Our People
NZLA Executive Members 2024-2025
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Dr Kay Hancock
President
- Email: president@nzla.org.nz
I am an independent literacy consultant specialising in developing instructional reading materials for students in the early years of school. I am passionate about supporting all children to develop as lifelong readers and learners.
My teaching career began in 1980 in Christchurch and in 1998 I moved into educational publishing with Learning Media, first as series editor for Ready to Read and the Junior Journal, and later as publisher for all the Ministry of Education’s instructional reading series. I have had the privilege of being involved in such key literacy projects as Effective Literacy Practice, The Literacy Learning Progressions, and Learning Through Talk. I’m currently involved with the development of year 3 chapter books and the Junior Journal with Lift Education. In 2018 I completed a PhD about the Ready to Read series 1963-1988 and its role as New Zealand children’s literature.I’m proud to have served on the NZLA national executive since 2020. Currently, I am also president of the Wellington Literacy Association and we are looking forward to hosting the national conference in September 2025. I consider NZLA and the regional councils to be a crucial professional network, and I am honoured to be part of this wider team promoting and
supporting literacy in Aotearoa. -
Todd Burton
President Elect
- Email: toddb-exec@nzla.org.nz
Kia ora koutou.
My name is Todd Burton and I have been with the Waikato Literacy Association (WLA) for a little more than a decade. I have the privilege of being part of a supportive and collaborative team that, like many other councils across NZ, are committed to providing quality literacy events for their members across their region.
I have recently moved to Tauranga, Bay of Plenty, and have a specialist teaching role at Omokoroa No.1 School. I work with literacy & numeracy support and extension groups across the senior school (years 5-8). I also have roles co-ordinating sports and EOTC across the school.
I have been president of our council for the past two years and this year support the presiding president in her new role. In 2018 and 2019 I was the Waikato delegate to NZLA. I was involved with the organising committee which ran the Power of Words Roadshow Conference when our council was responsible for the National Conference in 2017.
My introduction to the NZLA (previously known as the New Zealand Reading Association) was in 2011 when I was the recipient of the Marie Clay Literacy Trust (MCLT) Early Years Award.
I am excited to be part of the Exec team and look forward to working with the regional literacy councils across the country.
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Belinda Whyte
Secretary
- Email: secretary@nzla.org.nz
Tēnā koutou fellow literacy lovers,
I am the Resource Teacher of Literacy for the Horowhenua region, a position I have enjoyed for over seven years. It is fulfilling working with developing readers and helping them to engage with literacy in their lives. A life-long passion for literacy brought me to the New Zealand Literacy Association, of which I have been secretary since mid-2023.
I am also president of my local council, Manawatū. I also love learning and recently completed a Master’s of Education, centring on a small study of students’ online talk in a literacy discussion group.
I look forward to continuing to promote literacy across Aotearoa through my work on the NZLA exec.
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Joyce Wakelin
Treasurer
- Email: treasurer@nzla.org.nz
I am a passionate primary teacher located in the deep south of Invercargill. I have been teaching for 13 years and love working with year 4-6 students. I really enjoy integrating literacy across the curriculum particularly through digital technology, inquiry and down at our local outdoor classroom.
I joined the Southland Literacy Association team in 2015. I have served as the secretary of the committee for 6 years and am currently the treasurer.
In 2022 I was nominated and co-opted onto the NZLA Exec and in 2024 I became the NZLA Treasurer. I look forward to growing my literacy pathway and working with other New Zealand Literacy Councils and overseas Literacy organisations.
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Dr Christina Thornley
Literacy Forum Editor
- Email: editor@nzla.org.nz
Kia ora koutou
I am thrilled to become an editor of Literacy Forum NZ: Te Kōrero Pānui Tuhituhi o Aotearoa with Kirsten Kean.I am tangata tiriti and grew up in Otautau. Having moved around since then, I now live in Te Whanganui-a-Tara where I am a member of the Wellington Literacy Association. Throughout my career I have been a teacher, post-graduate student, teacher educator, professional learning facilitator and researcher. In 2022, I retired from the Teaching Council Matatū Aotearoa where I had been privileged to work around the country facilitating teachers’ professional learning related to Our Code Our Standards, Ngā Tikanga Matatika Ngā Paerewa. I was also involved in the development of Unteach Racism.
