2019 Common Election results

Kia Ora Stonefields School Community,

My name is Matt Evans and I am standing for re-election to the Board of Trustees for Stonefields School.

Our family has been part of the ever-growing Stonefields community since 2010 and my wife Sarah & I are the parents of two girls at Stonefields School. I have been on the Stonefields School Board for the past three years and have been privileged to lead the Board in the role as Chair for the last 18 months.

Originally, I hail from country Central Otago and as a former primary school teacher with a Bachelor of Education & Diploma of Teaching, I taught for a number of years in NZ and abroad. I currently own a Technology & Financial Services business with staff across NZ, am currently a commercial board member as well as sitting on a number of senior executive management groups.

Being sports mad, I still participate (and sometimes compete!) in a number of different sports and have previously played at provincial and national levels. I believe that these skills along with a healthy dose of practicality, have helped me throughout my own career and are equally important developmentally for learners of all ages.

I’m extremely privileged and proud to have been involved in the governance & strategy of our ever-growing school and I’m passionate about continuing in this role. The current NZ Education environment can be summed up as “extremely challenging” with impacts on the horizon due to the Tomorrow’s Schools report findings and the current teacher crisis. With changes likely to impact how school boards will operate in the future, teacher shortages, a new school build just ahead of us and the hot topic of negotiations for the Primary Teachers’ and Principals' Collective Agreements this year, stability and momentum will support the school positively through this period of change. After three years as a Stonefields School board member, I remain deeply passionate about the school and committed to governing with rigor and balance through the changes ahead of us.

On a final note, personally I love and enjoy representing our school community. If re-elected, I am confident that the huge amount of hard work and commitment by the past and present boards will continue into the future. Ultimately this provides both our school staff and learners with the skills and worldly experience to succeed in an ever-changing world.

Bryan William Fox
Elected

Kia ora, my name is Bryan Fox and I am standing for the Board of Trustees for Stonefields School. I consider the role as an elected member of the board to be a real privilege, as our school is the absolute hub of our community.

My wife, Theresa and I have two children, Cooper and Mahalia, at Stonefields. They are thriving as learners at Stonefields and we continue to be impressed with what the school has provided to unlock their development.

As a family, we are actively involved in the school Kapa Haka rōpū and the wider whānau committee to support Māori enrichment activities at school. As a tutor for the past 6 years, I’ve had the opportunity to share my knowledge of my culture but also learn alongside the students and develop my own understanding of Te Ao Māori.

I am passionate about providing opportunities to help build well-rounded young people and believe the school years are fundamental to this journey. As a member of the Board of Trustees, I would look to support the continuation of the provision of opportunities that learners may otherwise not have.

Outside of school, I am the Junior Club Chairman for the Auckland Marist Rugby Club. It is a role where I feel a responsibility to be a guardian of the legacy of the club for the local community. I’m proud of what our junior club has done for many local players and families and consider the learnings to be applicable for us at Stonefields School too.

Professionally, I work as an auditor where I lead teams who review quality performance. My strengths are in leading technical teams and identifying opportunities for improvement. Considering elements that will make a difference to the long-term strategy. I believe these skills are useful within a governance team.

The school has challenges ahead, including a significant new build and the change in learning environment this will bring. I was co-opted onto the board last year and have thoroughly enjoyed representing the community. I am confident that the hard work of the present board has established an environment to ensure the school is well governed with a strategy in place to ensure the best learning and development outcomes for our children. I would relish the opportunity to continue to be a board member and see this strategy come to life.

Thank you for your support.

Marie Gaskin
Elected

Hi, my name is Marie Gaskin, and I am standing for re-election to the Board of Trustees for Stonefields School. I have had the privilege of serving with the current board for three years and would love to continue be a part of the governance of this fantastic school.

I am Mum to three: Joshua (year 3), Grace (year 0) and Paige (still at daycare), based up in Harding Ave. I have enjoyed watching Grace join Hub Koru at the start of term 2 – hearing the excitement and joy in her voice as she describes her days. I feel proud to send my children to Stonefields. They are thriving. The school’s values are reflected in every aspect of their learning and development.

I am Group Finance Manager for The Skills Organisation, an Industry Training Organisation. I am passionate about education and enjoy the challenges that come with working with a dynamic and diverse group of people. The changes currently under proposal for the Vocational Education space are provoking much discussion, as are the proposed changes to primary and secondary education. It’s certainly an exciting time to be involved in the governance of a school such as Stonefields.

