Auditors

Since November 2022, Bill has been the Associate Dean Teaching and Learning in the Faculty of Health and Environmental Sciences at Auckland University of Technology. He is also an Honorary Professor at the Macquarie University Medical School, Sydney.

Bill has held academic leadership roles at the Universities of Bradford, Gdańsk (Poland), Sussex, UNSW, Wollongong (UOW), Canterbury Christ Church (CCCU), Macquarie (MQ), Australian Catholic University (ACU) as well as in the corporate, and education sector with Blackboard International (Australia, New Zealand (ANZ) and the Asia Pacific (APAC) region).

He has served on numerous School, Faculty and University committees, including Senate, University Learning and Teaching Committees, Senate Academic Quality Standards Committee, Higher Degree Research (HDR) Training Management Committee, IT Committees, and Research Data and Technology Enhanced Learning Committees.

Before AUT, he was at the ACU as Associate Dean Learning, Teaching and Governance based in North Sydney. He worked on HDR Supervision Enhancement at MQ in the Office of the PVC HDR and Training. In 2018 he became the first Principal Fellow of the Higher Education Academy (PFHEA)/Advance HE at MQ.

In other roles, he was Head of Learning Technology at CCCU, UK, Strategic Consultant for Blackboard International, Associate Professor (UOW), Head of Technology Enhanced Learning (TEL) and Head of the Student Voice Project (UNSW). Before moving to Australia, he was Director of Technology Enhanced Learning (2008-2012) at the University of Sussex, UK. 

A senior lecturer in Microbiology at the University of Bradford, UK (1992 – 2008), he became recognised as an international leader in online/blended learning in Higher Education. In 2006 he became the first UK academic to replace first-year lectures with podcasts accessible via Apple’s iTunes. He was a finalist for The Times Higher 2006 Awards for the ‘most imaginative use of technology in distance learning’.

In 2006 he was awarded an Executive MBA (Bradford), and in 2022 he obtained graduate status (GAICD) from the Australian Institute of Company Directors (AICD). AICD is recognised for its work to strengthen society through world-class governance.

In his spare time, Bill works on a sheep farm in rural New South Wales with his Australian Kelpie and helps with mustering, yard work and shearing.

Jeanette is a higher education consultant specialising in university quality assurance and governance. She is an Honorary Senior Fellow of the LH Martin Institute at the University of Melbourne, a member of the Governing Council of the University of Divinity in Australia, and former Vice-President Quality Assurance and Professor of Higher Education at Divine Word University in Papua New Guinea. Jeanette’s activities in 2020 include reviews of higher education corporate and academic governance, international development projects, external quality reviews, and online teaching.

Jeremy Bradshaw is Pro-Vice-Chancellor (International and Doctoral) at the University of Bath in the UK, having previously been Assistant Principal of Researcher Development at the University of Edinburgh.  He has been reviewer with the UK QAA for the last ten years.  As well as AQA, his overseas reviews include working for national agencies in Iceland, Albania, Pakistan, Hong Kong and Dubai.

Professor Mairéad Browne has been operating as an independent consultant specialising in higher education and quality assurance since 2001 following more than 30 years in institutions including University College, Dublin (National University of Ireland) and University of Sydney. She was a dean at the University of Technology, Sydney (Humanities and Social Sciences and, later, Dean of the University Graduate School). 

Professor Browne has been involved in consulting projects and panels for audit, review, licensing, accreditation and appeals at programme and institutional levels for government and higher education institutions primarily in Australia; New Zealand; Hong Kong; Bahrain; Saudi Arabia; Oman; Ireland; Mauritius; United Arab Emirates; and Papua New Guinea.

Dr Alison Campbell recently retired from her roles as Associate Dean (Teaching & Learning) for Science & Engineering, & Senior Lecturer (Biology), at the University of Waikato. Alison has extensive governance and QA experience from her membership of the University Council and her lengthy involvement in the University's Curriculum and Education Committees. Alison is a member of the Ako Aotearoa Academy, a registered teacher, and an experienced science communicator. 

