School Board

What Does the Board Do?

The Board is Meadowbank School’s governing body and has overall responsibility for the School’s performance. We’re made up of six elected parent representatives, a staff representative and the Principal. Parent and staff representatives are elected three-yearly.

Despite our different titles, as board members we all have the same overall obligation to govern in the best interests of the school, students and staff generally. The staff representative isn’t a dedicated advocate for staff; parent representatives aren’t dedicated advocates for parents.

Our Current Board Members

My husband and I moved here with our young family in 2015 after some years abroad and immediately felt the warm welcome from the Meadowbank community. I’m originally from Vancouver, and Gavin is from Whanganui, so we were relatively new to Auckland.  Meadowbank School thrives on this community spirit, and I wanted to give back. I have been a parent at the school since 2017; my eldest boy is now at intermediate, and I have girls at Meadowbank in years 2 and 5. I was originally elected to the board in 2019 and am in my second term.

I have a background in pediatric critical care Nursing and have enjoyed the rich experiences of working in various leadership and education roles, across a few countries. During the covid years, I was heavily involved in New Zealand’s border response, working on dynamic policy development and front-line responsiveness in Managed Isolation.

I am proud to be on a board that values all aspects of school life – academic achievement, positive community partnerships and quality governance.  I value the commitment to nourishing confident and resilient children that want to contribute to the world around them. It’s been a privilege to develop solid working relationships with my fellow board members and school leadership team to ensure we can deliver outstanding education based on our school’s core values.

My family have been part of the Meadowbank School community since 2016 when our oldest child started in Year 0; our youngest is now in Year 5. I’ve been a Board Member since 2019 and I was re-elected onto the current Board in 2022. I was also Presiding Member from 2019 until handing over to Jessica in 2023.

I am a lawyer by profession, although currently I work for ANZ Bank as a senior risk and compliance manager. I’ve also held legal and governance roles at ANZ.

As a family we highly value the community spirit fostered at Meadowbank and feel incredibly fortunate that our children have spent their primary years in a school with such extensive opportunities and facilities, high standards and values and a strong and dedicated teaching team.

I’m proud to be part of a Board that works hard to provide strong governance and is committed to delivering on our aspirations and strategic objectives so that all Meadowbank students can reach their potential.

I joined the Meadowbank School board as a parent representative in 2022 and currently have two children at school, with a third to be starting soon.

My family love being part of this wonderful school with its strong sense of community, environmental responsibility and culture of learning.  We are fortunate to have such committed teachers and strong leadership, and I am proud to support the governance and vision of our school so our children can have the best educational opportunities.

Professionally I am a GP, working with patients from a variety of backgrounds.  I also had an active special interest in Clinical Education, which I maintain through my involvement with the undergraduate medical programme at the University of Auckland and also the Royal NZ College of General Practitioners. 

When I’m not at work you’ll find me on the sideline of the sports field, going for a run or a family bike/kayak ride, or catching up on a good book.

I’m a Parent Representative on my first term on the Meadowbank School Board.  It’s a privilege to represent such an engaged community.

My wife, Leanne, and I have two boys at the school: Cameron (year 2) and Ethan (year 4).  Our daughter, Annabel, is itching to start next year.

Professionally, I’m an Associate General Counsel at the Guardians of NZ Superannuation, which invests the NZ Superannuation Fund and Elevate NZ Venture Fund on behalf of kiwis.  In that role, I advise on investment transactions, corporate governance, investment management, risk mitigation and various regulatory matters. 

Outside of work we’re an active family, cramming in as much tramping, camping, water sports and the like as we can around the kids’ sporting activities.  Like many Meadowbank families, most of the winter seems to be spent at Madills Farm.

I joined the board because I’m passionate about educational outcomes, particularly maths, literacy and science.  It’s an important time to be on the board and help set the strategic emphasis in these areas, with the New Zealand curriculum being refreshed. 

I’m focused on supporting the school to achieve the best educational outcomes for its students, while upholding the special sense of character we’re lucky to have at Meadowbank School.

I have been selected as the staff representative for the Board in 2022/23. I am presently aa classroom teacher for Year 5 and I also lead the school’s Education for Sustainability (EFS) approach. EFS sees me working with students and teachers across all year groups, building and promoting the local curriculum in relationship with our rich natural environment – a hugely fulfilling role.

I have been a teacher at Meadowbank School for 20 years and I energetically embrace new thinking and opportunities. I was a Team Leader for Year 6 for a number of years and have been closely involved in strategic planning across the school. I have also taught in England and Uganda during my career. Throughout, I have continually adapted my teaching and learning approach in response to the individual needs of my students and the environment around me.

I believe that my role as a teacher is to facilitate each student’s individual learning journey; providing them with a rich learning environment in which they will discover passions, strengths and develop learning dispositions that will enable them to embrace learning with a sense of wonder.

I feel privileged to be a member of the Board because it clearly prioritises our students, community and environment in its planning and actions for the future.

My family and I moved to Meadowbank in 2016 after many years overseas and were drawn to the suburb because of the schools great reputation. Seven years on with a few more kids in tow and we have met many like-minded people who are heavily engaged in the school and surrounding clubs.

I believe community engagement through the school is a huge part of what makes the area such a great place to live. From the iceblocks on a Friday, to colour runs, sports teams and garden to table, it is the community coming together and contributing to help create lifelong memories for our children and to provide critical support for the school to operate. As such my wife Fiona and I have been involved in taking sports teams across a number of codes, something we are both passionate about as we have fond memories of playing sports growing up.

My professional background is in structural engineering and have worked in this industry for 20 years. I now run my own engineering consultancy, with a nationwide client base including the design of a number of school projects. This experience has given me a great understanding of the design requirements and construction process schools in New Zealand must comply to as well as some of the key challenges. I believe I will make meaningful contributions to the Meadowbank School Board by applying my knowledge of construction projects to the many new build, refurbishment and maintenance programs underway or planned for the school. I will ensure our children spend their days in a physical environment that is safe, fun and challenging.