2019 Common Election results

Jared Michael Blyth
Elected

Kia ora koutou - My name is Jared Blyth and I am standing for the Knights Stream School Board. I have lived in Longhurst for 3 years, along with my wife (Julia) and two daughters (Sophie and Emily), one of whom is in Raupō Hapū and the other still in the pram. For our wonderful new school to be successful, and for all our students to reach their highest possible standard in educational achievement, I strongly believe the school must be well governed by its Board of Trustees.

I would be an ideal parent representative on the Board as I am actively involved in the Halswell community. As a Dad, I have offered a supportive role to my children in all the groups they have participated in, including ballet, swimming, and music.

I also have the technical skills necessary to benefit the Board, which I have gained from working in both the private and public sectors, in New Zealand and overseas, in several industries including legal, finance, and ICT. This strong background in organisation governance and valuable insight to the inner workings of successful boards means that I truly understand what ‘good governance’ looks like. This means setting clear educational goals and direction; implementing policies and procedures to support these goals; communicating these policies to all students, staff, and parents; and regularly reporting to you on our progress. It also includes budgeting, funding allocations, and contingency planning.

My governance experience, commercial acumen, and financial skills will be of great benefit to the Board. I can facilitate committee meetings; draft strategic, risk management and succession plans; implement policies (e.g. health and safety, privacy, acceptable use of ICT, and staff training); manage audit programmes; resolve incidents; and conduct disaster recovery and business continuity exercises.

I would greatly appreciate your vote so that I can help the Board of Trustees govern Knights Stream School with enthusiasm, integrity, and with inclusiveness for all. My role on the Board will include liaising with you – the parents, so that your voices can be heard. Maybe you have a great idea for the school or wish to express a concern?

If you haven’t met me or my wife Julia already down at the school (or the playground!), I certainly look forward to meeting you soon and continuing to be a part of the Knights Stream School community. Ngā mihi.

Rebecca Alicia Jacka
Elected

Tēnā koutou, my name is Rebecca Jacka and I am standing for the Knights Stream School - Mingimingi Hautoa Board as I'm certain the school is off to a great start and I believe I can help keep it that way.

Colin and I have two children at the school; Amelia (Year 3) and Peter (Year 1). With seven years left at Knights Stream School I'm invested in ensuring this wonderful school continues towards a bright future providing educational excellence to all students. As a child I attended 13 different schools in two countries and, having experienced the great and the not-so-great, I know how important a good school is to a community.

My aims as a Trustee are:

-Be accessible to the school community and feed through any input from parents. -Support the Principal, teachers and staff to do what they do best. -Ensure high quality communication and transparency, especially in relation to strategic direction. -Employ attention-to-detail in setting policy. -Offer a common sense approach to decision-making, giving weight to credible research and sound information.

My professional background is in recreation and tourism management with a focus on marketing and operations. I studied at Lincoln University, graduating with a BPR&TM in Tourism Management. Since then, I've enjoyed a number of interesting roles including at the International Antarctic Centre, Air Force Museum, Activities Unlimited in Rotorua, BlueSky Experiences in Scotland and DiabetesUK in London, and now casual work as a teambuilding facilitator while working as a stay-at-home Mum. With preschoolers I managed Health & Safety for Halswell Playcentre and completed courses 1-2 of the Playcentre Diploma in Early Childhood Education. I also hold a National Certificate in Adult Education & Training. Additionally I'm a Trustee for Tiptree Cottage, a Heritage-1 listed house, to be re-opened as a museum. These roles have taught me a lot about working effectively with people from all walks of life, managing risk and setting & achieving goals.

I'm also passionate about youth training, having spent 25 years with the NZ Cadet Forces. This involved organising youth training, camps, and latterly also policy and administration at the South Island Headquarters. My specialties in the organisation were; training-the-trainers, advising on policy, leadership training and teaching bushcraft & outdoor risk management.

Thank you for considering my application as your Board Representative. I look forward to the opportunity to serve our new and growing community.

Warren Read
Elected

Kia Ora koutou,

My name is Warren Read and I am standing for the Knights Stream School Board.

I have been married to Sharon, who is a preschool teacher, for 29 years. We have a 23 year old daughter, Charlotte, who works at a local preschool. Four and a half years ago, we built our home in Knight Stream Park. We enjoy living in the Halswell community, especially sampling the coffee of the various cafes in our area!

