ImpactEd is on a mission to spice up educational learning and development, banish the boring, and create positive outcomes for teachers and students. Find out more about us and how we can help your school.
About us
BANISHING BORING: OUR STORY
ImpactEd Founder Arnika Macphail wasn’t what you would call a teacher's pet. In fact, she spent quite a bit of high school sitting outside the Principal’s office feeling unvalued and disconnected.
Fast forward a few years, with a Masters of Education under her belt, and Arnika is a committed, engaging teacher focused on considering every student in her class. Where there are bored kids, she sees effective feedback about the delivery of curriculum and a challenge to re-engage that student.
Attending Professional Learning and Development (PLD) as a teacher, Arnika once again found it hard to engage. She sat in PLD that was delivered in the same way to hundreds of teachers, disconnected to the needs of the school, and she knew it could be better. It had to be, for the sake of disengaged students like she once was. She decided to take on the challenge, and ImpactEd was born.
With her partner David’s encouragement, Arnika began with her passion, the digital curriculum. The goal was to revolutionise the delivery of PLD and offer agile, engaging, tactile, practical, relevant, supportive, high-quality professional learning tailored to meet the needs of individual schools.
How? By listening. By showing up, digging in, and tailoring each and every session. And that’s how ImpactEd still operates today.
Since those early days, ImpactEd has grown to a tight-knit team of expert educators each designing PLD teachers enjoy and building classroom resources and culture where students feel safe, seen and heard in education.
ImpactEd is spicing up learning and development, connecting schools together, growing relationships and strengthening the approach to PLD. We believe—we know—this will provide better educational programmes for teachers and better outcomes for students.
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Our Team
We’ve pulled together some of New Zealand’s best and brightest in education and strategic leadership. Here’s what we bring to the table.
Arnika Macphail
BTchLn, PGDipED endorsed in eLearning and Digital Technologies, MEd
Co-Founder, Managing Director, Facilitator
Arnika is an educator at heart. She truly loves connecting with other teachers and building leadership capability to make a difference in our schools. A good day in the office for Arnika is helping teachers develop student-centred practices and seeing the joy in teachers when they are building something
they believe in.
Before founding ImpactEd, Arnika taught in ECE, special education and primary schools in New Zealand and internationally. Her specialist areas are coaching, leadership and change management and building teaching capability, especially in those wonderful ages of Years 7-10.
A digital technologies expert, Arnika is championing New Zealand’s digital learning transformation and has been one of the country's few Microsoft Innovative Educator Fellows, a Google Certified Educator and Apple Teacher.
Get in touch with Arnika about all things ImpactEd; you’re guaranteed a good laugh and a laid-back vibe (while her sharp-as-a-tack brain whirrs away at a million miles an hour).
David Macphail
Co-Founder, Behind-the-Scenes Wrangler, Future Planner
David is the often-unseen backbone of ImpactEd. An experienced business owner and a hands-on kind of guy, David is instrumental to keeping ImpactEd running smoothly. A typical week sees him dealing with finances, administration, working with MoE, and generally keeping the wheels turning.
Placing high importance on good relationships, trust, and creating the world you want to live in, David is proud of what he and Arnika have built and has many more ideas for the future of ImpactEd.
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Jackie Brown
BPhEd, GDEd, MEd
PLD Activator
Jackie has taught students across Year 3-13 in a range of subject areas, curriculum and assessment frameworks.
A powerhouse in education, Jackie has been HoD Mathematics, and a leader in schools and Kāhui Ako in Mathematics, Statistics and Health and Physical Education. Her Boma fellowship research included working with communities around their attitudes towards maths and the impact this has on student achievement. Jackie continues to soak up knowledge and develop curriculum innovation and can often be found reading up on the latest in educational research.
In her own words, Jackie enjoys, “Empowering kaiako and leaders to be innovative and creative in their curriculum design and champion what is best for their students. I love helping students to gather their voice and see it reflected in school innovations.”
Katie Tullet
BTchLn, PGDipED, MEd
PLD Activator
An experienced Year 0-8 teacher, Katie brings a unique blend of practical experience and strategic thinking to ImpactEd.
Katie’s strength lies in connecting the dots between effective strategies and positive student outcomes. Working alongside principals, management teams and Boards, she has honed her leadership skills and her ability to enable positive change.
Driven by the intersection of wellbeing and performance, Katie is committed to creating learning environments where students thrive. Katie empowers educators through her expertise in curriculum, assessment, literacy, and leadership, and she is a master at translating research into practical, evidence-based strategies that enhance school-wide success.
When asked about her passion, Katie shares, “There’s magic in watching a strategy unfold into reality.”
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Keryn Hooker
BSc, DipEd
PLD Activator
Keryn is an experienced teacher and senior leader who has spent 20 years in schools working with Years 0-8. A keen innovator, when working in the senior leadership team Keryn had co-designed a streamlined and structured approach to maths to empower kaiako and students with a clear framework.
Keryn lives and breathes education. Passionate about English, Maths, and Physical Education—a keen sportswoman herself—she loves to take teachers from swamped and stuck to engaged and enthusiastic.
In her work with ImpactEd schools, Keryn’s superpower is taking new MoE initiatives and curriculum and creating tools and resources— including year by year breakdowns across reading, writing, and maths— to easily embed new curriculum information in schools so teachers can confidently deliver in the
classroom.
Sarah Peacock
PLD Activator
Sarah Peacock is an experienced Senior Leader and Teacher with a deep passion for coaching, curriculum, and assessment practices. She is dedicated to empowering teachers and enhancing educational outcomes through thoughtful and strategic leadership. For Sarah, a fulfilling day involves supporting educators in refining their teaching practices, fostering a love for learning, and driving meaningful change in schools.
Before joining ImpactEd, Sarah served as a Senior Leader, where she honed her skills in leadership, coaching, and curriculum development. Her expertise lies in creating and implementing robust assessment practices that not only track student progress but also guide teachers in making informed instructional decisions.
Sarah's commitment to education extends beyond the classroom. She is an advocate for continuous professional development and is passionate about coaching teachers to unlock their full potential. Her approach is centered on collaboration, innovation, and a deep understanding of the complexities of modern education.
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Our Values
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Our Vision
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HERE’S A TASTE TEST
Want to get a flavour for what we deliver? Check out our latest projects.
Esther
Deputy Principal, Ferndale High
