The following was issued on May 20 by LSM, Shawn Gielen

Kia Ora Koutou

As was shared at staff briefing this morning, I am informing you that I have accepted Carolyn Pentecost's resignation as Principal of Katikati College. She will not be returning to the school. Carolyn has made this decision to resign for personal reasons and is looking to undertake further studies.

On behalf of the board I would like to thank Carolyn for the achievements she has made since her appointment and we wish her all the very best in her studies and future endeavours.

Louise Buckley will continue in her role as the Acting Principal until such time as a permanent principal has been appointed.

A new by-election process for a staff representative on the Board of Trustees will begin next week. The intent here would be to have an appointment made as soon as possible in line with the four vacancies being filled in the current parent by-election. Please consider standing for this position. If you would like to discuss any aspect of this opportunity please feel free to contact me.

Following the election of four new board members over the next few weeks, a robust process of induction and training will take place. The current board has confirmed a co-opted board position to be sought and has invited Pou Ārahi to put forward a nominee. The nominee put forward is Shaan Kingi. This position will take effect at the same time as the newly elected members take office on the 21st of June.

The newly elected members as part of the full board will be involved in the appointment process for appointing a permanent principal. Outside expertise will be used to assist in this process as is standard practice. I expect the permanent principal position will be taken up at the beginning of the 2022 school year. I will work with the board to keep you up to date with progress as we go. 

I will maintain the governance powers of employment and finance in my role as Limited Statutory Manager and I will continue to advise the board on matters of communication and policy until the Ministry of Education carries out their annual review of this intervention in January 2022. The future beyond this date will depend on the Ministry's review process. I will continue to work to build robust capacity in the governance context in order to bring the Ministry's intervention process to a satisfactory conclusion.

Thank you all for what you do in your roles to give our students excellent learning opportunities in a safe environment.