The Arinui Journey

Almost three years after a joint project between Dunedin based company The Tarn Group and a nationwide education consultancy Evaluation Associates, Arinui Limited has begun its journey as its own entity. Led by new Chief Executive and local, Tony Gilbert, Arinui is an online appraisal system for schools.

Gilbert says, “The driver behind the development and implementation of Arinui is to help teachers navigate the recently implemented Standards for the Teaching Profession in a way that helps improve practice and ultimately outcomes for students”.

 Aimed at primary, secondary, kura and early childhood education centres (ECE), Arinui has been developed in conjunction with institutions themselves and some of the best educational experts in the country, including Anna Sullivan, Chief Executive at Evaluation Associates.

 Gilbert comments, “In developing Arinui we were privileged to have access to some of the very best appraisal thought leaders in Aotearoa. Having had a number of staff and directors involved in the development of the Standards for the Teaching Profession directly, was invaluable to the integrity of Arinui.  

Currently used by over 450 schools, kura and ECE centres in its project phase, Arinui aims to grow its users across New Zealand in a way that is responsive and responsible. Built on the software platform, Bracken, developed by The Tarn Group, Arinui has the flexibility and stability to meet the needs of busy teachers.  

 “It had to be simple yet effective”, says James Nation, Chief Executive of The Tarn Group. “We understood that teachers have hundreds of things to balance day-to-day. Arinui aims to remove administrative pain whilst emphasising growth and improvement”.

 Gilbert jokes that he is a seventh-generation teacher and his whakapapa would never allow him to work with something that did not support teachers for the better. “Mum was a new entrant’s teacher and Dad a school principal for years, I did my post-graduate study in appraisal and frankly, I sit on some pretty big shoulders – I am 100% confident that Arinui has immense value in supporting the amazing teachers and leaders we have in New Zealand.”