Emeritus Professor Debbie Clayton has worked in the university and government sectors and is currently a higher education consultant specialising in accreditation, quality assurance systems and international education.  She is an active reviewer, auditor and consultant with higher education accreditation and quality assurance agencies in Oman, Hong Kong, Papua New Guinea, New Zealand and Australia as well as undertaking the role of Independent Chair of the Accreditation Committee for the Prevocational Medical Accreditation for the state of Queensland. She is a Graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors and has held, or currently holds, directorships in not-for-profit and for-profit companies and associations related to education. 

In June, 2021 she was made a Member of the Order or Australia for significant service to tertiary education and to international study programs.

Professor Lindsey Conner is currently the Director of the College of Education's Science & Technology Education Research Hub at the University of Canterbury. Lindsey's experience as a university academic involves teaching in initial teacher education programmes and researching in teacher education, innovative pedagogies, futures education and systems approaches to education reform. Her research is on the integration and pedagogy associated with the use of technology, as well as related fields of science education and educational leadership, and she has presented widely internationally about the integration of reflective learning as an evaluative constructivist process. She has also had roles in advising on curriculum development for Samoa, South Australia and Japan.

As a staff member of the University of Canterbury, Lindsey has held roles as Associate Dean (Secondary Programmes), Chair of the College of Education Research committee, International Director for the College of Education, and as Chair of the College of Education Teaching and Learning Committee. She undertook the role of delegated Dean, as Chair of the Faculty of Education and Board of Studies for three years and served on the UC Academic Board and Academic Administration Committee during this time. Lindsey was Deputy Pro Vice Chancellor, College of Education from 2010-2012. Lindsey served as Chair of the review of University of Canterbury MBA degree. She has been involved with many internal reviews, and oversaw the successful 2010 reaccreditation process for all of the College of Education’s qualifications with the New Zealand Teachers’ Council.

Fiona Coote is the Manager of the Office of Academic Assurance at Massey University where she has worked for 28 years in administrative roles in two Colleges, the Sport and Rugby Institute and the central University.  She has served on numerous committees and is currently a member of the Academic Board, Academic Committee, Teaching and Learning Committee, Job Evaluation Committee and Deputy Chair of the Academic Integrity Committee. She has worked in in academic policy writing and qualification reviews since 2003 and undertook Auditor Training in 2011.

Professor Elizabeth Deane has held a number of academic leadership and management positions in Australian universities, including as Foundation Head of Department, Foundation Head of School (University of Western Sydney 1989 – 2000), Dean of Faculty (Macquarie University 2000 – 2008) and Pro-Vice Chancellor (Australian National University 2008 – 2012). She currently has occupies a strategic and operational leadership role with responsibility for learning and teaching at the University of Western Sydney.

Elizabeth has, with national competitively-awarded funds, developed innovative approaches to learning and teaching as well as undertaken reports on innovations in teaching the sciences. She led the ANU’s participation in the National Teaching Standards Framework Project and the allied Moderators project. She was also a lead partner in the Office of Learning and Teaching (OLT)'s project 'Turnaround Leadership for Sustainability in Higher Education' and currently leads an OLT funded project on student leadership in curriculum reform with five partner universities and the Australian National Union of Students.

Elizabeth is a QAA Scotland international auditor (2009 – present, 4 reviews to date), was trained as an Australian Universities Quality Agency (AUQA) auditor and has undertaken a number of reviews of learning and teaching units in Australian Universities. She was part of Australian government funded collaboration with South Korea which reviewed and compared higher education quality assurance processes in the two countries. In her previous role at ANU she was responsible for ANU’s preparation for AUQA review and then for TEQSA re-registration. She played an active part in the national conversation around the new Australian Qualifications Framework and was a member of the AQF Implementation Advisory Group. Elizabeth is a current member of the TEQSA Register of Experts.

