Professional Development Steering Group/Te Roopu Whaiti Whakangungu Pakeke (PDSG) was established 2008, to provide oversight and direction to the implementation of The Strategy.

Bronwyn Yates

Tribal Affiliations: Ngati Rangiwewehi, Ngati Whakaue, Ngati Tuwharetoa, Ngati Maniapoto, Te Aitanga a Mahaki, Rongowhakaata.
Bronwyn is Te Tumuaki (Chief Executive) of Literacy Aotearoa, a nationwide provider of adult literacy services. Bronwyn is a leading voice within the adult literacy and foundations skills sector and has worked in the field of adult and community education. Bronwyn has a particular interest in education as a vehicle for excellence for te Iwi Maori education. She is a founding Trustee of Workbase and the Adult and Community Education Sector Alliance, and is involved in numerous Government and NGO advisory groups and committees. In 2003, Brownyn was awarded the QSM New Zealand Royal Honours, for her services to the community. More recently in 2008, UNESCO invited her to attend the CONFINTEA VI Preparatory Conference for Asia and the Pacific (Seoul, Korea) as part of the NZ delegation and in 2009 Bronwyn was again invited to attend FSIC – Civil society International Forum and CONFINTEA VI International Conference on Adult Education in Bélem, Brazil as the UNESCO delegate for Aotearoa New Zealand.

Deleraine Puhara

Ka haere ngā mihi, tētehi ki tētehi, kaupapa ki te kaupapa, wawata ki te wawata, ka tika, Tēnā koe, tēnā koutou, tēnā katoa mai tātou.
Deleraine is affiliated with East Coast tribes she is currently training to be a Primary School Teacher (Māori Medium) at Te Whare Wānanga o Waikato and was recently employed as the General Manager for Te Kupenga Mātauranga o Taranaki, a Taranaki Māori iwi-mandated tertiary advocacy group. Te Kupenga actively supports Tino Rangatiratanga for Māori in education. She has been a Programme Administrator for Te Reo o Taranaki and Te Kura Matatini o Taranaki and has also worked with the NZ Māori Wardens' Association. Deleraine is passionate about education and believes ACE learning provides the tertiary pathway for the many New Zealanders whose initial learning was unsuccessful. She has been involved with ACE learning since 2003 and values any initiative that provides advancement for educators. Her interests include Indigenous Peoples of the World, Māori development and Te Reo Māori.

Dr Airini

Dr Airini is Head of School, Critical Studies in Education and Principal Lecturer, Faculty of Education, The University of Auckland. She has over twenty years experience in education; 17 in Higher Education and University leadership roles. Her major professional and research interests revolve around issues of equity in higher education. Airini has been a school teacher, an advisor to the Government on foundation learning, education research, and adult literacy and numeracy. She has directed national and international projects in the fields of education policy, literacy, bilingual education and adult education, and was the founder of the first Pasifika bilingual education graduate studies programme in the Pacific region.

Peter Coolbear

Peter is the foundation director of Ako Aotearoa, the new National Centre for Tertiary Teaching Excellence. Prior to taking up this role in July 2007, Peter was Deputy Chief Executive at Manukau Institute of Technology. Originally a plant physiologist, Peter has had an extensive research and teaching career, prior to taking up a series of management roles in the New Zealand ITP sector. Peter has also worked as Director Academic for the Association of Polytechnics (now ITP New Zealand) and for the Ministry of Education. He has special interests in widening access to successful participation in tertiary education. He is on the Boards of ITPQ and NZCER and on the Council of Otago Polytechnic.

Peter McNeur, Chair

Peter is the Director of Wairarapa REAP and has been formally involved in Adult and Community education since 1992. Peter was a member and Chairperson of the National Resource Centre Trust that gifted ACE House at 192 Tinakori Rd to ACE Aotearoa. He is a current member of ACE Aotearoa Executive, and was previously a member 2004 - 2006. He has participated on numerous government working parties, including the Ministry of Education Charters and Profiles Development Group, and NZQA ACE Quality Assurance Working Group. More recently he has been a member of the TEC ACE PD Working Group, and is able to provide ongoing continuity between the work of that group as the Chairperson of the ACE Aotearoa PD Steering Group. Peter is currently a member of the Ako Aotearoa Central Hub Advisory Committee and was until recently a member of the Ako Aotearoa National Project Fund Panel. Peter is also a foundation member of the ACE Strategic Alliance and provides support to REAP Aotearoa New Zealand. Peter knows that life is ACE!