Voting information and Candidate Statements

Voting forms will be out to you from Christchurch Education Services starting from Wednesday this week. If you do not receive a voting form by Monday 30th May you can contact the office who will get CES to courier another form, marked for the persons attention. These elections have a very short turn around and the papers have to be posted back to CES by the 3rd June 2016 in order to be included. Late responses will not be included. CES will collate results on the 9th June 2016 and inform the schools.

*Note: If your child started school during this term you will not be on the electoral roll, therefore ineligible to vote.

Please see below for the candidate statements, in alphabetical order

OAKLANDS SCHOOL

Candidate Profiles Election of FIVE (5) Trustees

BLAKE, Michelle

My name is Michelle Blake and I am standing for the Board of Trustees

for Oaklands School. I have two children at Oaklands School one

in year 3 and one in year 5. The next few years at Oaklands are going to

be very exciting. The School Redevelopment Plan is underway and I

would love the opportunity to be a part of this process. I have always

enjoyed being involved in the school as a parent helper on class trips

and within the classroom. I will continue to do this but feel that I am up

for the challenge of being on the Board of Trustees and working with the

school community to help make Oaklands School even better than it is

today!

HANSON, Marie

Thank you for taking the time to read this. My name is Marie Hanson

and I have been on the Oaklands School board since 2010 and I am in

my 4th year as elected Chairperson. My husband Nigel and I have Ben

and Hannah at Oaklands and we have been heavily involved with the

school for the past 8 years.

Oaklands has a pivotal role to play in keeping our community supported

and centered around our families. I believe it takes a community to raise

our children well, for them to feel connected and supported and we need

our families and the school to work in supportive partnership together.

I am an Orthodontic business manager with 20 years experience, after

switching from a career as a Dentist. I am also the national administrator

for the ‘Wish for a Smile’ Trust. I have flexible hours which allows me to

be truly dedicated to the board in a timely manner. I have many years of

experience and training in strategic governance, as well as vast

business management skills, and I am not afraid of hard work or

decisions. Above all I am always 110% dedicated to everything I

undertake.

Our Oaklands school community has many cultures, backgrounds,

needs and abilities. To me it is vitally important that we strive to ensure

ALL our students are happily engaged in school life, continually

progressing, and exposed to a wide variety of opportunities to develop

their own best potentials.

I bring to the role huge passion, knowledge, practical experience,

compassion, integrity, and both the ability to think outside the square

and see differing points of view. I have real motivation for continual

improvement and eagerly seek feedback with a view to always

improving Oaklands. A good board actively researches best practices

and constantly reviews and refines to keep progressing for the best of

our students, whanau, staff and the school as a whole. It is also vital to

encourage open communication between the school, parents and

students; aiming to work in true, supportive partnership for the best of

our students.

My motivation in restanding is my unwavering drive to help create the

best primary school experience we possibly can for our students.

Creating an environment where ALL our students are happy, proud,

engaged, challenged and are able to find their OWN best potentials to

set them up for their best possible futures.

HIKU, Nicky

Hi my name is Nicky Hiku and I am putting my name forward as a

candidate for the Board of Trustees of Oaklands School. I am an

accountant and own a small accountancy firm based in Hornby. My

husband Reuben & I have two children at Oaklands School Caleb (7)

in Room 4 and Kaiya (5) in Room 14. We live out of zone and were

lucky enough to have our children accepted into Oaklands through the

ballot system. Both Reuben & I have been involved with the school as

parent helpers and assisting with the School Fair.

I feel that serving on the Board of Trustees would allow me to make a

greater contribution to the school and the community. I believe that I

bring a strong financial background and analytical thinking; skills that will

be useful to the Board as it embarks on the redevelopment of the

school. I am an active listener, have good interpersonal skills and work

well in a team environment. I consider myself to be a selfmotivated

person and one who is hard working and honest.

I want the best outcomes for our Tamariki and would like to use my skills

and experience to give back to the community by supporting the school.

KEYLARD, Clive

My Name is Clive Keylard, married to Debra and we have two daughters

Rebecca and Annabel. Rebecca is in year 9 and Annabel in year 5. With

moving to Christchurch in 2008 from Wellington to be closer to our

family, we settled in Halswell and love being part of this community and

all it has to offer. Oaklands School is a big part of our community and

plays a key role in the development and growth of our children.

Currently I am the deputy chairperson and seeking reelection

to the Oaklands School Board of Trustees.

I have a broad back ground of skills and experiences encompassing

customer service, relationship management, and logistical management

and for the last 18 years working in information technology in variety of

roles. Currently employed by the University of Canterbury as an

Application Support Team Leader and being part of the wider leadership

group within the Information Technology Unit. I also volunteer as

President for IT Service Management Forum of NZ and a key member of

the Executive Board to ensure the success and support of the Forum

now and into the future.

