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"A board’s paramount objective in governing a school is to ensure that every student at the school is able to attain their highest possible standard in educational achievement."
"A board’s paramount objective in governing a school is to ensure that every student at the school is able to attain their highest possible standard in educational achievement."
from The Education Act 2020, S. 127
Purpose of a School Board
Purpose of a School Board
Every state and state-integrated school in New Zealand has a board. Boards bring families, communities and schools together to work towards a quality education for our children. The role of the school board is the governance and control of the management of the school. The board is the employer of all staff in the school and appoints a principal to provide the day to day management of the school. The Principal is required to comply with the board’s general policy directions but has discretion to manage the school on a day to day basis. The board focuses on the vision and policies for the school and is ultimately accountable for the school’s performance and compliance with legal requirements.
Board Members
Board Members
Every state and state-integrated school in New Zealand has a board. Boards bring families, communities and schools together to work towards a quality education for our children. Six elected members of the Arahoe School community meet regularly to oversee the governance and control of the management of the school. They are (from left to right) Nicole Quinton, Chris de Jong (Staff Representative), Julie Marra, Anna Edlington, Tavita Lurch, George Woolford (Presiding Member) and they are joined by Tumuaki Louis Heap. Our Board is the employer of all staff in the school and appoints a principal to provide the day to day management of the school. The Principal is required to comply with the board’s general policy directions but has discretion to manage the school on a day to day basis. The board focuses on the vision and policies for the school and is ultimately accountable for the school’s performance and compliance with legal requirements.
Anna Edlington
My relationship with Arahoe School began almost 12 years ago when our eldest child began her schooling journey. My husband, Richard, and I have since had two children complete their primary school years at Arahoe.
Our youngest child, Riley, is currently in Year 6.
Education runs in my blood having grown up with a father who was a teacher and then going on to train as a Secondary School Maths teacher myself. I have a passion for seeing students succeed, including those with complex learning needs.
I am looking forward to continuing to serve Arahoe School in my second term as a Board member.
George Te Rangi Woolford
Tavita Lurch
Nicole Quinton
Since arriving at Arahoe School in 2023 with our daughter Lennie, super excited to get stuck into her schooling journey, we couldn't imagine a better school to be involved with. Ryan and I now have both our children enjoying Arahoe, with our son Reid having started in 2025.
Our whānau love the school community and whānau involvment, the diversity, the cultural and significant events and opportunities Arahoe offers, plus the positive nurturing learning environment our tamariki get enveloped in. Both our children love their school world and eveything it provides.
I have put my hand up to volunteer as a parent helper for a number of school events, clubs and class items and love being involved. You'll see me mostly in the school mara kai, vegetabe garden. I encourage all parents, grandparents, caregivers and wider whānau to get involved with the school for your tamariki!
Being a board member has been hugely insightful. Arahoe is an awesome school with staff that work hard for its students and community. Its great to be involved with such an inspiring school!
Chris de Jong
I feel very fortunate to have had an association with Arahoe School for many years. My 3 adult children (including our groundsperson, Jaden) all came through the school and have a lot of happy memories from their time here. Before becoming a full time teacher at Arahoe, I relieved for a few years, and especially enjoy working with the senior tamariki. I feel very privileged to be a part of the school Board –i t’s been really interesting so far to see what makes the school tick and gives me a new appreciation of all the hard mahi that goes on behind the scenes to make Arahoe such a terrific place to be.
Julie Marra
My husband Preston and I have two children – Theo, the youngest, is in Year 4 (2026) and Charlie is at Intermediate School. You will typically find me outside the Year 4 classrooms. As a Board member I want to help our school to become the best school for our tamariki/children. I am passionate about supporting our kids to reach their full potential whether in academia, sports, art, culture or whatever they are into. I want our kids to love coming to school to be the best version of themselves that they can be. And give them a safe environment to grow through practice, trial and error.
Javin Solanki
As a parent of two children attending Arahoe School, I am strongly committed to supporting the school’s success, both in academic achievement and as a vibrant community hub.
It is a privilege to serve as a Board member, where I contribute positively with a focus on financial governance. I bring experience in accounting and finance, having worked across a range of organisations in New Zealand and the United Kingdom.
Louis Heap (Tumuaki / Principal)
As Tumuaki / Principal of the school it is my privilege to work with this group of dedicated parents who give their time and expertise to ensure our school is governed well and managed responsibly. I am passionate about implementing the school's strategic direction and hold the needs of learners front and centre in the decisions I make – this position is summed up well by the whakatauki "Ko te Tamaiti te Pūtake o te Kaupapa – The child: the heart of the matter."
What do the Board of Trustees do?
What do the Board of Trustees do?
The school board has the overall responsibility for the governance of the school, including meeting certain legal obligations, responsibility for property, personnel, financial management, reporting to the Ministry and school community, and meeting national requirements set by the Ministry of Education.
The board sets direction through the school strategic plan that the Principal and staff then put in place. It must also monitor and report annually on its progress towards these goals.
Board Meetings
Board Meetings
The Board meets twice a term from February through to December. Meetings are open to the public however they are not public meetings where everyone has the right to speak. Speaking rights can be granted in advance by the Board Presiding Member. Sometimes parts of the meeting are closed to the public when the board is discussing confidential matters.
In a typical board meeting you may see
Setting of educational goals and strategic direction.
Reviewing and occasionally rewriting of policies.
Monitoring of how the school is progressing against its annual targets and how well students are achieving.
Decisions on how the school's funding will be spent.
Formulation and overseeing of the five year property plan.
How or why you might contact the Board
How or why you might contact the Board
Any matters that concern the day to day management of the school (whether administrative or educational) should in the first instance be directed to the school management. If you do not believe the school management has adequately dealt with your issue you may then escalate this to the Board Presiding Member.
Contact details for the school office and all teachers are available on the Our Staff section on this website. If your concern is about a matter which you don't feel able to discuss directly with the teacher or is of a more general nature you can then contact the Learning Leader of your child’s syndicate:
Tuakana (Yrs 4-6) Mr Jaime Lee - jaimel@arahoe.school.nz
Teina Iti (Yrs 2-3) Mrs Tinae Vaimasenu'u – tinaev@arahoe.school.nz
Teina Nui (Yrs 0-1) Miss Rachel Blyth – rachelbl@arahoe.school.nz
Or at any time please feel free to contact the Principal (Louis Heap).
If the issue concerns the Principal you can contact the Board Presiding Member. You may also wish to raise questions regarding school policies, these can also be raised with the Board Presiding Member at board@arahoe.school.nz
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