School whole board offer

School boards across Aotearoa New Zealand play a vital role in shaping the future of young people. Their decisions influence the wellbeing, learning and development of students – outcomes that have a lasting impact across generations.

As part of our commitment to building governance capability across all sectors, we established a School whole board membership offer to help support the work of school boards.

While strong support already exists, this offer builds on that foundation – giving boards access to the full breadth of IoD support, including governance insights, practical tools, education and networking opportunities to help build confidence and capability together. Being part of the IoD is also a great way to expand your skills and build your governance pathway into other board roles.

The offer includes a 33% preferential rate on each board member’s annual subscription with no join fee. Student representatives receive complimentary associate membership, supporting the development of future governance leaders, and New Zealand School Boards Association members receive free access to our Health and Safety online course (valued at $205).

This offer is available until 31 December 2025, and boards that sign up during this period will retain the preferential rate for the duration of their tenure with the IoD.

School whole board criteria

The school whole board offer is available exclusively to New Zealand-registered schools. This includes state, state-integrated, independent, special character and Kura Kaupapa schools – all are welcome to apply.
Your school board must have at least four board members to be eligible for the school whole board membership offer
All parent representatives on the board must join as members
It is not compulsory for the principal, staff representative, co-opted members (appointed for their skills) or the proprietor's representative to join, but they are welcome to do so under this offer
A whole board member is an entity, company or organisation, not an individual member. It is not entitled to vote or be an officer of the IoD
Whole board membership applications will be subject to approval by the IoD Council and subject to the privacy policy

School whole board benefits

33% preferential rate on the standard annual subscription for each board member – reduced from $635 to $425 incl. GST.

No join fee – usually $155.

NZ School Boards Association members receive free access to our online Health and Safety governance course (valued at $205).

Full individual IoD member benefits for every board member.

Each board is entitled to one complimentary student representative membership to support the development of young governance leaders. This membership will be at Associate level, with no requirement for Continuing Professional Development (CPD).

A complimentary board copy of The Four Pillars of Governance Best Practice.

One free Director Vacancy listing.

Preferential rates for selected Board Evaluation and Director Fees products.

A preferential rate for all board members to attend the IoD leadership conference - reduced from $1790 (standard member free) to $1390.

One easy to manage invoice for the entire board - no need to track individual renewal dates.

A shared foundation for learning and development to support collective growth and effectiveness.

How to join

To apply, contact the IoD membership team for an application form
One person manages the membership on behalf of the board — typically the chair or board secretary
Once approved, we’ll send your board a membership pack and instructions to enrol individual board members
A single invoice is issued for the full board, making administration straightforward
All current board members are included – those already holding individual IoD memberships will not need to rejoin
We can align existing members to the Whole board membership by adjusting their billing date. A partial refund of their individual subscription may apply
Board members included in another Whole board membership will only pay one membership fee
When a board member leaves, a new director can be added as their replacement
Departing members may choose to continue their IoD membership under individual terms

Contact

If you’d like to apply for the School whole board membership offer, or have any questions about how it works, our membership team is here to help.

Phone: +64 4 499 0076
Email: membership@iod.org.nz.