Will Dreyer was the Education Officer of the Otago University Students' Association (OUSA) in 2019. During this time he played a significant role in the academic quality assurance process at the University of Otago. He is currently undertaking his Master of Politics at the University of Otago and is the Director of Generation Vote, a non-partisan education programme that teaches civics in high schools.

Peter Enderwick is an economist specialising in international business. Currently he is the Professor of International Business at AUT University. Between 1988 and 2004 he was Professor of International Management at the University of Waikato. He has held visiting positions at the Helsinki School of Economics and Business, Finland; the University of South Australia, Adelaide; Thammasat Business School Bangkok; and the Centre for International Business University of Leeds UK. He has been a course adviser to the Open University of Hong Kong and is the author of nine books and published over 100 journal articles and book chapters. His research interests are globalisation and labour, large emerging markets such as China and India and global factory systems.

Jo Gibson is the Director Student Experience at the University of Otago, where she has worked since arriving in Aotearoa New Zealand in June 2019.

Jo has over 20 years’ experience working in professional services roles in UK universities prior to her move to Aotearoa, including work as a consultant reviewing and advising Students’ Associations and University advice services on their service provision as it relates to the student experience.

At Otago, she serves on numerous committees, including the University Senate, Quality Advancement Committee, and Internationalisation Committee.

Laura is currently the Head of the English Faculty at Kaipara College in Helensville. She is a recent graduate from the University of Otago. Before completing her Masters in Teaching and Learning, she was the President of the Otago University Students’ Association (OUSA), and through this role she was an active member on several boards, committees, review panels and councils.

She was also the Committee on University Academic Programmes (CUAP) student representative for 2 years. Her passions include student representation, wellbeing and advocacy. 

Bryn Jenkins served on the Otago Students Association Executive for multiple years, representing students on a range of University committees. During this time he spoke at the 2017 AQA Support for Quality Conference, advocated for student interests before Parliamentary Select Committee and attended the Student Voice for Universities NZUSA conference. Currently, Bryn is working with a legal technology start-up in Dunedin. 

Professor Sally Kift is a Principal Fellow of the Higher Education Academy (PFHEA), a Fellow of the Australian Academy of Law (FAAL), President of the Australian Learning & Teaching Fellows (ALTF) and Executive Board Member (Australian Vice President) of the International Federation of National Teaching Fellows (IFNTF). Since 2017, she has been working as an independent higher education consultant and her current appointments include as Vice-Chancellor’s Fellow, Victoria University (Melbourne) and Adjunct Professor at James Cook University (JCU), Queensland University of Technology (QUT) and La Trobe University (LTU). Over 2018-2021, she was a Visiting Professorial Fellow with the National Centre for Student Equity in Higher Education.

Sally has held several university leadership positions, including as JCU’s Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Academic) and QUT’s inaugural Director, First Year Experience. Sally is a national Teaching Award winner, a national Program Award winner and a national Senior Teaching Fellow on the First Year Experience. In 2010, she was appointed an Australian Discipline Scholar in Law. In 2017, Sally received an Australian Awards for University Teaching (AAUT) Career Achievement Award for her contribution to Australian higher education and she now chairs the AAUT Career Achievement Awards Panel.

Over 2018-2019, Sally was a member of the Australian Qualifications Framework (AQF) Review Panel that reported to Government in September 2019. She is an Appointed Specialist with the Hong Kong Council for Accreditation of Academic and Vocational Qualifications (HKCAAVQ) (2017-2024) and has been an Australian TEQSA Registered Expert since 2013. Sally has frequently chaired and contributed to institutional and program level reviews, audits and assessment panels. She has been an inaugural member of the Council of Australian Law Deans (CALD) Australian Law School Standards Committee (since 2011), has conducted legal accreditation assessments of pre-admission law courses and advises on professional regulation of Australian legal education

Mary Jane Kivalu became the inaugural President of the University of Otago Pacific Islands Students Association (UOPISA) from 2018 to 2019, and led a successful campaign to reinstate a Pacific student seat on the Otago University Students Association (OUSA). She also served as the President of the New Zealand Tongan Tertiary Students Association for 4 years, and now sits as its appointed Advisor. Mary Jane is also the Southern Hub Vice President for the newly established Tauira Pasifika (national Pacific students' association) as well as other appointments on committees in the community. She is currently completing her Doctor of Business Administration at the University of Otago, where she completed her BCom and MBA. 

