Sarah Aiono

About Me

“Dr Sarah Aiono is an education founder, researcher, author and strategic leadership adviser with extensive experience working across schools, systems and communities in Aotearoa New Zealand and internationally. As co-founder and Director of Longworth Education, she carries executive accountability for organisational strategy, financial sustainability, service quality, intellectual property, partnerships, risk and reputation. Her work sits at the intersection of education, child development, neurodiversity, culture, leadership and public policy. Sarah brings a governance lens shaped by both evidence and implementation. She is accustomed to testing whether strategy can survive contact with real-world complexity, balancing ambition with capacity, and maintaining a clear focus on the people an organisation exists to serve. She has advised leaders and education organisations through change, contributed to national advocacy and policy conversations, and built trusted relationships across education, academia, government, media and community networks.”