Graeme Cosslett

Graeme was appointed Director and Chief Executive of NZCER in 2015.

Under his leadership, NZCER is working to achieve its purpose by focusing on four strategic priorities that underpin our 5-year plan to 2025:  

• Decolonising education

• Upholding mana Māori, whakamana Māori

• Improving equity for ākonga and equity in education

• Influencing the future of education.

Before being appointed as Director, Graeme was the General Manager, Products and Services at NZCER. He previously managed the Professional Services team, which supports users of NZCER's assessment tools and services. Graeme led the three-year project to digitise NZCER's tests for schools, and the project to develop the Adult Literacy and Numeracy Assessment Tool for the Tertiary Education Commission.

Graeme is Board Director for Copyright Licensing New Zealand, and President of Te Rau o Tākupu Publishers Association of New Zealand.  He also serves on governance groups for the:

• Quality Teaching and Wellbeing working group (for the Government’s Education Workforce Strategy to 2032)

• Literacy and Numeracy group (for the Tertiary Education Commission)

• National Monitoring Study of Student Achievement (a collaboration between NZCER and the Educational Assessment Research Unit of the University of Otago) partnership  

• Education Workforce Governance Strategy Group

Graeme worked as a teacher for 10 years before joining NZCER. He has a Masters in Education–First Class Honours from the University of Waikato,  a Postgraduate Diploma in Education and Professional Development from Victoria University of Wellington, a Diploma of Teaching from the Wellington College of Education, and a Bachelor of Music from Victoria University of Wellington. Graeme is a Member of New Zealand Institute of Company Directors.