INSPIRING MINDS – FRANCES VALINTINE CNZM
From her home on the Tawharanui Peninsula, Frances Valintine CNZM (Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit for her lifetime contribution to education and technology) looks out at a landscape that inspires her – and inspiring others has been at the heart of her life’s work.
Frances is one of New Zealand's most recognised voices on education and technology, and one of the top 50 EdTech educators in the world. As the founder of AcademyEX, The Mind Lab, and Tech Futures Lab, she has spent over 25 years pioneering learning models bridging traditional education and the digital economy. A futurist by nature, she helps individuals and organisations stay relevant as artificial intelligence and automation reshape the world around them.
Over the past ten years, Frances noticed a shift in the profile of her learners – an increase in enrolments among people aged over 55 – which led her to wonder about their motivation. Through multiple discussions, she discovered that the key desire to undertake postgraduate study was not for career advancement or a qualification, but for access to quality conversation. For depth and understanding. For the joy of being in a room with people who are curious about the world.
This insight led Frances to partner with her former GM and friend, Fee Webby, to create Love Heart, a social learning enterprise that offers curated learning experiences for the over-sixties. More than a book club, and more conversational than a lecture, Love Heart sits closer to the intellectual energy of a great dinner party – held regularly, and hosted by deep sector specialists or academics.
Frances's motivation was further shaped by her father, who developed dementia just as he was planning his retirement at 70. Through her research on the disease, she found that learning and social connection are essential for cognitive health, especially after retirement.
Social isolation in older adults is consistently linked to significantly higher dementia risk – with estimates ranging from 27% to as much as 60% – while richer social connections are directly associated with better performance across multiple cognitive domains. For Frances, the science is unambiguous. Connection and learning contribute to the ability to live long, active lives.
Love Heart learning experiences span fifteen topic areas, including music, creative arts, society and culture, science, and technology. Expert speakers lead each session, venues are chosen for their quality and character, and groups are intentionally right-sized for learning and conversations.
"This is not for people who think the best years are behind them," Frances says. "This is for people who are inspired, well- travelled, well-read, and interested in the world around them."
Love Heart offers in-person workshops, courses, learning lunches, and full-day adventures across the Auckland region. But for Frances, it is about something larger than a programme or a platform. Having spent a lifetime at the frontier of educational innovation – advocating for deeper understanding, meaningful connection, and the courage to keep learning – Love Heart is perhaps the most personal expression of everything she believes. That curiosity and learning has no age limit.