About Us

We are a charitable trust offering school-based teacher education and learning in Aotearoa New Zealand.

Our mission is to support primary and secondary schools to ensure their students have access to exceptional teaching and learning.

We will work towards this mission by:

Increasing the number and diversity of new teachers entering the profession by offering high quality teacher training
Offering outstanding professional learning for existing teachers
Increasing the pipeline and effectiveness of school leaders

Our
People

David Ferguson
CEO

David has called Aotearoa New Zealand home for the past 22 years. Coming from a family of education leaders, he was instilled with core values of hard work, being nice to people and contributing positively to a community during his formative years. David began his teaching career in the1990s in the UK before relocating to Aotearoa and stepping into the role of Headmaster at Westlake Boys High School in 2010. David had 15 years running Westlake Boys where he says ‘he only ever enjoyed it’. David was Chair of The Association of Boys Schools of New Zealand from 2014 to 2023 and was named as Chair of the International Boys’ Schools Coalition in 2024. He was also instrumental in launching the Auckland Schools Teachers Training Programme in 2020. As he commences his role as CEO at The Teachers’ Institute, David is excited to contribute to the future of teacher education training in Aotearoa. David believes that being a teacher is a great privilege and is a purposeful and enjoyable way to earn a living.

Dr. Nina Hood
Academic Director

Nina has a background as a secondary school teacher in Auckland. She has a DPhil in Education from The University of Oxford, and worked as an academic at The University of Auckland for eight years. She is the founder of The Education Hub, a not-for-profit with a mission to bridge the gap between research and practice in education. Nina is passionate about finding innovative ways to address key educational challenges. She has been involved with The Teachers’ Institute since its inception and is passionate about the work it is doing to strengthen the teaching profession in Aotearoa New Zealand.

Dr. Nina Hood
Academic Director

Dr. John Etty
Secondary Programme Director

John trained to teach History in England in 2001, and taught there for eight years before moving to New Zealand. John has been at Auckland Grammar School since 2012. John has a PhD in Soviet history and 1930s-1960s visual culture and has written several texts for academic publications, as well as several history textbooks and teacher guides for Cambridge University Press. He has marked external exams in the UK and in NZ, run professional development for teachers, and is currently Associate Headmaster (Academic) at Auckland Grammar School.

Felicity Fahey
Primary Programme Development Lead

Felicity Fahey, Deputy Principal at Kaiapoi North School (KNS), has been instrumental in the school’s structured literacy journey since 2019. With extensive training in Multisensory Structured Language (MSL), Explicit Instruction, The Writing Revolution, and Think SRSD, she provides professional development and coaching to ensure the school stays current with best practices. Felicity has shared her expertise with teachers across New Zealand and worked with the Ministry of Education on the Common Practice Model and the English Curriculum, demonstrating her commitment to advancing educational standards and practices.

Victoria Macann
Teaching Fellow

Victoria is an NZ-registered secondary school science and biology teacher. She is also a New Zealand Ministry of Education accredited professional development facilitator. Victoria has submitted her PhD in Technology Education, and worked as a research scientist at Michigan State University, and Koi Tū (the centre for informed futures) based at the University of Auckland. Victoria was also a Fulbright graduate award recipient. Victoria is an advocate for connecting research to teaching practice to make learning more meaningful, relevant, and effective.

Dian Fisher
Secondary Programme Manager

Dian gained her Bachelor of Arts Degree from the University of Auckland and subsequently trained to teach Geography, Social Studies and English at the Teachers Training College. She also completed her Masters in Educational Leadership through the University of Auckland. Dian has had extensive experience with NCEA examinations in a variety of roles. Dian became a Deputy Principal at Diocesan School for Girls in 2017.

Adrienne Birtwistle
Secondary Programme Manager

Adrienne gained a Bachelor of Arts Degree from Auckland University and trained to teach English at Auckland Secondary Teachers’ College. Adrienne holds extensive domestic and international teaching experience. Currently in the role of Deputy Headmaster (Pastoral) at Auckland Grammar School, Adrienne holds positions of responsibility in her curriculum area and has marking experience on external examination panels. As a Specialist Classroom Teacher, Adrienne has run professional development programmes for Provisionally Certificated Teachers, and induction programmes for trainee teachers.

Mary Robinson
Subject Lead - Geography

Mary studied geography, history and economics at the UoA and became a passionate geography teacher after completing a Master’s of Arts in coastal geography. Mary has taught for the past 25 years and in 2022, she became the national Kaiārahi (leader) for Geography to assist teachers with the implementation of the NCEA changes. Most recently, Mary has taught geography classes at Saint Kentigern College.

Aase Diegel
Subject Lead - Biology

Aase has taught Science and Biology for more than 25 years. She was head of the Science faculty at Mount Albert Grammar School for 6 years and prior to that she was head of Biology for 7 years at St Cuthbert’s College. Aase has a masters in cell biology and completed her teacher training specialising in Biology and Chemistry. She has marked external exams for both NZQA and IB and is passionate about teaching Biology-Science, and helping students reach their full potential. Most recently, Aase taught Biology (IB and MYP programme) at an international school in Lausanne, Switzerland.

