Board of Trustees
- Presiding member: Kate Hodgins
- Principal: Andrew Mouat
- Staff Representative: Helen Norcliffe
- Parent Representatives: Mark Broughton, Tracy Taylor, Dan Levett, Aaron Prince
- Co-opted Members: Ranui Calman (Whānau Group)
- Secretary: Kate Thomson
What We Do
The St Martins School Board operates in accordance with the Education Act (2020). It is the Crown entity responsible for the governance and the control of the management of the school.
The Board is the employer of all staff in the school, is responsible for setting the school’s strategic direction in conjunction with parents, staff and students, and ensuring that its school provides a safe environment and quality education for all its students. School Boards are also responsible for overseeing the management of personnel, curriculum, property, finance, and administration.
More information about the role of a School Board is available from the New Zealand School Trustees Association.
Guiding Principals of the Board
Planning
Our strategic plan guides everything that we as a Board implement at St Martins School | Hāto Mātene. Using the feedback from our school community we set new goals and develop the future of our school as part of a five year plan.
Identity
At St Martins | Hāto Mātene we continue to discuss and review our response to creating a strong cultural and social school identity. In recent years we have introduced many initiatives to ensure we integrate te reo into our everyday language. Our beautiful wāharoa welcomes visitors into our school, while kowhaiwhai unique to St Martins School | Hāto Mātene features on signage around the school and is designed to tell the story of our school.
Wellbeing
The wellbeing of our students and their Whānau is a primary focus of St Martins | Hāto Mātene Board and staff. To support our community we have established many effective onsite resources & activities as well as a network of independant support specialist organisations. Our school values: Respect/Manaaki, Caring/Aroha, Responsibility/Haepapa, Personal Best/E Ranga!, Learning/Ako are inter-woven into our teaching and learning to support the wellbeing of all.
Quality Education
This is what it is all about! Our goal is to provide the best teachers and the most well equipped classrooms to ensure St Martins | Hāto Mātene students have the best learning experience. With an ongoing focus on national standards of student achievement, assessment and monitoring systems, along with cultural responsiveness and equality for all learners. The Board also support the many extra curricular programmes that run throughout the school. Some of these programmes include:
- Garden to Table for the Year 3/4 syndicate
- Maths and Literacy programmes for students across the school working below National Standards
- GATE programmes for those working above National Standards
- Leadership opportunities for our Year 7/8 syndicate
Building Community
The Board support the PTA community who are doing wonderful things to build the sense of community at our school, as well as raise money and undertake jobs around the school and community.
Board Meetings
The Board meets monthly on a Tuesday evening at 6.30pm. Meetings are open to the public and you are welcome to attend. If you wish to raise an issue at a Board meeting, please first discuss this with the Principal or the Presiding Member, so it can be added to the agenda before the meeting. Read the previous board meeting minutes HERE
The meeting dates for 2023 are:
Tuesday Feb 28th
Tuesday March 28th
(Term 1 School holidays: 6 April-25th April)
Tuesday May 23rd
Tuesday June 20th
(Term 2 school holidays: 3rd July-16th July)
Tuesday July 25th
Tuesday August 22nd
Tuesday September 19th
(Term 3 school holidays: 24th September-8th October)
Tuesday October 24th (day after labour day)
Tuesday November 14th
Tuesday December 5th
(Last day of 2023 school year: Tuesday 19th December)
You can read the minutes from previous meetings here
Presiding Member
Kate Hodgins
Tēnā koutou katoa, ko Kate Hodgins ahau. I have been a parent at Hato Mātene/St Martins school since my eldest child started in 2011 and my youngest will now finish in 2023. It has been quite a journey! I have been a board member since 2017 and Chair since 2019 and prior to that was an active PTA member. I really enjoy being part of a committed and passionate board which prioritises the wellbeing of our tamariki, staff and community.
Parent Representatives
Mark Broughton
I am a keen surfer and enjoy a good mountain bike ride once I’ve managed to escape parenting my four kids; Adelle, Zoe, Zach and Ezra. Married to Sarah-Jane; we both enjoy being a part of the St Martins Community.
I am a Chartered Professional Geotechnical Engineer and bring along positivity and an engineering mindset to the Board.
Tracy Taylor
I was co-opted to the Board in 2021 to provide finance and accounting knowledge to the Board. I am a Chartered Accountant by profession, currently working as a Commercial Manager for a large manufacturer in Christchurch. I am also a Chartered Member of the Institute of Directors so bring governance knowledge to the table.
My association with St Martins School goes back to 2012 with my eldest now at Cashmere High School. My youngest, Callum, is a student at St Martins School. I have also recently stepped down as treasurer of the PTA community, a role I undertook for the last 6 years. This means I have seen the school through many changes, right across the school over this time and I’m very happy to see the refurbishment of the school hall coming to fruition after many years of fundraising effort.
Dan Levett
I joined the St Martins School Board in 2022. My 2 daughters Trudie and Ingie attend St Martins School. As a parent at the school I am very aware of the importance our school makes to our children’s well being and development, and am proud of the many strengths and achievements at our school. My background is in International Logistics where I currently manage a local team in Christchurch. I am hopeful that my strategic and logical mindset would be an asset to the board at St Martins, and look forward to adding value on the board. I enjoy running and biking in the hills, along with supporting my daughters in their ever increasing sports interests!
Aaron Prince
My goal on the board is to ensure the school continues to focus on the interests of the students, by providing a safe environment and quality education.
I have been a parent at St Martins School since 2017, and my youngest is still at St Martins School. I am a Chartered Civil Engineer and like getting into the outdoors, especially on family trips. I’ve been on the board since late 2022 and really enjoy being part of such a committed and passionate group.
Co-opted Members
A Board may choose to co-opt a member for a specific project or because they have specific skills.
Since April 2013, the Board has co-opted a member of our Whānau Group to help us better understand and meet the needs of our Māori community. The current Whānau Group representative is Ranui Calman.
Ranui Calman
Ko Tainui te waka. Ko Waikato te awa. Ko Wharepuhunga te maunga. Ko Ngāti Raukawa te iwi. Ko Ngāti Huri te hapū. Ko Pikitu te marae. Nō Ōtautahi ahau. Ko Ranui Calman tōku ingoa.
My name is Ranui and I have been the Whānau Group representative on the Board of Trustees since February 2020.
I am a mother of two girls at Hāto Matene. I am a commercial property lawyer. I am passionate about Māori achievement and integrating te reo Māori, tikanga Māori and te ao Māori into our everyday lives.
Our whānau has really enjoyed our time at te kura o Hāto Matene. It has offered our girls amazing opportunities and us a great community to be part of.