My passion for literacy teaching, learning and research began in the 1990s. Through the Otago Reading Association, I was introduced to the value of literacy research for my practice. Since then, I have published articles and presented at reading conferences nationally and internationally, often with researcher colleagues and teacher partners. I wanted to understand more about the skills and knowledge students need to be successful readers in their secondary school content areas. My work also focused on explicit teaching about authorial choices of form, audience and intent to build students’ critical awareness as readers and writers. I continue to be fascinated by the ways in which students can be taught to effectively engage inference, reaching a deeper understanding of content to support their discussion and gain knowledge.
I greatly value my editor’s role working with Kirsten alongside teachers, researchers and councils who are sharing their findings and practices within our literacy professional learning community.
Ngā mihi mahana
Chris -
Kirsten Kean
Literacy Forum Editor
- Email: editor@nzla.org.nz
Kia ora koutou katoa,
I am currently the HOD of English at Central Southland College and a committee member of the Southland Literacy Association. I first became involved with the New Zealand Literacy Association through the Marie Clay Literacy Trust Early Years Award, which supported me to attend the 2019 conference in Christchurch. Following that, I joined my local committee, and it has been immensely rewarding to be a part of an enthusiastic community dedicated to improving literacy outcomes in our region.
I feel privileged to share the role of editor for The New Zealand Literacy Forum: Te kōrero Pānui Tuhituhi O Aotearoa alongside Chris Thornley. This fantastic journal captures the dynamic landscape of literacy across our country, offering valuable insights from the perspectives of teachers, councils, and researchers. I am excited about the opportunity to contribute to this space of literacy education in New Zealand.
Ngā mihi nui,
Kirsten
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Scotty Delemare
IT Coordinator
- Email: itcoordinator@nzla.org.nz
I have been a teacher at Matarau School since 1998 and I still love every day on the job, always a new challenge:) My passion for Literacy in the classroom has always been a real area of focus, especially in looking at how Literacy is evolving!
I was introduced to the Tai Tokerau Literacy Association 1n 2012 and have never looked back on being part of a local team that is committed to enhancing, improving, providing, and bringing Literacy PD to the North.
I was fortunate enough to visit an NZLA Annual Meeting, being too vocal at the time with lots of ideas, and that has started this journey into being part of the Exec of which I was part between 2018 and 2021.
The other skill I bring to the team is working in the area of IT advice and support and helping each council to build capacity in this area. I’m not really a tech wizard but have a curiosity about how things work and finding solutions to problems.
This organisation has incredible potential, regionally, and nationally in the regions to promote Literacy.
I look forward to serving and supporting the NZLA to grow.
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Andrea Robertson
NZLA Exec
- Email: andrea-exec@nzla.org.nz
I have been a teacher and educator for 27 years. Over this time I have had the privilege of working as a teacher, syndicate leader, associate principal, ICTPD facilitator, lecturer and an e-learning and assessment advisor. I am the president of the Otago Literacy Association and one of the founding members of the Otago Literacy Symposium team. Supporting teachers in feeling confident about teaching literacy is a passion area.
Currently I am a senior professional practice fellow at the University of Otago College of Education. I teach papers in undergrad and masters English/literacy, music, dance and professional studies. I am interested in digital tools to support literacy and am currently doing a Doctor of Education, researching the impacts of generative AI for early career teachers. It is a career highlight getting to work with our future generation of ‘superstar’ teachers!
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Judy Aitken
NZLA Exec
- Email: judy-exec@nzla.org.nz
Kia ora
I live in Papaioea (Palmerston North) and identify as tangata tiriti. I work for Waipapa Taumata Rau (University of Auckland) as a Reading Recovery and Early Literacy Support trainer, where I lead the implementation of this intervention across Aotearoa. In this role, I have been an active workforce developer and researcher, publishing articles, presenting at national and international conferences and building connections with literacy experts
worldwide.Throughout my long career, I have focused on supporting young learners who are not progressing in literacy as expected. Years of immersion in the Junior school fueled my passion for teaching new entrants and developed a deep interest in foundational literacy learning. I became fascinated by how early literacy skills are developed and how teaching practices can either open or close doors for children during their first year of formal instruction. This commitment has driven me to understand the critical role that teachers play in shaping children’s future literacy success and the lasting impact of the first year of school on literacy outcomes.
I have had a long-standing connection with the Manawatu Literacy Association, which extends to my involvement with the New Zealand Literacy Association (NZLA) Executive. I first served as Secretary and now continue as an Executive Board member. I enjoy working towards the vision of this group which creates opportunities for professional growth and advocacy within Aotearoa’s literacy community.
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