ECMenz was founded in 2007 as a network of men and women dedicated to highlighting the many important roles men play in the early childhood education sector in Aotearoa / New Zealand.

To access the 'Rules of EC-MENz Incorporated' please download this document.

EC-MENz Committee

  Robin Christie - President

  Robin is an experienced early childhood teacher and ECE environment designer who is strongly committed to the kaupapa of a       gender-balanced ECE teaching profession in Aotearoa. Robin is particularly passionate about creativity in the early years,     connecting tamariki with the natural world, and the importance of adult-supported risk-taking play in children’s development.

 You can get hold of him anytime at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. .

Mark Smith - Vice President

Mark has been an ECE teacher since 2009. He is passionate about gender equality and inclusiveness in ECE, and he believes that males have an enormous role to play within ECE, pointing to the fact that male kaiako are often the biggest male influence in some young children’s lives. Mark has been a mentor and associate teacher to a large number of students and teachers during their journey to full teacher registration.

Mark’s teaching passions lie mostly in music and science. He offers free ukulele lessons and facilitates and delivers professional development science workshops to ECE teachers and relievers. Mark also liaises with local schools to offer pupils the opportunity to experience ECE settings
through the Gateway Programme, with a particular emphasis on encouraging males to apply. This often sees him attending school career days and evenings.

Mark can be contacted any time at: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Stuart Millar - Treasurer

Stuart J Miller has an interest in education from many years in industry training witnessing the modern education system (the meat   grinder) produce a number of semi-literate dis-engaged trainees (primarily male). As Dr Rangimarie Rose Peres reflected how the ‘thirst for knowledge of tamariki’ is taken from them as the progress through the compulsory sector. Stuart graduated in 1992 with a BCA (accounting major) and the Dip of Education in 2012 both from Victoria University in Wellington. Stuart has had a varied career in the paid workforce from fruit picker, milkman, construction worker, accountant then into the unpaid workforce raising his 2 sons then back into the paid workforce as an Industry Training Organisation administrator and currently he is dividing his time between his sons mental illness called being teenagers and happily having fun as an ECE teacher (women's work as one of my son's friends calls it) for Kidicorp. 

Joseph James - Secretary

Joseph James started out working in after-school care and holiday programmes as a teenager. He found working with children fun and fulfilling, so decided to study teaching so that he could make a career of it.

He has been a member of the EC-MENz committee since 2018, and enjoys being part of a group of passionate and inspiring people who seek to improve the profession.

Outside of teaching, Joseph is involved in the local music scene as a drummer and photographer.

  Dr Martyn Mills-Bayne - Foreign Correspondent

  Dr Martyn Mills-Bayne is a Senior Lecturer in Early Childhood Education at the University of South Australia. He is internationally     known for his passion for increasing gender diversity in the ECEC workforce, with strong connections to various organisations and   research groups seeking gender diversity across the globe. He is the creator and coordinator of the MENtor Program for Males in   ECE, a support and advocacy program for male students currently completing an Early Childhood Education degree or specialization   at UniSA and beyond. Marty is a key member of the Thrive by Five Dad’s Alliance with one of its five goals being the increase in male   participation in the ECEC workforce. He has presented at many national and international conferences and summits and continues to   push for a more gender diverse ECEC workforce in South Australia and beyond.

EC-Menz Life Member Russell Ballantyne 

EC-Menz has its first life member, our very first President Russell Ballantyne of Dunedin. Russell’s recent retirement from the EC-Menz National Committee ends nearly twenty years of service to the cause of supporting gender balance in our profession. We would like to take this opportunity on behalf of EC-Menz and the wider ECE sector to acknowledge Russell’s many contributions and wish him all the best for his future adventures. Ngā mihi maioha, e hoa!

Regional Chapters

Regional chapters and associated contacts for EC-Menz can be found here.