Meet Nige Young, avid basketballer, father of four and N4L Regional Director. Nige has been leading our South Island Education & Engagement team since January 2023. Learn a little bit about him, why he chose to work for N4L, and hear his answer to the all important question – cheese rolls or sausage rolls?
Introduce yourself
Kia ora, I’m Nige. I’m the Regional Director for the South and work with the awesome School Relationship Management duo of Carrie-Anne Freeman and Jaquie Dilger to look after the South Island schools, kura and IT relationships for N4L. I’ve got an amazing wife Kim and four ‘children’ with the youngest just about to crack 16 which means I’m now officially old. I’m an ex-high-school teacher, ex-Navy education officer and previously worked in the tertiary education sector at Ara Institute of Canterbury, looking after the Business and Digital Technologies education.
Where did you grow up?
I’m originally from Portsmouth on the South Coast of England and have been in Aotearoa New Zealand since 2005 when I moved with my family. My home town is actually Portchester, which is a small township in Portsmouth, famous for our castle and the port. Portsmouth is the home of the Royal Navy where I served for 7 years or so before coming here and joining the Royal New Zealand Navy.
What brings you joy outside of work?
I’ve been weirdly addicted to basketball since a young age and continue to play and coach still. I also enjoy hiking/tramping and spending time with my family. I love games with words, patterns and numbers, and I’ve never missed the opportunity for a good dad joke either!
How did you end up working in this role?
As an educational technologist I couldn’t really imagine a better opportunity for where those two worlds collide than N4L. I’ve worked in several roles and sectors, but my heart lies in education – bringing digital technologies to enhance teaching and learning for our schools is something truly worthwhile.
What appealed to you about the role?
I saw the opportunity and immediately jumped at the chance to make a difference for schools and kura using my combined experience in education and digital technologies. Having this type of role based in the fantastic South Island was a great opportunity and I haven’t looked back since joining. We get to truly make a difference for the schools and kura across the country.
Tell us about your role.
The role is all about relationships. Our team is the face of N4L for schools, kura and IT companies in the region. We get the opportunity to visit schools and work together to provide faster, safer internet for schools and kura. We visit and speak with schools across the region, keeping them in the picture of what’s coming and get any feedback that they want to share on N4Ls products and services.
What feeds your passion within your role?
Personally I’m driven by being able to make a difference. With N4L, I get the opportunity to help schools and kura to support kaiako and ākonga to teach and learn safely online. We’re driven by trying to provide the best service we can and adding value to the sector.
What does it mean for you personally in the work N4L delivers?
I’m proud of what we achieve as a team and the part I get to play in that. The continual effort of this team to deliver a level of digital equity in our schools across the country is remarkable. What more could you ask for?
And lastly Nige, a question that had to be asked, cheese roll or sausage roll?
Well I didn’t get my figure by not liking both, but as a proper South Islander I have to go with the cheese roll or I might get deported from here!