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Jeremy Banks.
Jeremy Banks (Ngāti Rārua, Rangitāne ki Wairau, Ngāti Kuia) has been appointed the new chair of Crown-owned organisation Network for Learning’s (N4L) board of directors.
In the past five years, N4L has grown from providing internet connection and a basic firewall service to schools and kura, to become a purpose-driven, values-led organisation that’s connecting, protecting, and supporting more than 2450 schools and 900,000 users (close to 20% of the country’s adult population). N4L now accounts for a quarter of the country’s daytime business internet consumption, has become the largest network of its kind in Australasia, and today blocks more than 2.3 million cyber threats a day.
Banks replaces previous chair, Colin MacDonald, who has completed his term as both chair and board member. Banks was previously N4L’s deputy chair and HR and Remuneration Committee chair.
With whakapapa links to the top of Te Waipounamu, Banks is a software developer with experience in growing software startups and holds a variety of governance roles.
Banks’ very first startup had its foundations in his desire to encourage more people to take up learning te reo Māori language. Although te reo wasn’t spoken in his family home when he was growing up, he devised a ‘building blocks’ methodology to help himself learn it, which he adapted to create a successful educational mobile app – Tipu – which has helped people of all ages learn te reo. The success of Tipu led to the creation of his company, Plink Software, which he runs with his wife, Melissa.
Banks said: “I’m honoured to be appointed the chair of [the] board of directors. N4L is doing some very important work – helping keep schools and kura safer and more secure online, and providing equal opportunity and access to online learning, which can allow all ākonga in Aotearoa to thrive, regardless of their culture, background or geographic location.”
Colin MacDonald served as N4L chair from March 2019 to June 30 2023, during which time he helped steer the organisation through the significant challenges and disruptions of the Covid-19 pandemic and global supply chain shortages, an ever-growing, ever-changing cybersecurity landscape, as well as a period of tremendous transformation and growth for the technology company.
“It’s been an honour and a privilege to serve as their chair for the last four years,” MacDonald said. “N4L … expertise allows learners to focus on learning and teachers to focus on teaching.”
N4L CEO Larrie Moore, in thanking and wishing MacDonald well, said: “Colin has been a tremendous leader [and] has provided great guidance and support to the organisation, with a particular passion for enabling greater access to and equity in online learning, as well as supporting diversity within the N4L board.”
‘Mānawa maiea te Mātahi o te Tau’
Celebrate the beginning of the new year (Matariki)
This is supplied content and not commissioned or paid for by NBR.
