Wanganui

On October 31 and November 1, I went on my first work-related trip to Wanganui and Palmerston North to speak with representatives from the Ministry of Education and Massey University. Over the next few weeks, I will head to Christchurch and Auckland to meet with similar representatives from the education sector to investigate the effectiveness and the efficiency of the Ministry of Education's spending on professional development services for teachers and principals. Some of the greatest rewards from this work come from speaking with high-level officials in government and the private sector to see how they handle challenging situations and how they make funding decisions in an environment of competing demands and limited resources. In addition, it has given me the opportunity to travel off the beaten path.

The photos above are from Wanganui, a coastal town which had been a major trading port near the turn of the 20th century. Wood carvings replaced Ginkgo trees of the past and a range of interesting styles make up the city's architecture.