I am an enthusiastic follower of all sport and enjoy gardening, reading and listening to a variety of music. Sharon and I enjoy cooking and entertaining in our home and taking relaxing holidays together. I value spending time with my extended family and friends.

The skills I will bring to this position are:

• Strong interpersonal skills, with the ability to relate to a diverse range of people • Well organised and able to work effectively under pressure • Maintain high standards in whatever I undertake • The ability to work independently, as well as within a team • Extremely high standards of honesty and reliability

For the past 7 years I have been a Pastor at South West Baptist Church, where I lead the 'Care Team'. Previously, I worked at Halswell Baptist Church. I have had experience in education through working in a primary school for 8 years on the Support Staff Team and 6 years chairing a primary school Board of Trustees.

For the last 6 ½ years, I have chaired the Acorn Trust which is the governing body for the Lighthouse Preschool in Halswell and am a member of the Cobham Trust that are responsible for 25 low cost housing units in Spreydon.

These roles have given me an excellent grasp on governance and management and further grown my skills in establishing relationships. I am a good communicator and public speaker, and know how to manage a team.

My experience has made me appreciative and understanding of the importance of ensuring that Maori, Pacifica, and tamariki with Special Educational Needs have their learning prioritised.

I have been privileged to be the Chair of the Establishment Board for Knights Stream School, I am very proud of the school that has been established. I believe that I still have much to offer to the governance of the school and am committed to the local community.

Hamish James Ritchie
Elected

My name is Hamish Ritchie and I am standing for the Board of Trustees for Knights Stream School

I am the father of three pupils at Knight Stream School; Fergus (Year 7), Liam (Year 5) and Billy (Year 3) and I am married to Sarah. We have lived in the area for five years. I grew up locally before travelling overseas and then found myself returning to Halswell to bring up my own family here. I am a qualified builder by trade and have been the owner/operator of a residential construction business for the past 15 years. Having worked in the construction industry for many years I have developed skills and attributes that would be valuable to the Knights Stream School Board of Trustees. These key attributes include: • Extensive business and financial experience • Dealing with a diverse range of people • Development of logical and practical solutions • Knowledge of property and infrastructure For the last few years I have been involved in coaching my children’s sports teams and thoroughly enjoy helping the kids develop new skills and work as part of a team. I also like to be outdoors and enjoy mountain biking and skiing. The strong values of Knights Stream School combined with the relaxed atmosphere and meaningful approach to learning offers a great opportunity for all pupils to further themselves in a variety of areas. The staff at Knights Stream School have been open and welcoming which has made me feel like a connected member of our school community. I believe that there are huge opportunities for extensive parent and community involvement in the school and I am excited about the potential for the development of these relationships. I have been involved with some maintenance work at the school and the construction of the school tunnel house, and I am keen and motivated to become more involved with the school in a broader capacity.

Zelda Te Awe Yates
Elected

2019 Election Candidate Statement – Zelda Yates 11th May 2019

My name is Zelda Yates and I am standing for the Board of Trustees for Knights Stream School.

I am the proud mother of 2 children at Knights Stream School; Brooke and Caleb. My husband Hayden is a Constable for the New Zealand Police. We have lived in Longhurst for the past 4 years.

I have worked within a corporate environment for over 15 years, primarily at Spark NZ Ltd. The roles I have enjoyed most are risk and analysis, sales, fraud, governance and change management. Through these varied roles I have obtained a broad range of skills complementary to school trusteeship - analytical thinking, financial awareness and strategic development.

More importantly, I am an Ambassador for the Spark Foundation, running speciality and volunteer projects. This has allowed me to make a tangible difference in our schools and local community through projects like Givealittle, The Electric Garden and the Spark Jump programme.

Outside of work what motivates me is enhancing my community and the lives of the families within them. In my younger years I worked in Youth work, government funded camps for children and youth and residential homes for youth with unique needs. Recently, I have focused my volunteer time on coaching & managing sports teams, regularly volunteering at Ronald McDonald House and participating in school and community driven initiatives.

Enhancing the lives of the children in Knights Stream School is an exciting opportunity for me and that is why I am applying to represent you on the Board of Trustees.

I love that Knights Stream School is full of “Courageous learners who positively influence the world” and I want to use my diverse range of skills to ensure that;

• All students are given the opportunity to succeed at Knights Stream School academically, emotionally and with a strong moral compass • Our school leadership and teachers are continually supported and developed to a world class standard with effective training, resources and facilities • We factor in the future needs of the school and the school community as it continues to grow • That there is transparency and continual communication between school and parents/caregivers.