Introducing our Board of Trustees.

Kia ora Whanau. I am married to Allison and we have six children, three who have attended Owhata Primary. I was seconded on to the Board as a parent representative when my two youngest girls attended Owhata Primary, this was over 9years ago now and I have seen the school develop and improve in many areas through very good Management and Board Governance during this time.
Our school roll has steadily grown during my time here and we hope to see this trend increase further over the next few years. This increase I believe is through the dedicated effort of the Teachers, Management and Board of Trustees to ensure our school provides high quality teaching and also a safe learning environment for our tamariki.
To this, I must also include the involvement of our whanau, by being involved and being inclusive with their education and learning has been a great effort by all and must be acknowledge in my statement.
The board have also ensured our local Hapu Ngāti Te Roro o Te Rangi has a partnership with the school and by doing so, have included a Hapu rep on the board to help make the decisions needed to bring strong Governance to the school.
I believe in Owhata Primary and as a trustee, working with the other Board members and School
Management team has been very rewarding for me, however we still have work to do over the next
three years, to make Owhata Primary the school of choice.
Nga mihi
Tony Scott

Aubrey Rikihana.

I am a parent of three children, Atama who is currently in year six at Owhata Primary School, Matariki who is currently at Mokoia Intermediate School, and Hauata who attends Rotorua Boys’ High School. Both my eldest children have attended Owhata Primary School.

I am of Ngati Tarawhai and Tuhourangi descent with my Marae located in Ngapuna.

Currently employed by the Department of Conservation as a Fire Support Officer allows me to bring such skills as staff management, leadership qualities, contract management, and strategic business planning to the board.

My association with the Owhata Primary School Board started in 2013, and my key drivers remain the same now as they did then to create and maintain a safe learning environment for students and teachers alike.

The Board has also ensured that the involvement of local hapu to make informed decisions helps our school to develop, so a representative from the hapu Ngati Te Roro O Te Rangi sits on our board.

Outside of my governance role I have been active in many aspects of the school attending many camps, school trips, maths nights, helping coach sports teams and anything else that benefits our student achievement goals.

I believe very strongly in this school and the important role it has in helping our children to succeed. I have developed a great respect for the principal, management team and staff of Owhata Primary School for the wonderful school culture they are developing through all the superb programmes they implement throughout the school.

“Knowledge is power. Information is liberating. Education is the premise of progress, in every society, in every family”. Kofi Annan

Kia Or marie a, I’m Marie and this will be my 4th year as a trustee for Owhata Primary.
They say it takes a village to raise a child and I am so proud of the village that we are building together with our Principle, Teachers, Parents, Grandparents and our Community. We are far from done and I am so grateful for the opportunity to support a school that has been a part of my life for many years.
Nga mihi
Marie Hodge

Kia ora koutou,
I’m Mary the newest kid on the block recently co-opted onto the Board of Trustees. It is a pleasure to be part of such a dedicated group of people.
As a parent of the School I see this as an amazing opportunity to contribute towards the School’s success in providing the very best educational opportunities, experiences and memories for our tamariki, whanau and wider community.
I look forward to digesting the mahi identified for the coming year and meeting, greeting and “getting to know” our whanau, staff and Board members better.
Mauri ora, Mary Nicholas

Hi, I’m Kumiko Hammersley – the staff representative for the Board of Trustees.
I started at Owhata School in 2001 as a teacher aide in the special needs unit (now Room 15), in 2005 I began studying for my teaching degree part-time while continuing to work in the unit.
I graduated in 2010 and have been working as a teacher in the school since then. I have a passion for technology and I am a level 1 and level 2 Google Certified Educator.