Our leadership team

For more than fifty years, MIT and Unitec have been delivering great vocational education experiences to the people of Tāmaki-Makaurau.

In 2020, the providers came under a single leadership team directing day-to-day operations with an eye to the future.

Today, our group draws together individuals holding regional and division-level leadership roles to make decisions supporting the needs and aspirations of the students, kaimahi, iwi, communities, industries and essential sectors we serve.

Peseta Sam Lotu-Iiga (Faleasiu, Vaiala and Puapua, Samoa)
Executive Director for Te Pūkenga Region 1

Peseta Sam has been in the tertiary education sector for the last seven years having joined MIT as Deputy Chief Executive, Pasifika in September 2017.

Sam has extensive networks in Tāmaki Makaurau as well as nationally and is a voice for Pacific peoples in education.

He has also provided executive leadership to teams developing attractive, connected and inspiring student journeys for learners from all backgrounds at both MIT and Unitec.

Prior to joining MIT, he spent nine years as the MP for Maungakiekie serving as Minister for Pacific Peoples, Ethnic Communities, Corrections and Local Government.

Born in Apia, Peseta Sam grew up in Māngere, raised by parents who like so many of their generation came to Aotearoa to make better lives for their children.

He believes in education as our best opportunity to improve our lives as individuals and communities.

Toa Faneva MNZM (Ngā Puhi, Ngāti Kahu ki Whaingaroa, Aofi)
Executive Director for Te Pūkenga Region 1

Toa brings a unique ability to connect with people from those working at the flaxroots to directors around the Boardroom table.

Mr Faneva joined NorthTec as Chief Executive in 2021 following a career in high level public service and iwi development roles including as CEO lead for Te Kahu o Taonui, the Thirteen Iwi Chair consortium for Te Tai Tokerau.

During his time as Chief Executive of Te Rūnanga o Whaingaroa, the organisation provided a range of social services including healthcare, education, financial capability and emergency housing to whānau.

In 2023, Toa became a Member of the NZ Order of Merit for services to Māori. The honour recognising the role he played in leading the Iwi-led response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Mr Faneva believes education is about empowering communities and developing the rangatira of tomorrow.

Vince Hapi (Waikato Tainui)
Kaumatua, MIT

“Kotahi te kohao o te ngira e kuhuna ai te miro ma, te miro pango, te miro whero.”

Translation: Through the eye of the needle pass the white thread, the black thread, and the red thread.

As Kaumatua of MIT and kaitiaki tiikanga for our Senior Leadership Team, Matua Vince believes this proverb about holding fast to the values and principles of hope, trust, faith, compassion and love best expresses the kaupapa of wraparound support he provides.

Mr Hapi worked as a carpenter before receiving a TeachNZ Career Changer Scholarship to train as a teacher.

Vince was Head of Maaori at Wesley College including preparing aakonga for kapa haka at ASB Polyfest and Ngaa Manu Koorero speech competitions.

Vince grew up on Maurea Marae, Rangiriri and knows the benefits of being surrounded by culture, reo and the korowai of Kiingitanga. A kaupapa he extends to all aakonga and kaimahi who come to MIT.

Vivienne Merito (Ngāti Pūkeko, Ngāti Awa)
Taharangi – Director, Māori Success, Unitec

Viv was born in Tāmaki Makaurau and considers Poroporo, Whakatāne her tūrangawaewae.

As Taharangi she provides leadership for improving ākonga Māori outcomes, retention and success; while championing embedded Mātauranga Māori and Tīkanga Māori across the institute and developing our cultural capability to incorporate indigenous knowledge into training and all aspects of Unitec life.

Her mahi includes overseeing the Māia team, day-today operations of Te Noho Kotahitanga Marae and strategic positioning to collaboratively work across Unitec delivering for ākonga Māori, kaimahi, Iwi and our communities.

Before taking up the position of Taharangi, Ms Merito was Director of Marketing and Communications, Industry Partnership and Careers and Interim Director of Māori Success.

This experience along with more than two decades working in communications and marketing in both Aotearoa and United Kingdom allows Viv to bring a professional lens on achieving phenomenal results, while keeping the values of Te Noho Kotahitanga at the heart of all we do.

Dr Wiremu Manaia (Ngāti Maniapoto, Ngāti Awa)
Pou Whakarewa Matauranga Māori: Director - Māori Education, MIT

Dr Manaia leads MIT’s responsiveness to Te Tiriti o Waitangi through managing the Māori Education Office at Ngā Kete Wānanga Marae, Ōtara.

His tīma delivers Māori academic programmes, advises on curriculum, holds relationships with iwi and community stakeholders, supports ākonga, provides guidance on tīkanga and cultural competency training.

Wiremu’s association with MIT began in 2005 as a part-time lecturer. Since then, he has also served as a full-time Senior Lecturer in School of Business and Deputy Chief Executive – Māori.

During his career, Dr Manaia has lectured at a number of universities and polytechnics in both Aotearoa and Australia, as well as holding senior management positions in public service organisations.

Recent highlights have included Te Ara Oranga programme, a partnership to train a more representative health workforce for Counties Manukau, the development of Bachelor of Nursing – Māori degree and the reestablishment of Te Tawharau Māori staff caucus.

Professor Martin Carroll
Deputy Chief Executive – Academic – MIT & Unitec

Martin holds overall responsibility for academic and research portfolios including strategy, policy, programmes and quality.

Born in Aotearoa, Prof Carroll has held senior roles and worked as a consultant for learning institutes and government bodies in many countries with a particular focus on quality assurance.