The qualities I bring to the School Board are a high level of experience

from my broad background and being an active member on the current

Board of Trustees, my ability to work in a team, my honesty & integrity

and my dedication for making a difference. I would like to continue to

contribute to the future of Oaklands School and help to make it a greater

place for all of our children to learn, develop and grow.

I am very much a practical person who will go the extra mile and takes

pride in supporting our school. I have been an active member of the PTA

over the last nine years and have been heavily involved in supporting

school related events and fund raising activities such as the Schools

annual gala and you will always see me working at the School Discos.

I have a natural ability to relate to people and dedicated to making a

positive difference to Oaklands School. If I am reelected I will work hard

to help ensure the school continues its journey in making a difference for

our children, our staff and the community. This in turn will ensure that

Oaklands School is well respected within our community.

LAING, Michael

Hi, my name is Michael Laing. I am married to Angela and have three

girls, Samantha, Madeline, and Isabelle who attend Oakland’s in year 8,

6 and Year 3.

After attending Lincoln University and gaining a Bachelor of Commerce,

I became an accountant. For the last 13 years I have been a partner in a

Christchurch accountancy practice.

We brought our house near Westlake Park 12 years ago because we

wanted out children to grow up in a family friendly community.

Somewhere that had that unique village feel that we had both grown up

with, being from rural southland originally.

As we have had kids at Oakland’s School for the last 7 and next 5 years,

we are utilising our fair share of the Oakland’s resources! So 3 years

ago I stood for the BoT and have completed the last three years as an

elected trustee. The last 3 years was all about giving my time and

hopefully some skills back to the community where we (as a board) have

endeavoured to add to the development and growth of the school. There

is still work to be done all the time with today’s schooling environment

and this coupled with the earthquake repairs to the school over the next

3 years will see the largest changed our school has had in the last 50

years, to both property and learning environment.

When I am not working I enjoy spending time with my family, supporting

my daughters educational and sporting endeavours, water skiing,

boating, snow skiing, mountain biking, and playing squash.

PAYTON, Jeff

My name is Jeff Payton and I am standing for the Board of Trustees for

Oakland’s School.

I am 45, married with two sons. My youngest is currently in year 4 at

Oakland’s School and my eldest is in the workforce.

Born in Leeston, I have lived my entire life in Christchurch with the last 9

years being in the Halswell area.

One of the draw cards which attracted my interest to become a member

of BOT, was the upcoming changes we will be experiencing as a

community.

The new Collaborative learning system being introduced and the restructuring

of the physical school environment is both challenging and

exciting. It will be crucial to balance the well being and progress of the

existing students and teachers whilst creating a school of the future we

can all be a part of.

Our children deserve a safe and healthy environment to allow them to

achieve and met their potential as they progress through the school. Our

teachers, who hold the responsibility for our children during the course

of the school day, need to have the support and resources to allow this

to happen.

I personally have an advent interest in technology and believe it will be a

key focus in the future of education. In how we understand,

communicate, develop and ultimately the effect it will have on our day to

day lives.

I am also a firm believer in respecting those around us, to allow for the

freedom of ideas and differing points of view. It is a healthy expression

of the differences in culture and beliefs we have as a society.

I have a multitude of experience’s and skills to draw on, including

logistics, time management, industrial relations, technical development

plus a number of others obtained throughout my years.

I currently work in the building industry at Carters, part of the Carters

Building Group, which is actively involved in the rebuilding process, so I

am no stranger to the changes we have had to legislation and codes

requirements to have come about over the last few years.

Finally I wish all my fellow nominees all the best and if elected will

endeavour to do my utmost to support and nurture our children and

teachers through these exciting times, it will be new territory for all

involved.

Thank you for your time.

PARSONS, Nikki

Tēnā Koutou Katoa

Ko Te Ahu Pātiki te maunga

Ko Pūharakekenui te awa

Ko Ngāti Pākehā te iwi

Ko Steve Parsons tāku tane

Tokowha āku tamariki

Tokorua āku mokopuna

Ko Nikki Parsons tōku ingoa

No Ōtautahi ahau

My name is Nikki. I was born and raised in Christchurch.

I am a mum and a step mum to 4 wonderful children and a step nana to

2 beautiful grandkids.

I have had extensive experience of leading and managing staff from

small teams of 6 to teams of over 100. I clearly communicate vision,

strategy and objectives and encourage open and frank discussion.

