A bit about me... I was brought up in this beautiful area. I attended Canterbury University where I studied law and science, where I was lucky to meet my wife Nicole. We moved away from Christchurch to start our legal careers, but came back 11 years ago for the opportunities in Christchurch post-earthquakes and to start a family. We have two boys, Gabe who is in year 7 at Mt Pleasant, and Harvey who is in year 3.

What would I bring to the role of trustee?

I have been a commercial lawyer for 15 years and developed the skill set to get the heart of complex matters quickly and provide sound advice to clients while involving key stakeholders throughout. Being a lawyer is not only about legal advice, but also being an effective communicator and leader.

Outside of work I am a keen runner, and completed the 2-day individual Coast to Coast earlier this year. I am doing the event again next year but as part of a 3 person team.

I am invested in our community and I believe I bring a unique skill set to the board in terms of helping the School in delivering on the School build and plan for the next 3 years.

My experience

I am a current parent board of trustee member and have been on the Mt Pleasant School board for the past 3 years. Being on the board has given me the experience to consider a wide variety of governance matters at Mt Pleasant School, we often having robust discussions and make decisions that are in the best interests of the children at Mt Pleasant while consulting with parents, teachers, the School community and wider community.

We have had some great successes over the last 3 years including the progress of the School build which is about to kick off shortly. This has involved engagements with the Ministry of Education and multiple stakeholders at Mt Pleasant and the community. We have also worked hard on achieving a 4-5 year ERO review, which is an absolutely fantastic result for the School.

Final words

I would dearly like to continue my role as a parent representative on the Mt Pleasant School board and to continue contributing to making Mt Pleasant School the best learning environment for the children of our community.

Thank you.