Ritu Sehji
Subject Lead - Technology

Ritu completed her teacher’s training in 2002 and has taught Technology (Food, Textiles) Home Economics, and Hospitality at a wide range of Auckland schools. Ritu was the Head of Food Technology and an Across School Lead for Pupuke Kāhui Ako prior to joining Southern Cross Campus as a Deputy Principal. In 2010, Ritu authored a textbook and developed a digital teaching resource for Food Technology. She was granted a Royal Society of New Zealand Fellowship in 2013 and Next Generation Scholarship in 2015. Ritu has been involved with material development for NZQA, run numerous workshops for staff and students, and presented at conferences nationally and globally.

Audrey Young
Subject Lead - English

Audrey has been teaching English since 2006 and is currently the Deputy Head of Faculty at St Cuthbert’s College. She is also the Literacy Coordinator (Years 1-13), which has enabled her to work with both primary and secondary teachers, as well as running professional development sessions for staff on integrating literacy practices. Audrey’s experience spans across both the NCEA and IB Diploma Programmes, and she has marked external examinations for NZQA, as well as coordinating teacher trainees and mentoring new teachers. Audrey has also been involved in English curriculum writing for the Ministry of Education.

Gerard Leeuw
Subject Lead - Mathematics

Gerard completed a Bachelor of Science (Mathematics) at Auckland University and a Diploma in Teaching from Auckland College of Education. Early in his career, Gerard discovered a passion for the development and writing of specialised maths course resources. He assisted in the Form 5 Revision textbook (RJ Watson) published by ESA Publications in 1989. In 1997, Gerard became the Head of the Mathematics Department at Auckland Grammar School and has gone on to write several more textbooks and workbooks. In Gerard’s 27 years at Auckland Grammar School, he has organised NZEST Scholarship marking panels for Statistics and Calculus, helped develop the AGS Scholarship programme, and has led a diverse group of Mathematics teachers.

Rob Boasman
Subject Lead - Physics

Rob studied astrophysics in 1990, then worked as a jazz musician before training as a teacher in 1994. After teaching in the north of England for seven years and working for the AQA examination board, Rob emigrated to New Zealand in 2002. Rob took up a teaching post at Lynfield College, where he became the Head of Physics in 2004 and then faculty leader of Science in 2007. While at Lynfield, he worked as a Chief Marker for NZQA L2 Physics and wrote three Physics books for Cengage. In 2012, Rob moved to Diocesan School for Girls as the Head of Physics and Data Manager. He has completed a Master’s in educational leadership and works as a mentor with Provisionally Certified Teachers.

Ian Torrie
Subject Lead - Chemistry

Ian taught at Carmel College as HOD of Science for 14 years and then for 30 years at St Cuthbert’s College as both Head of Science and Chemistry, interspersed with 1-year teaching fellowships at Auckland and Waikato Universities. Ian attended a number of international chemistry education conferences early in his career, which sparked a lifelong research interest in how we learn. Ian has been actively involved for 40 years in curriculum and assessment at the national level, having assessed, led marking panels and set national exams at all levels from L1 to Scholarship. Ian believes that we need to pass on the “guild of knowledge” to the next generation of teachers.

Alex Baker
Subject Lead - History

Alex studied History at Warwick University graduating in 1992. He worked as a database consultant for 15 years in England before moving to New Zealand in 2006. He then retrained as a History teacher at Auckland University in 2007 and has worked as a History/Social Studies teacher at Diocesan School for Girls for 16 years. He is currently working as Head of History teaching IB and NCEA senior History at Dio.

Casey Taylor
Director of Operations

Casey brings over 25 years of experience in the education sector to her role as Director of Operations at The Teachers Institute. With a Bachelor of Education and a Postgraduate Diploma in Business, she has spent the past 12 years in general management, where she has developed a strong reputation for effective leadership and people-focused management. Casey is known for building strong relationships across teams and organisations, and for her ability to lead with empathy, clarity, and purpose. Passionate about ensuring all tamariki have access to high quality education, Casey is proud to be part of an organisation that shares this commitment. She is dedicated to strengthening the systems and culture that enable teachers to succeed and is excited to support The Teachers Institute in delivering on its mission of excellence and equity in teacher education across Aotearoa.

Anita Lam
Head of Admissions

Education and teaching has always been a passion of Anita’s. Originally a primary trained teacher, Anita went on to teach English and Music in a secondary school in Hong Kong, before moving to NZ. Anita taught adult ESL for a few years and moved into student recruitment and education sales within the NZ tertiary sector. Before joining TTI, Anita was looking after postgraduate student recruitment at the University of Auckland's Faculty of Arts and Education. Anita loves building relationships with our community of schools, prospective teacher trainees and is always just a call or email away. Anita is deeply passionate about education and its power to transform lives and break the poverty cycle. Anita is really excited about the mahi the TTI team works to achieve.

