Our BOT

Our Board of Trustees

This is the governing body of the school, which is elected every 3 years as required by the NZ Education Act. It is made up of the Principal, an elected staff representative and a number of parent representatives. Areas of responsibility include curriculum, finance, personnel, property, policy and procedures and consultation. The Board usually meets every month, however, additional meetings may be held and parents will be informed in the school's newsletter. Meetings are public and you are welcome to attend.

Sam Ereckson - Chairperson

I grew up on the Coast from age 12 and have watched the huge changes over the decades. After travelling and living away for many years I chose to return here as a place for my family to grow up and gain their education. My wife and I have 3 children. Our son, Jack, is at Whangaparaoa College and we have a daughter, Lily, in Year 1 and Isabel is at Stanmore Bay Kindergarten (who can’t wait to be a big school girl in a year). I work in IT and have performed various management roles over the last 10 years with a change this year to explore the darker side of sales. I spent the last 2 years on the Kindergarten committee and feel that being a member of the Board is one way I can contribute to help guide yours and my children’s education.

I look forward to spending many years of involvement with Stanmore Bay Primary School, both supporting and also challenging the governance and decisions so we can deliver an educational environment where, for our children, “The sky’s the limit”.

Mike Cope

I am married to Sonia and we have four children, two of them, Jackson and Matthew currently attend Stanmore Bay School. I have lived on the Coast for most of my life an am employed by as Project Manager for a Civil Construction Company. I joined the Board of Trustees in 2007 as a way to give back to the school community. As part of my role on the Board, I am a member of the Property and Health and Safety committees. I am also Group Leader of the Whangaparaoa Scout Group.

I feel that my knowledge and skills in the construction industry allows me to assist with the ongoing property and maintenance issues of Stanmore Bay School. I believe I am able to represent the interests of the wider school community while providing direction and governance to the school by supporting the Principal and Staff in the education and development of all the children at Stanmore Bay Primary School.

Leigh Faulkner

My intention on our board is to provide a link between the teaching staff and the Board of Trustees members. I have raised my own family and lived on the Hibiscus Coast now for 26 years. Both my children attended Stanmore Bay School and am proud of the family beliefs the school holds. We have a talented and dedicated team of teachers who strive to achieve the best learning outcomes for all students. I also monitor the behaviour in the playground along with the rest of the management team, and we strive to create a playground where the students feel safe, happy and supported.

I can be contacted at the following email address: lfaulkner@stanmore.school.nz

Derek Gaeth

I am married to Suzie and we have two boys: Matthew is a current pupil of Stanmore Bay, and Lachlan a future student. I joined the board as a way of getting involved in our children's education and to help support the fantastic group of teachers and staff at Stanmore Bay Primary school. It’s also a way of giving back to the community I have happily been a part of for the last ten years. I believe I bring to the table practical and technical skills honed from many years in the IT and related industries. I currently work for a Telco as Chief Technical Officer.

Claire Ellison

I joined the Board of Trustees after my son had been at the school for almost 2 years and he has been surrounded by passionate and focused teachers, making his years at school to date a great place for him to be. My second son starts school this term and I felt I wanted to support the school and the teachers and play a role in helping foster an awesome community of parents, children and teachers so that school continues to be a wonderful place for my sons and your children to be 5 days a week! I also became more interested in the role whilst assisting as a Teacher’s Aide at Stanmore Bay School over the past year and seeing “learning and exploring” in practise - it is inspiring!

Outside of my passion for my boys I am an experienced strategic marketer with over 15 years of experience and with a career working in NZ, Australia and with multi-national relationships across Europe, UK and Australia. I feel this helps provide me with an ability to work with many different nationalities and cultures to achieve results. Over the last 7 years I have been an active member in my children’s Playcentre and more recently I spent 2 years on the Management Board of North Shore Playcentre Association supporting both the children and the adults; while also focusing on the bigger picture of the educational health of our association. My energy and commitment to this role was around a passion for children and their learning in NZ to be the best it can be. I would like to carry this passion forward into Stanmore Bay School.