Right now, we are making significant changes to how we deliver our purpose.
At the secondary school level, we want to ensure ākonga are prepared for modern life in Aotearoa New Zealand, whether they choose to go on to tertiary education, join the workforce, or do something else entirely.
That's why we are making changes to NCEA to make the qualification more accessible and robust, grant equal status to mātauranga Māori, provide clearer pathways to further education and work, and more.
This is a huge undertaking involving massive community engagement and effort and coordination from many teams within the Ministry. It represents the largest change to secondary schooling since NCEA was introduced in the early 2000s and determines the trajectory of schooling in Aotearoa for years to come.
Mātau rōpū ake | About our group and team
The Secondary Tertiary team sits within the Te Poutāhū and covers the transition from senior secondary through to tertiary and employment.
Te Poutāhū delivers and maintains critical services to support responsive learner pathways from early childhood into further education, training, the workforce, and society. Te Poutāhū performs a crucial role working between the strategy and policy teams, and the sector facing functions. The Secondary Tertiary team is responsible for operational policy, curriculum and support programmes for Year 11-13 learners, and the secondary-tertiary interface. This includes senior secondary curriculum, NCEA (including implementing the NCEA Review changes through the Review of Achievement Standards (RAS)) and secondary-tertiary programmes.
Mō tēnei tūranga | About this role
The Manager Pacific
- Kura Auraki is part of our Implementation team within Secondary Tertiary, and will lead their team in supporting the successful development and implementation of the NCEA Programme for Pacific learners. They will work closely with internal and external stakeholders to ensure the voices of Pacific learners, parents and whānau, education sector, and the wider community are supported to understand, design, and deliver the implementation support needed to successfully embed, change, and strengthen NCEA collectively and collaboratively.

**The Manager Pacific
- Kura Auraki will**:

- support Pacific perspectives in design and development of products
- support the regional teams from a Pacific perspective in targeted upskilling of teachers where additional support is needed (acknowledging that many schools will have existing capability).
- ensure capability, once built, is maintained
- ongoing input into / support for the design, development and QA of NCEA products to the RAS teams
- provide leadership and support for realm nations in NCEA development and implementation
- provide technical expertise and cultural advice across the NCEA change programme from a te ao Pasifika lens
- work closely with the wider Implementation team and be a member of the leadership team to provide team support on shared delivery and to ensure the implementation model and methods are aligned

Please note there is further information in the attached job description.
Mōhou ake | About you

**They will also offer**:

- ability to confidently and appropriately engage with a range of stakeholders from different cultures and backgrounds.
- Proficiency in working with Pacific cultures and ideally in a Pacific language.
- be sensitive to cultural values and have a good understanding of the principles of Te Tiriti o Waitangi.
- experience managing critically important stakeholders both at a programme and project level experience leading and implementing change
- Leadership experiences, particularly ‘influencing without positional power'.

Kua rite koe mō tēnei mahi? | Are you ready to make a difference?
We provide flexible working environments where everyone feels relevant, valued, and supported. Some time working from home is expected and negotiable.
For more information on the role, please see the job description. For additio