Kia ora koutou,

On behalf of the Board of Trustees I extend a warm welcome to parents, caregivers, staff and students as the 2020 school year kicks off. I hope you all had a restful time off over the holiday period and are ready for a prosperous and fruitful year ahead.

As the chair of the finance and property committee and ending my second year on the board, I would like to take the opportunity to reflect on what the board and finance and property committee has achieved in 2019. Three significant financial and strategic milestones and in no particular order was the strengthening of the finance and administration team with the appointment of David Lowe as the school's Business Manager. David has brought in sound business practice to the school and improved our processes and policies in a short space of time. There is a lot for David still to do but I am confident the school is in sound financial hands.

Secondly the financial budget for 2019 has been achieved and the school is in a sound financial position. However this does not mean that we can rest on our laurels. There are many buildings on the campus that are in need of repair and as a board we need to be prudent in our decision making in order to prioritise our spending as we continue to have financial constraints.

Finally it was great to see our community getting involved in the community wide consultation that was held in the middle of last year. The board has held internal workshops to analyse the data received from the community and this will assist us in our decision making for the future direction of our school.

I am looking forward to 2020 as the board continue to serve the community to best of its ability and I urge anybody who has something to say to feel free to approach a board member as we exist to serve the school community

Nga mihi nui

Wayne Bonnett

Parent elected board member and chair of the finance and property committee.