NEW ZEALAND KINDERGARTENS LEADERSHIP

CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER

JILL BOND

EMAIL: jill.bond@nzkindergarten.org.nz
PHONE: 027 495 0282

Jill has enjoyed a significant public sector career. For the past 25 years she has held executive/senior leadership roles in the New Zealand Central Government agencies of Health, Education and Housing. Before joining NZK she was the Executive Director, Office of the Director General of Health. She worked across the organisation and the health and disability sector to advise on strategic, operational and governance matters affecting performance and reputation and had responsibility for the delivery of the refresh of the NZ Health Strategy.

She has worked in strategic and operational roles, leading and influencing large multi-disciplinary teams located throughout New Zealand. In partnership with others she has translated strategy into tangible goals and delivered significant programmes of work.

Jill has a passion for organisational excellence, customer service excellence and leadership development. She has led culture change and transformational programmes to better position organisations and business units to deliver on their strategic direction, aspirations and operational mandate. She authored and co-facilitated two national development programmes: “I’m The Customer” focused on customer service excellence and “The Leader Within” – a leadership programme linked to the State Services Commission talent management framework to nurture, grow and develop leadership potential and skills within the organisation.

Jill is a life-long learner. Her leadership expertise was grown and nurtured through her involvement in club and representative sport and the Girl Guide Association where she held the role of national trainer. She completed a Master of Business Administration at Waikato University and a Master of Public Administration with the Australian and New Zealand School of Government (ANZSOG). In 2018 Jill was appointed to the ANZSOG Alumni Advisory Council.

Having parents who were teachers in every sense of the word and being a “Kindy Kid” gave Jill a great start in life. From a young age her interests were many and varied and her activities were learning opportunities. She knows first hand about the importance of the first 1000 days of life and what matters in early childhood education matters for a lifetime.

Jill is privileged to be the CEO of NZ Kindergartens and to be able to work with others to contribute to making New Zealand the best place in the world to be a child.

OFFICE MANAGER

JOANNE NEWTH

EMAIL: jo.newth@nzkindergarten.org.nz
PHONE: 022 478 4044

Joanne has a background in IT, accounting and administration and has worked in both the public and private sectors. Joanne’s introduction to kindergarten was through her daughters when she became involved with the local Johnsonville Kindergarten.

From 1996 to 1999 Jo was committee secretary and an elected member of the Wellington Region Free Kindergarten Association (now He Whānau Manaaki) Board where she held positions on the executive, staffing and finance committees.