Our daughter Andrea (2006-2010) and son Joel (2010-2014) were part of Newlands College for 9 years. I am glad to have had the opportunity to give back to the school which has given my family so much!

I joined the Board in August 2011 having already attended board meetings for a few months as an observer pending formal appointment. I became Deputy Chair in February 2012 and Chair in February 2016.

As I step down as Chair I have been reflecting on how fulfilling my time on the Board has been. This is a great school, which serves our community well. I have found deep satisfaction in helping guide the school on behalf our community.

We have had two wonderful Principals in my time (thank you Grant and Deb), supported by a superb senior leadership team and an amazing staff. We have also had a Board comprised of a range of great people who have all contributed so much to the Board's work - especially our student board members.

It has been a privilege to be part of a broader team that works together (me whakamātau) to live out our school values - whānaungatanga (positive relationships), mātauranga (gaining knowledge), akoranga (learning together) and manaakitanga (caring for each other) - to ensure that our students have lots of opportunities  to learn and become engaged and contributing citizens.