Letuimanu’asina Dr Emma Kruse Va’ai is an independent education consultant. She was previously Chief Executive of the Samoa Qualifications Authority mandated to regulate and quality assure all post school education and training in Samoa. Prior to this she was also Deputy CE at Samoa Polytechnic and then Deputy Vice Chancellor 2005-16 and Professor of Applied Linguistics at the National University of Samoa. She was on the Commonwealth of Learning (COL) Board of Governors and Chair of the Transnational Qualifications Committee for the small states of the Commonwealth.

Robyn is Deputy Vice-Chancellor Academic at the University of Waikato, having previously been Pro Vice-Chancellor Education and Professor of Geography. She has received awards for teaching and postgraduate supervision. In addition, she has worked extensively in the areas of audit, review and quality assurance. In 2015 Robyn was a member of the Education and Human Society Panel for the Research Evaluation Committee (REC), Excellence in Research for Australia (ERA). In 2008, 2012 and 2018 she was a member of the Social Sciences and Other Cultural Social Studies Panel for the Performance Based Research Fund (PBRF) Quality Evaluations. Since 2019 Robyn has served on the Marsden Fund Social Sciences Panel. In 2018 she was appointed Fellow of Te Apārangi Royal Society of New Zealand, and Laureat d’honneur by the International Geographical Union.

Associate Professor Julie Mackey is Dean/Director (Academic Success) in the office of the Deputy Vice Chancellor (Academic) at the University of Canterbury.  Her previous roles at the university have included Dean of Education and Health Sciences in the College of Education, Health and Human Development, and Head of the School of Literacies and Arts in Education. Her academic experience spans initial teacher education and teacher professional development; innovative pedagogies and flexible learning environments; and digital, blended and online learning.

Amanda McKenzie, MA, is the Director of Quality Assurance (Academic Programs) and oversees both the Quality Assurance Office and the Office of Academic Integrity at the University of Waterloo.

Amanda became involved in quality assurance in 2015 and was charged with building the Quality Assurance Office for the University of Waterloo. She has volunteered on several working groups and special projects for the Ontario Universities Council on Quality Assurance (Quality Council). More recently, she has provided consultation on quality assurance and academic integrity for the American Councils for International Education and the National Agency for Higher Education Quality Assurance (NAQA) in Ukraine.

She is involved in academic integrity initiatives on a provincial, national and international level. Amanda is an active subject matter expert in this area and has spoken around the world. She has also published a number of articles and book chapters in this field and serves on the editorial team for the Canadian Perspectives on Academic Integrity journal.

Amanda was part of the transition team for the International Center for Academic Integrity since 2016 and has been an Officer on the Board of Directors since 2018. She also serves as a representative & co-founder of ICAI Canadian Regional Consortium (ICAI Canada) which was established in 2014. Amanda is the former Chair of the Academic Integrity Council of Ontario (AICO) and currently serves as the Secretary/Outreach Coordinator. Her current focus in the field is on contract cheating and the intersection of academic integrity and quality assurance.

Amanda has given a number of talks about quality assurance and academic integrity: Connecting Academic Integrity and Quality Assurance - YouTube; How to raise the profile of academic integrity through quality assurance. - YouTube.

Margaret Morgan is Director, Quality Advancement at the University of Otago.  She has over 25 years, academic quality assurance experience at a national and local level and has led self-review and follow-up activities over three academic audit cycles at the University of Otago.  As head of Otago’s Quality Advancement Unit she has oversight for the University of Otago’s internal reviews process and large scale surveys of student and graduate opinion.  She also sits on the University’s Board of Graduate Studies, Board of Undergraduate Studies and Committees for Learning and Teaching, and Quality Advancement.  She is a former University of Otago Council member, and current co-chair of Te Manahua – New Zealand Universities Women in Leadership Steering Group.

