Read on to find out a little about each of our Board of Trustees members.

Jason Bretherton - Chairperson

Kia ora koutou,

My name is Jason Bretherton. I originally grew up in Rotorua but moved to Christchurch to study engineering at the University of Canterbury. I have been here ever since, working for WSP Opus, initially as an electrical engineer but have progressed to my current role as a Technical Director. Since being based in Christchurch for over half my life, I can now well-and-truly call this place home.

My wife Julia and I have been together for 26 years and married for the past 15. We have three fantastic and rapidly growing boys; Daniel (13), Nate (11) and Liam (9). All three can proudly say that they have been or are currently ‘Absolutely Brilliant’ pupils at Wairakei School.

We reside close to Wairakei School and both Julia and I have been active parent helpers with our involvement to date including camps, sports coaching, discovery and transport to and from various off-site events.

I have been on the Board of Trustees since mid-2016 and had the role of chairperson from 2018. I have really enjoyed working with the fantastic people that we have at Wairakei, both on the board and the passionate and dedicated team of staff. It has been an interesting challenge being a representative on the board and has involved lots of learning on how the NZ education system functions and how we can collectively work to enhance the educational opportunities and achievements for our children.

Family life is kept very busy supporting sports and music activities for the boys plus both Julia and I keep active with hockey and mountain-biking, or heading to the mountains with the boys for a spot of skiing in winter or camping in summer. The rest of my time is filled with a bit of DIY or working on classic cars, boats or bikes and having a few adventures in the kitchen.

Cheers, Jason

Mike Cleverley

Hi my name is Mike Cleverley and I am a father of 2 absolutely brilliant Wairakei School pupils, Ruby year 6 and Max year 4. 

My wife Mel and I have been together for 23 years and married for 13 of those. We moved to Christchurch about 19 years ago and have loved everything about being here since. As a family we love spending time together, watching movies, fish n chip Fridays, playing sports, riding mountain bikes and motorbikes, dancing and spending our summer holidays camping, boating and fishing. My son Max and I both practice the martial art of Brazilian Jiu Jitsu and find its a great way to bond over common interests.

Professionally I am the NZ sales manager for a Medical Tech company employing 70 staff here in NZ and 650 across Australia and New Zealand. I run the Orthopaedic Division for NZ and have been with this company for the last 10 years.

I am excited at the opportunity to be a member of the Wairakei School Board and thank all those that voted for me. It is an excellent opportunity to help empower the amazing Wairakei staff, reinforce the great work already in place and direct change if and when needed.

So if you see me around the school grounds during drop off or pick up please feel free to come up and say hi.

Regards Mike

Bronwyn Harding

I am the staff representative on the Wairakei School Board of Trustees.

I trained to be a teacher later in life and started at Wairakei School on a voluntary basis supporting in the New Entrants. That was many moons ago and I am now on the leadership team as Deputy Principal and the targeted learning coordinator.

I have been on the Board for 3 years now. It is exciting seeing how the school is run from a different perspective and has given me a greater insight to what governance looks like in a school.

My husband Pete and I have 2 teenage sons and are kept busy with their sporting and musical endeavours.

I look forward to another productive and insightful term on the Board of Trustees.

Ema Harnett-Moore

Hi my name is Ema Harnett-Moore. I currently have Aurora in Year 2 and my son Cooper will be starting in 2020 at our Absolutely Brilliant Wairakei School.

I have come to know so many amazing families through our Absolutely Brilliant school, and reconnected with old friends, I love the social get togethers we have and I'd love to expand that to the rest of the school and get involved as much as possible. 

 I'm loving the opportunity to get in and make a difference in our school and community ... Thankyou to all those who voted for me.

Katie Te Tai

I’m Katie Te Tai and I have been on the Wairakei BOT since April 2018 and thoroughly enjoy my role on the Board and being involved in school activities as much as I can. 

I have two children that currently attend the school and one at a preschool nearby. The two boys at Wairakei love their sports and their Kapa Haka so I assist with fundraising for Kapa Haka for the school and I manage the boys’ cricket and rugby teams for their club teams. 

I currently work part time for the College of Education, Health and Human Development at the University of Canterbury and outside of work/school commitments, I love to practice yoga, bake and run.

Bridget Watson

My name is Bridget Watson and I'm sure you have seen me around the school. I teach part time in the Otakaro team and also have four children that attend the school.

I have always had an interest in the community and like to get involved when I can. I run a craft group, have managed a toddler music group, and was a committee member for the Multiple Birth Club. I joined the Wairakei Board of Trustees 18 months ago and enjoy being part of the awesome team. My varied life experiences and knowledge of education have helped me bring different contributions to the table.

My husband Duncan and I have been married for 17 years. We have four amazing children, aged 5, 7, 7 and 9. Family is very important to us and we love a good family adventure. We spend lots of time supporting and encouraging our children in their different interests.

My personal interests include getting outside and enjoying all it has to offer, music, cooking, anything crafty, sewing, scrapbooking and I dabble in a bit of photography.

Shane Buckner

Kia ora.

I am privileged to be the principal here at Wairakei School, and have been so for 9 years. As principal, I have a place on the Board of Trustees and participate in Governance decisions, while also acting as the CEO to ensure the day to day management of the school is being run according to the objectives of the strategic plan.

Our Board has always been efficiently run and has the child at the heart of every decision made. The regular training and new member induction for our Board undertakes ensures that we work as a cohesive unit.

I am married to Sarah, and have two grown young men who are both into their sports and music - one just about to finish his Masters at University and the other just finishing Year 13. 

In my spare time, I am very involved in community organisations at both governance and management levels. I also try to fit in practise as a Low and Slow BBQ Pitmaster and enjoy making sausages and salami.