Meet the Leadership Team
Our Governing Council is supported by an organisation of about 100 employees led by a chief executive and leadership team.
Lesley Hoskin, Tumu Whakarae | Chief Executive
I want to be the Chief Executive of the Teaching Council, because I believe strong leadership can transform professions and create lasting impact. As Chief Executive at the Teaching Council of Aotearoa New Zealand, my focus is on elevating the teaching profession and advocating for continuous improvement. Throughout my career, I’ve been driven by the opportunity to solve complex problems, inspire teams, and create meaningful change, particularly in education. My strategic mindset and passion for delivering solutions fuel my commitment to driving progress and empowering educators.
My career began in a large IT company before leaving to run an e-learning and change management business for 15 years while raising my family. In the ten years before coming to the Teaching Council, I held senior roles within the education sector: leading policy conversations and large implementation teams with a focus to lift student achievement as Associate Deputy Secretary Student Achievement at the Ministry of Education and leading the teacher payroll recovery project as Associate Deputy Secretary Novopay. I combine my strategic thinking ability with my passion for bringing solutions that deliver for people.
I have a Diploma in Te Reo Māori, a Master’s in Public Sector Management, and a Postgraduate Diploma Management & Leadership from Oxford University.
Pauline Barnes, Pou Kaiāwhā | Deputy Chief Executive
I lead the Teaching Council’s Rauhuia leadership work and our strategic policy advice. I want to see teachers and the teaching profession highly respected, valued and in a position to shape our future education system. The teaching profession has a wealth of expertise and insights – and I see my job as enabling that to be expressed and to positively influence how education happens in Aotearoa. I have chosen to work in education because I have seen its power in changing lives and want everyone to have that experience.
Prior to my work with the Teaching Council, I held senior roles in Ministry of Education, Tertiary Education Commission and KPMG. I co-led a humanitarian foundation in Romania with my husband for many years, working in educational and community development projects, and have held a number of other roles as a management and financial consultant.
I hold a Bachelor of Commerce and Administration, am a Certified Practising Accountant (CPA) and hold a Master’s of Education (my thesis was on Teacher Standards and Professionalism).
Clive Jones , Pou Kaiāwhā | Deputy Chief Executive
With over 25 years of experience in various sectors including international education, local and central government, and electricity, I am a strategic thinker and a leader who helps organisations adapt and thrive in the face of future challenges and opportunities. As Deputy Chief Executive at the Teaching Council of Aotearoa New Zealand, I lead the delivery of professional services to over 115,000 practising teachers and support the Teaching Council's mission to strengthen the mana of teaching, so teachers can change lives.
My 'why' comes from doing the things that people tell me can't be done, like climbing Mt Everest or transforming the relationship between the teaching profession and the Teaching Council.
Tamahau Te Rau , Pou Kaiāwhā | Deputy Chief Executive
As Deputy Chief Executive (Whanganui, Taranaki Whanui, Ngāti Tuwharetoa, Ngāti Raukawa, Nga Wairiki, Ngāti Apa) I lead the Teaching Council in our vision of being a Te Tiriti-led and Values-based organisation.
Before joining the Teaching Council, my path was one of service and dedication—to my people as an iwi education leader, to culture as an advisor, to knowledge as a lecturer at Wānanga and Universities, to well-being as a health worker, and, most importantly, to education as a teacher. I have walked the path of a kaiako, guiding young minds in kōhanga reo, primary, kura kaupapa, and secondary schools.
Each experience has deepened my belief in the power of education, the strength of our heritage, and the responsibility we carry for the generations to come.