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As with many education leaders striving to transform Aotearoa’s system, Dr Tim Gander’s journey began in the classroom.
For the Education Partnership and Innovation Trust’s (EPIT) new executive director, a decade teaching at Gisborne Boys’ High School proved pivotal.
“It grounded me in the realities of what young people, their whānau, and communities are up against when it comes to inequity,” Tim says.
“It also gave me a front-row seat to just how powerful education can be when it’s done well – and when it connects meaningfully to the lives of learners.”
That experience has shaped a varied and energetic career, spanning teaching, digital innovation, and research-informed change at the intersection of practice and policy.
At The Mind Lab, now academyEX, Tim helped spearhead a significant shift into digital and collaborative learning, working with learners across the region and supporting teachers to complete postgraduate study in contemporary education and leadership.
“It really sparked something in me about what’s possible when innovation meets community.”
Since stepping into EPIT’s leadership role, Tim has become the public and strategic face of an organisation aiming to do more than adjust the system – it’s working to rebuild parts of it altogether.
“Honestly, it was the kaupapa,” he says of what drew him to EPIT.
“EPIT’s commitment to equity wasn’t just talk; it ran through the organisation like a thread woven into everything we do.”
The charitable trust backs initiatives targeting both the root causes and ripple effects of inequity – from foundational skills like literacy and mental health, to transitions from school into further study or employment.
It works through what it calls an “interconnected cycle of impact”: weaving together communities of practice, transformational programmes of work, and Evaluation as a Service (EaaS) in a way that each strengthens and informs the others.
“Rather than doing ‘more of the same,’ EPIT is focused on systems thinking – bringing people together, creating real feedback loops,” Tim says.
“That’s the kind of long-game thinking I’m drawn to.”
If that sounds a bit sector-speak heavy, he’s quick to put it plainly and emphasise EPIT’s value-add beyond funding.
“We’re not a ‘programme delivery’ organisation in the traditional sense: we’re about enabling systems change through collective action and contribution.
“That means we work across the whole ecosystem to shift the way things function, not just patch the gaps.”
That systems lens is visible across the trust’s work.
From backing school gardens that teach life skills alongside the curriculum, to building digital equity in rural schools, EPIT centres its efforts on what learners need, not just what’s available.
Its flagship youth mental health initiative, Taiohi Awhitū, is a community-driven, iwi-led model that places navigators within schools to connect rangatahi and whānau with local wellbeing providers. Contextually co-designed, it reflects a shared commitment to hauora, collective accountability, and place-based solutions.
Another anchor project, He Whakaaraara, is a living, evolving initiative that brings together community-defined data, stories, and indicators to map how inequity is experienced and how systems might respond differently.
It integrates storytelling and data to illuminate systemic gaps, centres local definitions of equity, and provides a platform for collective learning, policy influence and action.
There are plenty of standout stories that illustrate EPIT’s contribution to impact — examples of collective effort, systems change, and the power of interconnected initiatives.
Ready 4 Learning supports whānau as first teachers, co-designing culturally responsive resources that strengthen early foundation skills. Stand Tall Community Trust creates entrepreneurial and digital pathways for rangatahi, expanding access through community-led, place-based programmes. And Nōna Te Ao’s E Tipu E Rea programme on the East Coast is helping rangatahi Māori stay engaged with education – a model now expanding across the country.
In 2023–24 alone, EPIT’s network saw growth in early years, literacy, and school-to-work transitions – all underpinned by deep, often co-designed partnerships.
“It’s a symbiotic cycle of impact,” Tim says.
“We invest in communities of practice that surface real-world challenges, support projects that respond to them, and then evaluate those efforts in ways that help everyone learn and grow. And because we share that learning, others can build on it.”
That last part – evaluation – is where EPIT’s model marks a quiet shift.
Its Evaluation as a Service platform isn’t about ticking boxes or producing polished reports.
It’s a scalable tool that helps community partners understand their contribution to impact, regardless of size, scope or funding.
“It’s about guiding learning, not just measuring it,” Tim says. “Everyone has a part to play.” From an education perspective, it is the difference between assessment of learning and assessment for learning.
Tim speaks often about collaboration, not just as a method, but a mindset.
“Our partners are everything. We work with iwi, funders, researchers, community organisations, educators – some based at our co-working hub in Onehunga, others spread across the motu on our digital platforms,” he says.
“Collaboration matters because no one can solve these issues alone.”
EPIT’s physical space, Te Whiriwhiringa – The Nest – has become a magnet for changemakers.
But more than that, it’s a metaphor for the kind of ecosystem EPIT is trying to foster.
“When you create spaces – physical and digital – where people can share, experiment, reflect, you accelerate change,” Tim says.
Naturally, systems change doesn’t come without challenge.
“The biggest challenge?” He pauses.
“Patience. You have to hold space for complexity, for failure, for iteration. That’s not always comfortable, especially when funders or policymakers are looking for short-term wins. But that’s how real, lasting change happens.”
It’s a kind of pragmatic optimism that characterises his approach.
He’s not chasing quick wins or superficial outcomes, but is focused on building meaningful momentum through aligned, purposeful action.
“Being a systems-change organisation means we don’t just fix problems – we shift the conditions that created them.
“That might mean changing how funding flows, how people collaborate, or how we define success.”
It’s easy to see why EPIT is starting to influence national conversations.
With cross-sector partners, an evidence-based strategy, and a fast-maturing model, it’s among the few organisations positioned to help drive meaningful change at scale.
“In five years, I’d love to see EPIT as the go-to connector in the education equity space,” Tim says.
“Where if someone wants to invest, innovate or learn, they know EPIT is the place to start.”
And if there’s one milestone he’s aiming for?
“Seeing our Evaluation as a Service model become a standard tool across the sector.
“Not just to assess projects – but to help people learn, improve, and know they’re contributing to real change.”
Underneath it all, Tim remains a teacher at heart – one who believes education should empower, not sort.
His leadership values are rooted in those he’s served: students in Gisborne, educators nationwide, and communities who’ve trusted him with their stories.
“I’m deeply influenced by collaborative leadership – making space for others, being led by community voices, and deliberately honouring Te Tiriti o Waitangi through genuine partnership, shared decision-making, and accountability in the way we work,” he says.
“It’s not about having all the answers. It’s about asking the right questions.”
And when asked what message he’d offer funders, educators or policymakers, he doesn’t hesitate.
“The future of education depends on us working together differently. Not just tinkering at the edges, but reimagining the system so that equity is woven through from the outset, through shared purpose, authentic partnership, and collective action that centres community wisdom and understands impact as contribution — collective, relational, and incremental,” he says.
“Listen to communities. Invest in what’s working. And be bold. The time for small fixes is over: it’s time for transformation.”
