Ara boss joins Nelson Tasman Hospice
Tony Gray, the chief executive of Christchurch polytech Ara, has resigned.
The news comes amid the ongoing restructure of polytechs nationwide, which have merged into a mega polytechnic known as New Zealand Institute of Skills and Technology (NZIST).
Gray, who became Ara chief executive in September 2017, has left to head up Nelson Tasman Hospice.
‘‘Tony has worked tirelessly to ensure Ara is the best it can be,’’ board chair Dr Therese Arseneau said.
Ara is the largest vocational training institute in the South Island.
She said Ara was still wellplaced to transition to the new mega polytech over the next 18 months. Arseneau said Gray would leave Ara in a ‘‘very strong position with a high-performing leadership team’’.
Gray said he was excited about his new role and returning to Nelson, but felt some sadness to leave education after 37 years in the sector.
Before his role at Ara, Gray was chief executive of the Nelson Marlborough Institute of Technology, a role he held between 2006 and 2017.
‘‘It’s been an honour to lead Ara and help it to live its purpose of transforming lives through education,’’ he said.
In a statement, Nelson Tasman Hospice said Gray was a ‘‘very experienced senior executive, who will be well known to many in the top of the south for his successful leadership of NMIT, a role he left in 2017 to take up the position at Ara’’.
Gray will succeed Frans Dellebeke, who announced in January that he wished to step down once a replacement had been identified.
‘‘Tony is a very experienced and well-respected chief executive with an exceptional record,’’ said the chairman of Nelson Tasman Hospice, John Peters.
‘‘We are delighted that Tony will be able to build on Frans’s successful nine years in the role, and bring his proven leadership, strategic capability, innovation and ongoing focus on improving outcomes to us here at Hospice.’’
Peters added that ‘‘a start date will be announced in the near future, in the meantime the board is grateful to Frans for continuing in his role as chief executive’’.
Gray’s final day has not been confirmed, Ara said, and the board is working on a transition plan.
The new mega polytech entity merges all 16 of the country’s institutes of technology and polytechs into one national body. It is based in Hamilton.
The polytechnics will be considered subsidiaries of NZIST until the end of December 2022.