Wintec appoints chief executive

David Christiansen has been appointed chief executive of the Waikato Institute of Technology Limited.


Ko te tūmanako ka ora tonu koutou i te wa pangia e te mate ki runga ki a tatou.

I am pleased to announce to our valued stakeholders and partners of Wintec that the Wintec Board has unanimously agreed to appoint David Christiansen as chief executive of the Waikato Institute of Technology Limited.

On Friday, as Chair of the Wintec Board, I first shared this announcement with our Wintec staff, and the response has been very supportive and positive.  I also took the opportunity to commend Wintec staff for their incredible response and commitment in placing an emphasis on students’ learning and wellbeing during the challenges that COVID-19 posed for our organisation. 

Dave is no stranger to many of you, having served at Wintec for a number of years, and he has been leading Wintec as acting chief executive for nearly two years. This formal appointment by our board, reflects the leadership that Dave has given to Wintec.

The appointment is effective from 1 June, 2020 and goes through until the end of 2022. It is a term that reflects the current interim phase the vocational sector is in, under the ongoing Reform of Vocational Education (RoVE). I am sure you will all join me in congratulating Dave on this appointment.  

As you all know, Aotearoa is now facing a considerable challenge over coming months and years as we seek to overcome the economic situation we are facing. The Government has made it very clear that it has high expectations of our vocational education sector in terms of responding to these challenges and contributing to our region, our economy, communities and our people.

Wintec can, and must, and will, continue to be an important part of this region’s response and future regrowth.

As a board we will be supporting Dave, his executive team, and all staff in ensuring we continue to respond quickly to the needs of our region and its people.

Wintec will, over coming weeks and months, seek to reach out to as many stakeholders, industries, employers, Iwi and community groups as we can. We want to know what it is we can do to help you, and our region rebuild. As a sector we are working with Government and central agencies to coordinate national-level responses – and to seek more flexibility in terms of how we can respond to demands for retraining and upskilling. At a regional level we will do the same, and we are also keen to hear from you. How can we help? If you have questions or ideas, feel free to raise these with your regular Wintec contacts.

We’re committed to connecting more with you as a stakeholder and partner, to better understand your needs, and find ways that we can work together for the benefit of our region and its economy. 

Ngā mihi

Niwa Nuri
Board Chair
Waikato Institute of Technology Limited