About us

Charter School Agency | Te Tari Kura Hourua

The Charter School Agency is a departmental agency established on 1 July 2024 to implement and operate the charter school model.

Its role includes negotiating and managing contracts and delivering funding. The Agency is hosted by the Ministry of Education and accountable to the Associate Minister for Education, Hon. David Seymour.

The Agency is responsible for engaging with stakeholders, including those who may be interested in applying to be charter schools. It also monitors and reports on charter school performance.

The Agency supports the Authorisation Board, which approves sponsors for new and converting charter schools, oversees school performance, and decides on interventions with schools.

The Agency’s core functions and responsibilities include:

• being the secretariat for the Authorisation Board
• contracting with school sponsors and managing the contracts
• monitoring and reporting on what has been achieved with contracts
• providing advice to the Authorisation Board on interventions with schools
• advising Ministers on matters related to the operation of charter schools
• working with other statutory bodies.
  
  

Our Vision | Tā Mātou Wawata

Every child has the opportunity to learn, grow and succeed. 

Educational achievement contributes to personal, collective and national success. 

Our Mission | Tā Mātou Whāinga

To lift student achievement, strengthen and diversify our education system. 

Charter schools | kura hourua offer high quality education with diverse choices for students and families, greater flexibility for educators, and increased accountability. 

Our Way | Tō Mātou Ara

With the child at the heart of what we do, we achieve better outcomes together. 

• Better | He Pai Ake - We're focused on raising educational achievement for students in Aotearoa New Zealand. 
• Outcomes | Ngā Putanga - We own the outcome with high accountability and transparency, to foster trust and confidence. 
• Together | Ko Tātou Tahi - We commit to working with each other, across the charter school network, and the wider system. 

Our Strategic Framework

This framework helps us to have a clear line of sight to improving educational outcomes, with the child at the centre of what we do. It shows how the Agency's work and priorities contribute to the education sector and the achievement of Government priorities. 

Our te reo Māori name

We worked with the Māori Language Commission | Te Taura Whiri i te Reo Māori to develop a te reo Māori name for the Charter School Agency.

Kura refers to schools, while hourua means having two hulls. In this context, ‘te tari’ means ‘the Agency.’

Charter schools | kura hourua reflects a unique partnership. Just like a waka hourua that carries people safely across vast oceans through teamwork and balance, charter schools | kura hourua can symbolise the collaboration between charter school operators and the government, and between the schools and their communities. These schools are built on different groups coming together, like the twin hulls of the canoe, to navigate the journey of education and support the learning of young people.

Charter School Agency Leadership

Sean Teddy - Chief Executive

Sean Teddy joins the Charter School Agency from the Ministry of Education. He was formerly Deputy Secretary, Operations and Integration, where he led major programmes including the Food in School initiative. He also oversaw operational integration across the education system. 

He previously served as Deputy Secretary, Office of the Secretary, and held senior leadership roles at the Ministry of Social Development, including Director of Policy and Governance Operations. 

He holds an Executive Master's Degree in Public Administration (Merit) from the Australia and New Zealand School of Government. 

 

Duane McKibben - Head of Business Strategy and Services 

Duane is a committed public servant who started his career in the front line - first as a teacher, then as a child support officer in the Australian Public Service. He has been privileged to take on a number of roles through his career which have helped to transform and shape organisation, their leadership, capability and their culture.  

Duane was most recently Deputy Commissioner at the Public Service Commission where he led a broad range of corporate services. He brings strong expertise in building organisational capability and driving performance through a broad range of disciplines, and has completed a Executive Master of Public Administration with Victoria University of Wellington and the Australia and New Zealand School of Government (ANZSOG). 

 

Juliette Hayes - Head of Performance and Monitoring

Juliette leads the Agency's monitoring function with a clear vision for excellence and accountability. She joined the Charter School agency in April 2025, bringing a wealth of experience from a distinguished career in education as a teacher, senior leader, and principal of secondary and composite schools, followed by six years with the Education Review Office. Juliette holds a Master's in Educational Leadership from the University of Waikato and is passionate about using evidence and collaboration to drive meaningful improvement across the education sector.