Dr Eci Kikau Nabalarua has worked as an academic for 34 years. Dr Eci's career began in 1980 as a Lecturer and Senior Lecturer at the University of the South Pacific, teaching management and public administration. After 21 years in this role, Dr Eci moved to Waikato University, teaching as a Senior Lecturer in Indigenous Development. Dr. Eci later became the university’s director of development studies. In 2007 she rejoined USP as the PVC Academic and led the University through its first external institutional audit.  In January 2011, Dr. Eci joined the Fiji National University as the Dean – College of Humanities and Education comprising the Schools of Education, Communication, Language and Literature, Social Sciences and Creative Arts. In 2019 she led the School of Education through the  external audit of the teacher education programme at FNU undertaken by AQA.

As Provost, Karen leads the Academic Division, which includes the Academic Affairs, Students and Academic Transformation Portfolios, the USQ College, and Library Services. In this role she is responsible for academic strategy, the quality of education and academic services, achieving excellence in student outcomes and enhancing USQ’s reputation and as a leading Australian university.

Between 2019 and 2021, Karen was the USQ Deputy Vice-Chancellor Academic, and prior to that she was the inaugural Pro Vice-Chancellor (Students) at the University of the Sunshine Coast (USC). Before joining USC, Karen was at Queensland University of Technology as Director, Student Success and Retention, and Director, First Year Experience, positions which followed a series of traditional faculty-based academic roles.

A recognised authority in the first-year experience, and student engagement and retention, Professor Nelson’s research into the complex nature of the student experience has been instrumental in uncovering the factors influencing attrition and has advanced policy and practice nationally and internationally. Her contributions to higher education have been recognised by three national awards for university teaching and in 2016 she was made Principal Fellow of the UK based Higher Education Academy. In 2020, she was made Professor Emeritus of the University of the Sunshine Coast in recognition of her contributions.

Karen is widely engaged in the higher education sector and has served as the chair of the Australian Regional Universities Network DVC/PVC Learning and Teaching Group and Student Success Cluster (2014-2019), and is currently an elected member of the Universities Australia Deputy Vice-Chancellors Academic Executive group. She also serves the sector as the founding editor, and editor in chief of Student Success: an open access journal exploring the experiences of students in tertiary education; and has been a member of the organising committee, Chair or Co-chair of the annual STARS Conference and its predecessors for nearly 15 years.

Dione Payne is the Deputy Vice-Chancellor, Māori and Pasifika at Te Whare Wānaka o Aoraki (Lincoln University) in Canterbury, New Zealand. Dione’s quality assurance experience includes, programme, campus and organisational auditing in the educational and health sector. She is passionate about supporting the educational aspirations of Māori (and Pasifika) in all forms. Dione is an advocate for Māori land development and productivity by customary owners, utilising customary ethics and principles. Applying a kaupapa led methodology with a key focus on tikanga Māori approaches to utilisation, retention and perpetuation of customary knowledge, including mahinga kai (customary food gathering and harvesting).

Dione lives in Koukourarata, a customary Māori papakainga (homeland) with her husband’s people. Dione continues to maintain her own whānau (family) links to her own papakainga in Aotearoa New Zealand’s North Island, Te Ika a Māui. Dione is a mokopuna (descendant) of many hapū and iwi including: Ngāti Hine ki Waikato, Waikato, Ngāti Maniapoto, Ngāti Tūwharetoa, Te Ātihaunui a Pāpārangi, Te Uri o Hau, Ngāti Whātua, Ngā Puhi, Te Rarawa, Te Aupōuri, Te Whānau a Apanui, Ngāti Awa, Ngāti Toa, Tūhourangi, and Ngāti Rangitihi.

