Barbara Ala'alatoa
Barbara Ala'alatoa | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Ala'alatoa in 2020 | |
| Awards | Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit, Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit |
Barbara Frances Ala'alatoa ONZM is a New Zealand–Samoan school principal, and was chair of the Education Council of Aotearoa New Zealand from 2015 to 2019. In 2014 Ala'alatoa was appointed as a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit for services to education. In 2020 she was promoted to an Officer of the Order, again for services to education.
Early life and education
[edit]Ala'alatoa was born and raised in Auckland, growing up in Ōtara and Māngere.[1][2] She is of Samoan New Zealand heritage, with a Pākehā mother and a Samoan father.[3]
Career
[edit]Ala'alatoa is the principal of Sylvia Park School in Auckland.[4] In 2015 she was appointed as the inaugural chair of the Education Council of Aotearoa New Zealand, a position she held until 2019.[4][5] She had previously worked as a primary school teacher, as a lecturer and senior lecturer at the Auckland College of Education, and as an improvement co-ordinator at the Ministry of Education.[4][6] As chair of the Education Council she spoke out against the use of the decile system for school resourcing, which she described as a "blunt instrument".[7][8]
Ala'alatoa is chair of the correspondence school Te Aho o te Kura Pounamu and a board member of Ako Mātātupu Teach First NZ.[9][5] She is active in the Pacific Principals Association and the Auckland Primary Principals Association.[5]
Honours and awards
[edit]
In the 2014 Queen's Birthday Honours, Ala'alatoa was appointed a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit for services to education.[10] In the 2020 Queen's Birthday Honours she was promoted to an Officer of the Order, again for services to education.[5] She was shortlisted for the Kiwibank New Zealander of the Year Award.[6]
References
[edit]- ^ "Barbara Ala'alatoa". WISE. Retrieved 30 December 2024.
- ^ "Pasifika should have education curated for them - Queen's Birthday Honouree". RNZ. 1 June 2020. Retrieved 30 December 2024.
- ^ "Super Diverse Women Q&A: Barbara Ala'alatoa". NZ Herald. 13 February 2017. Retrieved 28 December 2024.
- ^ a b c Lynn, Alastair (10 June 2015). "Barbara Ala'alatoa to head Education Council of Aotearoa New Zealand". Stuff.
- ^ a b c d "Queen's Birthday Honours 2020 - Citations for Officers of the New Zealand Order of Merit | Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet (DPMC)". www.dpmc.govt.nz. 1 June 2020. Retrieved 28 December 2024.
- ^ a b "Biographies of EDUCANZ members" (PDF). Beehive.govt.nz.
- ^ "Barbara Ala'alatoa: Deciles - why the time is right for change". NZ Herald. 14 March 2016. Retrieved 28 December 2024.
- ^ "Barbara Ala'alatoa: Decile doesn't mean destiny". NZ Herald. 5 November 2015. Retrieved 28 December 2024.
- ^ "Board of Trustees". Ako Mātātupu Teach First NZ. Retrieved 30 December 2024.
- ^ "The Queen's Birthday Honours List 2014 | Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet (DPMC)". www.dpmc.govt.nz. 2 June 2014. Retrieved 28 December 2024.
External links
[edit]- Sylvia Park School, a video describing the Mutukaroa programme developed at the school, and featuring Barbara Ala'alatoa, 3 Sep 2014, via YouTube