Mr Phil Ker, of Cromwell, ONZM for services to tertiary education
Phil Ker was Chief Executive of Otago Polytechnic, which, under his leadership, gained a reputation for innovation through initiatives including the EduBits micro-credentialing service, CapableNZ to help people gain NZQA credits for learning from work experience, New Zealand’s first brewing school, a heavy automotive programme in Dunedin, and an international campus in Auckland. He has been President of the polytechnic teacher’s union and Deputy Chair of Ako Aotearoa, the national centre for tertiary teaching excellence. He chaired two workstreams to establish Te Pukenga (New Zealand Institute of Skills and Technology) and represented New Zealand at the World Federation of Colleges and Polytechnics. He was a Director of Te Tapuae o Rehua, a partnership to grow Māori educational success. Mr Ker was a founding partner of Dunedin’s Economic Development Strategy.