Paul Douglas Ackerley (16 May 1949 – 3 May 2011) was a field hockey player, maths teacher and public servant from New Zealand.

[1] He was selected for the 1980 Summer Olympics, but most sports in New Zealand boycotted the Moscow games so he did not compete.

He transferred to the Education Ministry inspectorate, and then the New Zealand Qualifications Authority, where he was in the group that developed the NCEA.

He joined Sport and Recreation New Zealand (SPARC) in 2004 as a senior advisor in coaching and volunteers.

[3] Ackerley died in Wellington, New Zealand, aged 61 on 3 May 2011 from skin cancer after a short illness.