I have held leadership roles in several national early childhood groups

over the past 15 years, including the Ministry of Education. I am

currently employed as Manager Education Delivery for Te Rito Maioha

and provide professional leadership based on a sound academic

understanding of teacher education and development.

I am a member of the Education Council Disciplinary Tribunal and have

also been a member of the Education Council Complaints Assessment

Committee for 3 years.

I believe that the early years of a child's life have a critical impact on

their lifelong development. I am committed to high quality learning

experiences that lay the foundations for later learning.

I enjoy mountain biking, running and spending time with family/whanau.

RANDALL, Nicky

My name is Nicky Randall and I am standing for the Board of Trustees

for Oaklands Primary School. I have two children at Oaklands, twins in

year 4 this year. I am a current Parent Representative and have been on

the Board for the last 3 years. I am seeking reelection to utilise my

experience and knowledge gained to further strengthen our school

moving forwards to allow our children to thrive.

During my first term I’ve learnt that education has it’s own language and

many intricacies which has been a huge learning curve. I have taken

part in setting the strategic plan for the school, a very successful full

ERO review, and have attended many course including School

governance, understanding student achievement reports, board

succession planning and creating a health & safety culture. I’ve enjoyed

giving back to the school and I look forward to being apart of the

school’s redevelopment process with the planning already beginning.

In my professional career I’m a General Manager for a chemical risk

consultancy firm who specialise in occupational hygiene and hazardous

substance services. In my role I am responsible for drafting the annual

budget for the shareholders and then reporting on the business KPI’s

and helping to ensure these are achieved. I am also responsible for the

HR function of the business.

I hold a New Zealand Diploma in Business with diplomas in accounting

and marketing. I am also involved as a volunteer for Girl Guides as a

Leader for a Brownies and a Rangers group in Halswell.

I feel I bring an open mind and practical reasoning to the Board. I’m

passionate about our Oaklands students achieving the very best they

can and ensuring the school is preparing them for the ever changing

environment they’re growing up in. I am restanding

for this reason, and

to bring my knowledge and experience gained in my time on the board

to further build on what has already been achieved.

STRATTON, Nigel

My name is Nigel Stratton and I am standing for the Board of Trustees at

Oaklands School

I am married to Emma and we have two children at Oaklands School,

Charlotte in year 2 and Lucas in year 1.

I am standing for the Board of Trustees because I am keen to contribute

my skills and experience to the community of Oaklands School. I am a

Chartered Accountant and have gained a broad range of financial and

management experience working with various clients in the not for profit

and private sectors. I am a team player and have been involved in

soccer for many years. I continue to be active as both a player and now

in a coaching capacity for my son’s team

We all want an excellent education for our children, where their

strengths, passions and talents are recognised and fostered. I believe

that parents, whanau, the community, the Board of Trustees and the

school all play a key role in helping our children develop their potential.

It is an exciting time for Oaklands School with the rebuild, creating safe

new inspirational learning environments to assist our children to develop

academically, socially and culturally and to fulfil their aspirations.

Whilst the rebuild is an exciting time, it is important for the school to

maintain focus on the education of our children to ensure that they

continue to engage in their learning.

If elected I will work actively, collaboratively and enthusiastically on the

challenges faced.

WILLIAMS, Lizzy

My name is Lizzy Williams and I am standing for the Board of Trustees

for Oaklands School.

Dear parents and caregivers,

I would appreciate if you would consider voting for me in the upcoming

trustee elections.

I have been a parent trustee on the Oaklands School Board for the last

three years. It has been a busy time and I have learnt a vast amount

from my fellow Board members and through attending various

professional development seminars. I would love to continue to put my

recently acquired skills and knowledge to good use over the next threeyear

term of office.

My husband and I have lived in Halswell for nearly fourteen years and

our two children attend Oaklands School. We have a daughter in Year 1

and a son in Year 5. We are proud to be part of our school community.

I worked as a paediatric oncology nurse for fifteen years before having a

break to be at home with my children. I am currently working parttime

in an administrative/financial role for a small business.

I am an excellent listener and I really enjoy hearing other people’s points

of view. I have good communication skills and thoroughly enjoy working

as part of a team.

I am passionate about every student attaining his or her highest possible

standard in educational achievement during their time at Oaklands

School. I am also passionate about students being given opportunities to

explore areas of special interest to them. I believe that each student has

much to contribute and that by being encouraged to do so they will feel

respected and valued by their fellow students and teachers. I am also

committed to ensuring that all students feel safe whilst at school.

I am keen to support and encourage all of the staff at Oaklands in their

differing roles by ensuring a safe working environment in which they feel

valued. I see their continued professional development as an important

component of this.

It has been a privilege to have served the Oaklands School community

over the last three years.

Thank you for your consideration.