Tena koutou. This is my first QA News as Chief Executive of NZQA. As most of you know, I took up the role on 1 May 2006. There have been several news items recently that show the positive changes underway at the Qualifications Authority.

Firstly, the new management structure is now in place with three new Deputy Chief Executives appointed and beginning work. I think the Authority is in a strong position to take on the challenges of the future.

Our two lines of work are reflected by our two new operating divisions - Qualifications and Quality Assurance. The third division, Strategic and Corporate Services, provides support. The three Deputy Chief Executives, the Chief Advisor Maori and I constitute the Authority's Strategic Management Team.

Our job is to ensure that qualifications gained by learners have value and are widely recognised.

In my first months with the Authority, I have been very impressed with the talent and commitment that is evident in the staff. Yes, there is always room for improvement and we need to be open to constructive suggestions. I believe this is happening.

In June and July, research reports were released on the Impact of the NCEA on Student Motivation and Student Views of the NQF and NCEA. These reports contained good news and information on areas where more work is needed. We are acting on this.

Students and employers have told us the Record of Learning and the NQF Results Notice are difficult to understand and could be made clearer. In response, we have developed new formats for both documents and an online consultation on these has produced some excellent feedback. This is an example of how I see the Authority working. We want to collaborate with our stakeholders and develop best-practice procedures and ongoing improvement.

Also in this issue you will find news about the changing courses national surveys. They show that schools are using the National Qualifications Framework to provide increasing flexibility in the range of course options offered to students.

This is important, as the core of our work is ensuring that learners can undertake the study they want, and the qualifications they gain are robust and widely valued.

I look forward to ongoing communication and partnership with the education sector.

Dr Karen Poutasi
Chief Executive