Peter Coolbear
MA, PhD, Cert Ed (FE), MEdAdmin (Hons)



Dr Coolbear is the foundation Director of Ako Aotearoa, the National Centre for Tertiary Teaching Excellence, taking up the role in July 2007, having previously been Deputy Chief Executive at Manukau Institute of Technology since 2002.
Originally he was a teacher and researcher in plant physiology, first in the UK and then at Massey University. At Massey he worked for several years at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade funded Seed Technology Centre, gaining extensive experience in teaching international students.
From the mid-90’s he has held a series of management positions in the NZ polytechnic sector and in the Tertiary Resources Division of the Ministry of Education. He is a trustee of the City of Manukau Education Trust (COMET) and is on the Board of NZCER. Peter has special interests in access to success in tertiary education, quality assurance in tertiary education and the interface between research and teaching