Life Members

Lynne Aldridge – Lynne Aldridge has a Masters Degree in Education from the University of Otago as well as Associate and Licenciate diplomas in speech and drama. She has over thirty years of teaching and managerial experience in schools and as a senior lecturer in Health Education at the College of Education University of Otago. Lynne has been involved in the writing of current curriculum documents and facilitates courses in Otago and Southland. She serves on two other Trust Boards. The Operation New Direction Board which facilitates a youth mentoring programme in Dunedin and THeTA, a professional theatre group that promotes and enhances Health Education through the medium of drama in schools throughout New Zealand. As a founding member of the New Zealand Health Educator’s Association, Lynne continues to be fully committed to promoting Health Education.

Dr Gillian Tasker – Dr Gillian Tasker was the driving force in Health Education in New Zealand during recent curriculum reform. She has been instrumental in its development and progression in all aspects. Gillian was the principal Health Education writer for the 1999 Health and Physical Education Curriculum and has developed numerous high quality Health Education resources to support curriculum implementation. She is internationally recognised as an expert in her field and was a founding member of NZHEA. Gillian is currently working as an educational consultant and continues to be a strong advocate for Health Education in New Zealand.

Barbara Batchelor – Barbara has been a tireless campaigner for Health Education in New Zealand for many years. Her 15 year background in primary schools, as both a teacher and middle manager, confirmed her belief that a holistic and inclusive approach to education was of the utmost importance. With this in mind, she quickly recognised the potential of the 1999 Health Education curriculum to facilitate the achievement of this outcome. Barbara was seconded to UC Education Plus in 2001, where she worked on the student well-being contract. Her efforts culiminated in Barbara being appointed as the National Coordinator of this contract in the mid 2000s. Barbara joined the NZHEA Executive in 2004 and was Chairperson from 2008-2010. Barbara remains involved with Health Education as a teacher of Lifeskills at the International School of Dusseldorf.

Barbara Ferguson – Barbara is a respected leader in Health Education having worked tirelessly as an Executive member and Chairperson of the NZHEA for a number of years, in addition to lecturing at the University of Otago College of Education. She is admired within the Health Education community for her ability to meld groups together and promote strategies to help get positive messages and current information from a variety of agencies across to teachers and children. Her energy and enthusiasm have been the catalyst for many health enhancing initiatives in the Otago region over the years, and include her involvement writing the Health and Physical Education curriculum document (1999) and delivering significant professional development for teachers.

Dr Rachael Dixon – Rachael was on the NZHEA Executive between 2011 and 2024 and spent several years as Co-Chair. She enjoys opportunities to work alongside teachers in developing Health Education programmes that are responsive to learners’ needs. Rachael is a senior lecturer in the Faculty of Health at the University of Canterbury where she teaches under-graduate students in the Bachelor of Health Sciences, as well as students training to become secondary Health Education teachers. Rachael was made a life member of NZHEA in 2021.

Dr Jenny Robertson – Jenny taught science, biology and health education at secondary school level from 1987-1998. After leaving teaching she worked in initial teacher education (ITE) at the University of Auckland and the University of Waikato, and as a professional learning and development (PLD) facilitator in health education. Jenny was involved in the implementation of the Health and Physical Education in the New Zealand Curriculum (1999), the (re)development of NCEA and resourcing for all levels of NCEA and HPE Scholarship, the development and implementation of health education in the New Zealand Curriculum
(2007) and has written numerous teaching and learning resources health education.