Prior to my role with the ITO, I was an Audit Senior Manager with KPMG. As part of KPMG’s community commitment, I was co-opted onto the board of Edmund Hillary School in Papakura for 5 years. My experience with this board has proved valuable during my time on the Stonefields Board.

My finance background and prior experience provides me with a unique skillset to continue to serve on this board. If re-elected I look forward to continuing work with the other board members, and amazing management and teaching staff, through the many challenges ahead. These include the new build, the proposed governance structure changes, ERO review and the teaching shortages. Not to mention the business as usual of supporting Sarah and the team through achieving the best learning outcomes for your children.

James Allan Ivarsson
Elected

My history with Stonefields School dates back to before the school was named, before ground was broken, when I met with the founding Board in the first show home in Stonefields around 10 years ago. There were a lot fewer homes back then! I was there to build the school’s first website, one with a lot less content than what we have now. From the beginning I was impressed with the vision for the school and the way Sarah wanted to push the boundaries of what was possibly in using technology within the learning environment.

When Jade was 2.5 we moved into Stonefields to become part of the community as we felt strongly that Stonefields School was going to provide the best education for her. Our first school event was the 2014 School Fair and it was evident what a great community surrounded the school. From that moment, Jade was very eager to start school and is now in Year 3. Throughout her time there, I have enjoyed helping the school wherever possible, whether it’s bouncing at the door of the school disco, pretending to be an auctioneer or coaching netball.

Technology in learning has certainly come a long way and at times can be controversial. How much screen time is too much? How can technology capture learning milestones, but what risks does this bring to our learner’s and their whanau, data and privacy? How do we balance the empowerment of our next generation of digital natives, while fostering a love of activity, exercise and real-world skills?

As the Head of Technology for realestate.co.nz, I’ve built a career in the digital technology space and I’ve seen the good, the bad and the ugly side of technology. Having observed numerous BoT meetings over the last 12 months, I believe in our school’s vision and it’s choice to embrace technology to drive learning, but I also want to protect my child and the other learners at the school. As an elected parent member of the School Board, I believe the technology governance I’ve provided numerous businesses over the years combined with my love of sport, music and helping people grow, will further contribute to the school by balancing the desire to adopt technology where opportunities arise, but to also play devils advocate where there is any potential risk to our learners.

Margaret Stanley
Elected

Tēnā koutou katoa Ko Kapukataumahaka te maunga Ko Owheo te awa Nō Otepoti ahau Ko Ngāti Pākehā te iwi Ko Margaret toku ingoa

My name is Margaret Stanley and I am standing for re-election to the Board of Trustees for Stonefields School. I am an Associate Professor in the University of Auckland’s School of Biological Sciences. As a scientist, I undertake research in the areas of conservation ecology, biosecurity and urban ecology, and so have a keen interest in the environment. In my role as a lecturer, I strive to achieve the best learning outcomes for my students.

I believe I have much to offer the Stonefields School community. As a scientist, I collect and analyse data to help policymakers make evidence-based decisions. I also sit on a range of advisory boards for agencies such as the Ministry for Primary Industries, Auckland Council and community environmental restoration groups. As a lecturer, I understand the tertiary education system that many of our learners will one day be part of.

My husband Darren and I live in St Johns, and are proud to send our children – Jamie (Y8) and Lucy (Y5) - to Stonefields School. Our school instils the values of respect and inclusion among our children, and the cultural diversity within our school is one of its strengths. During my time on the Board (since 2016) I have come to admire the dedication of the teaching and management staff in continually pushing themselves to improve their teaching and systems, and have seen first-hand their genuine care for our children.

I would be privileged to continue to serve the school community, particularly during this time of uncertainty and change for Boards of Trustees, a new build, teacher shortages, and the upcoming Education Review Office (ERO) review. I see continuity of the Board as being critical to support new Board members with the knowledge and skills gained in the past Board term. The current Board has thrived as a team – driving school governance and strategy, asking the hard questions when needed, but pragmatic in supporting the school management and staff to achieve the best outcomes for our school, whether it be academic, sporting or cultural.

If re-elected, I will continue to support our dedicated and highly professional teachers achieve great outcomes for our tamariki. Ngā mihi nui.