Previously a Quality Improvement Manager at Te Wānanga o Aotearoa, Dione directly managed campus and programme quality assurance, involving staff, students, stakeholder groups and managers. As the Operations Manager at Turuki Health, a Māori primary health provider,  Dione was also responsible for and actively managed quality assurance audits with Cornerstone (Primary Health Care), Ministry of Social Development (Family Start, Teen Parenting) and B4Baby quality programmes. As the Academic Director of Kiwa Institute of Education, Dione was directly involved in and passed the NZQA’s External Evaluation Review, and Tertiary Education Commission’s financial audit for ongoing funding.

Darryn Russell is the Assistant Vice-Chancellor Māori at the University of Canterbury. Mr Russell started his working life with the Inland Revenue Department, through the then Department of Māori Affairs, and was later appointed the Māori Community Officer with the Department. He then took up a position with the Department of Internal Affairs and just prior to settlement with the Crown, accepted a Regional leadership and development position with Ngāi Tahu.  

Darryn has always had a focus on Ngāi Tahu and Rūnanga development. With this background he held the position of Director, Māori Development at the University of Otago for several years. Darryn's current position as Assistant Vice-Chancellor Māori has responsibility for developing and maintaining University Treaty-based relationships with Iwi and Māori providers, and coordinating and implementing the Strategy for Māori Development at the University of Canterbury. The Assistant Vice-Chancellor Māori also leads his Executive Team and the Māori Development Team is also part of his portfolio.

Professor Mahsood Shah is the inaugural Dean of Swinburne Sydney. Having completed his PhD with a research focus on quality assurance in Australian higher education, he has led learning and teaching at faculty and school level at three Australian universities. Mahsood has extensive experience in all aspects of learning and teaching leadership including strategy and governance, quality assurance and enhancements, and maintenance of standards.  Previously he held the position of Associate Pro Vice-Chancellor (Learning and Teaching) at La Trobe University. Mahsood is an active researcher with expertise in quality assurance in higher education, measurement and enhancement of student experience, student retention, international education, widening participation and private higher education.  Mahsood has worked closely with private higher education providers in accreditation of institutions and courses, is on the TEQSA Expert Register and been part of review panels with various international quality assurance agencies. 

Professor Gordon Suddaby is a Higher Education Consultant having retired from his position as Associate Professor; Scholarship of Teaching and Learning in Massey University’s National Centre for Teaching and Learning at the end of 2011. Previously he was, for ten years, Director of Massey’s Centre for Academic Development and eLearning (CADeL). He is a past president of Australasian Council on Open, Distance and Elearning (ACODE), directing the ACODE Learning Technologies Leadership Institute (LTLI) in 2013 and has been an LTLI faculty member in 2011 and 2015.  Gordon led the successful Massey University bid to establish and host Ako Aotearoa, the New Zealand National Centre for Tertiary Teaching Excellence. He is currently an Auditor for Universities New Zealand’s Academic Quality Agency (AQA) and an International Reviewer for the Quality Assurance Agency (Scotland).

He has been involved in reviews/academic audits in New Zealand, Scotland, Australia and Fiji. 

Pam Thorburn is an organisational consultant who has worked extensively in areas relating to the student voice, pastoral care and wellbeing as well as university administration, technology and academic course design and delivery.

Additionally, Pam has extensive NGO governance, human resource, strategy and community development experience. Pam chairs a Māori Health Organisation and is working with several other organisations facilitating change and leading strategic planning. She has also been involved on a number of national and international Boards either as a trustee or in an advisory capacity. Pam has extensive government sector experience, primarily within Justice and Health.

Pam has had significant involvement in the development of tertiary education strategy, governance, quality assurance and operational management and leadership. She has been involved in the development and implementation of university policy and audit and assessment reviews, both within the university and externally with other organisations and service providers. Working for 21 years at Te Herenga Waka - Victoria University of Wellington, she held senior leadership roles across a range of portfolios. These included student engagement and administration, learning and teaching, wellbeing and equity and inclusion. She was also a member of the University Academic Board. In her time at Te Herenga Waka - Victoria University of Wellington, Pam was involved in academic audits, external reviews, crisis and risk management and conflict resolution.