Erin McGuinness
Student Services Manager

Erin is an accomplished professional with extensive experience in leading and delivering high-quality services across education, social services, and health settings. As a registered social worker, Erin is passionate about achieving positive outcomes for individuals and communities through collaborative efforts and innovative approaches. Erin has held pivotal roles, including managing health and wellbeing services at Unitec and operational leadership positions in mental health NGOs such as Kahui Tu Kaha. Recently, Erin has focused on contract work, delivering mental health and workplace wellbeing training, clinical supervision and direct rehabilitation support for ACC clients. With a proven track record in designing and implementing innovative services, Erin brings substantial expertise in operational management and program delivery. Erin is deeply committed to ensuring trainees at TTI are well-supported throughout their year of study.

Heather McRae
Chair

Widely respected as one of New Zealand’s leading Principals, Heather is currently the Principal of Diocesan School for Girls as well as the President of the Executive of the Association of Heads of Independent Schools (AHIS) and is a member of the Curriculum Assessment Group and the College Sport Board. Prior to her appointment at Diocesan, Heather was Principal at Pakuranga College, a co-educational school with 2100 students. Between 1996 and 2002, Heather gained extensive international experience as Director of Educational Operations at Multi Serve Education Trust, a leading exporter of education. This included the establishment of an International School for the Sultan of Brunei and a range of educational projects in Japan, Indonesia, Malaysia and China.

Deborah George
Trustee

Deborah started her career as a secondary school teacher and has spent the past thirty years working in education in a variety of roles across commercial, government and not-for-profit organisations. Over this time she has owned businesses in both Hong Kong and New Zealand, worked for the New Zealand and Australian governments, and was one of a team of three to expand the Duffy “Books in Homes” programme nationwide. In 2017 she was invited to join the judging panel of the Prime Minister’s Excellence in Education awards which celebrate outstanding achievements across the sector. Deborah is a Trustee of the Woolf Fisher Trust and The Teachers’ Institute and the former chair of both Inzone Education and Teach First NZ which she co-founded in 2011. In 2020 she was made an Officer of the NZ Order of Merit for services to Education and Governance.

Debi Marshall Lobb The Teachers' Institute

Debi Marshall-Lobb
Trustee

Debi (Rangitāne, Ngāti Kuia, Ngāti Rangi, Te Wainui-ā-Rua and Ngāti Apa) has over 40 years of experience in Aotearoa-New Zealand’s education system, with a significant portion of her career spent as a principal in mainstream schools and as a Tumuaki in Kura Māori. Debi brings extensive practical experience from working across various educational settings, including primary, secondary, and tertiary sectors, as well as special education and Māori medium education. Throughout her long-standing service in education, Debi has dedicated her career to empowering students, whānau, iwi, and educators to realise their potential through targeted and effective strategies, with a strong commitment to the roles of culture and education.

Tim O'Connor
Trustee

Tim (Ngāti Tuwharetoa and Ngāti Hauiti) has a proven track record in education management and is currently serving as the Headmaster of Auckland Grammar School. He began his secondary teaching career in 1990 and was appointed Deputy Principal of Nelson College in 2000. In 2002, Tim took on the role of Rector at Palmerston North Boys’ High School, where he engaged in various initiatives related to boys’ education. In recognition of his contributions, Tim was awarded both a Woolf Fisher Fellowship and the Sir Peter Blake Trust Emerging Leader accolade in 2007. Additionally, he has pursued post-graduate studies in both educational and executive leadership at Harvard University.

Our Founders

David Ferguson

CEO - TTI

Dr. Nina Hood

Academic Director - TTI

Upcoming Events

Our Work

We are a charitable trust offering school-based teacher education and learning in Aotearoa New Zealand.

Our mission is to support primary and secondary schools to ensure their students have access to exceptional teaching and learning.

Teacher Training

TTI offers two school-based Postgraduate qualifications: Primary and Secondary. Trainees are carefully selected in collaboration with partner schools and TTI staff to enrol in a one-year, full-time programme leading to New Zealand teacher registration. The programme features a unique mode of delivery, with all trainees based in a home school for the entire year, fully engaging in all aspects of school life.

Professional Development

We support schools in enhancing their teaching and leadership practices by providing professional learning and development opportunities. We offer a range of seminars and workshops led by highly experienced specialists both from New Zealand and overseas.

Partner Schools

We are establishing a network of partner schools across Auckland that share our kaupapa and are eager to become home schools for our teacher trainees. Our programmes recognise the essential role that schools play in the pre-service training of teachers and are designed to foster true partnerships with these schools. Our partner schools are not merely practicum sites; they are integral to the programme, working in harmony with the theoretical component delivered by TTI.