School body makes strong progress

The Establishment Board has been meeting regularly since October 2014 and has made considerable progress towards establishing SIEBA as an Incorporated Society.  A governance structure and constitution have been agreed upon and the business case is almost complete.  This will be closely followed by the release of further information for the sector, a membership drive, and calls for nominations and voting for a permanent Board.

The vision of SIEBA, in response to identified needs within the Strategic Roadmap, is to be a leading partner for New Zealand Schools in advancing their international education business.  SIEBA’s mission is to Lead, Connect and Grow.  It will do this by:

• providing leadership for the school sector in sharing best practice and in advocating with government and other agencies (Lead)

• encouraging and facilitating the development of collaboration and partnerships amongst members (Connect)

• encouraging the professional development of members in developing business capability and quality in the sector (Grow).

Fifteen schools have signed up to be the Foundation Members of SIEBA.  You will hear more about this, why SIEBA can be a game-changer for your school and how your school can become a “SIEBA school” in the coming weeks.  Membership will be open to all schools that are signatories to the Code of Practice of Pastoral Care for International Students (COP), with a provisional membership category available to schools intending to become COP signatories.

Meanwhile, we urge you to think about how SIEBA could help you advance the international education business in your school and who you might nominate to the Board to deliver on this promise. The next SIEBA Establishment Board meeting will be held at the end of February. Please direct any enquiries to Richard.kyle@enz.govt.nz.