Prior to joining MIT as Executive General Manager – Academic in 2019 and moving to his current role with both Tāmaki-based vocational education providers; Martin was Pro Vice-Chancellor Academic at Charles Darwin University for eight years.

Prof Carroll takes inspiration from seeing the fantastic value training adds for learners, whānau and employers celebrated at certificate, diploma and graduation ceremonies. Leading the successful bid to host the country’s first Centre of Vocational Excellence for Construction and Infrastructure at MIT is another recent highlight.

Martin is a strong voice on the team for our core purpose, a challenger of the status quo who sees innovating to meet skills needs across Tāmaki as the key focus for the future.

Kristine Brothers
Head of Finance – Tāmaki

Kristine’s role includes ensuring our team has the financial insights to support strategy and decision making.

She is able to call on more than decade of experience with Unitec and expertise gained working for corporates in audit, telecommunications, engineering and tourism.

Ms Brothers is proud of introducing new systems to streamline our financial processes and improve reporting efficiency.

Kristine believes people are at the heart of our mahi whether it’s building positive team culture or collaborating across divisions to deliver the best outcomes for learners and the region.

Simon Nash
DCE Learner Experience & Success

Simon has responsibility for Student Success, Pathways and International teams at MIT and Unitec.

Central to his diverse portfolios is attracting learners, ensuring they are well supported, successful in completing their studies and gaining employment so they can contribute to our communities.

Mr Nash joined Unitec in 2009 from Massey University and has been on the combined leadership team of both divisions since 2020.

Personal highlights include working on Ōritetanga Project at MIT and contributing to Manaakitia te Rito, Unitec’s three-year Renewal Strategy.

Simon advances the interests of learners in our leadership conversations.

Pip Schollum-Manase
General Manager – Schools at MIT

Pip leads teams responsible for ensuring akōnga are gaining the qualifications they are working towards and remain at the heart of what we do.

Her teams also work closely with industry and governing bodies across Tāmaki and the motū to ensure skills they teach are building not just careers but the businesses and the essential sectors we all rely on.

Ms Schollum-Manase is a proud descendent of the original Bohemian families who settled in Puhoi in 1863.

Early career experiences in tourism and hospitality, as well as time working in a shearing gang and road construction brought her into contact with a wide range of people and have shaped her into the people leader she is today.

More than twenty years at MIT including working as a Market Manager and Interim Director of International, as well as acting as General Manager – TechPark trades and engineering campus mean Pip is ideally qualified to be the voice of the division’s schools in senior leadership.

Chris King
Director – Schools & Performance, Unitec

Chris believes meeting the needs of ākonga and communities is the True North of our mahi.

Mr King represents the interests of Unitec’s lecturers and schools on Senior Leadership Team.

It’s an area he knows well having worked at the division since 2003 starting as a lecturer in School of English and Applied Linguistics.

Chris has since served as a Research Chair, Senior Lecturer and Head of School.

He is proud of the way Unitec has become a place multiple generations of a family will come to pursue their futures through education.

Julie Prentice
Head of External Engagement, MIT

Julie oversees a wide brief at MIT including Schools & Communities, Career & Employment Solutions, Events and Marketing.

Recently, she was appointed to lead the two secondary-tertiary pathways teams at Unitec and MIT on an interim basis including Unitec Pathways College, Unitec Industry Partnerships and Careers Team, the Liaison Teams and MIT Trades Academy.

Before Ms Prentice joined MIT in 2016, she worked for a number of industry training organisations, leading teams who worked with employers across the country, supporting them to upskill their kaimahi.

To Julie, success looks like creating engaged teams who deliver on our promise to get people and communities into training so they can move towards great jobs.

Katrina Van de Ven
People and Culture Director, Te Pūkenga Region 1

Katrina provides strategic direction, advice and solutions on a wide range of people matters.

Ms Van de Ven was Executive Director People and Culture at Wintec before joining Te Pūkenga Region 1 in 2023.

During her time with Wintec, Katrina was recognised as HRNZ Manager of the Year by the Human Resources Institute of New Zealand in 2019. While the team there won an innovation award from HRD (Human Resources Director publication) for developing a programme to enable staff and students to increase their knowledge of industry through forming valuable partnerships.

Prior to joining vocational education, Katrina held operations and project management roles in the banking sector.

She believes it’s the job of People and Culture to help develop our kaimahi to build the future workforce of Aotearoa through education.

Dan Brady
General Operations Manager – MIT & Unitec

Dan holds responsibility for enabling functions at both divisions including Property, Facilities Management, Transport & Logistics and Incident Management since 2022, believing great Operations help ākonga succeed through providing facilities, environment and support throughout our student journey.

Dan, who has previously held senior roles in Ministry of Justice, Baycorp and G4S Global; also oversees Enrolments, Registry, Timetabling and Graduation at Unitec.

Mr Brady is among the third generation of his whānau to live in Devonport and for the past ten years has served the community as a volunteer Firefighter at the rank of Station Officer, taking part in international competitions. He also coaches athletics and runs the Takapuna Athletics Club.

James Meyer
Digital Operations Lead – Region 1

James believes creating great digital experiences is a key part of empowering learners to achieve their goals and aspirations.

In his two years with MIT and Unitec, Mr Meyer has enjoyed bringing people together to understand how we can use technology most effectively and in so doing support the needs of communities and businesses.

Originally from Cape Town, James has made Aotearoa his home since 1998 working with a range of New Zealand-based companies, as well as large international firms across multiple industries, most recently in Work Based Learning.

In his spare time, Mr Meyer has been helping young people build their confidence in the outdoors and leadership skills through the Scouting movement for the past 15 years.