The Board
The Board is a Crown entity and is responsible for the governance of our school. We are parents and teachers of students in the school and our primary focus is on the ongoing improvement of student’s progress and achievement, within an environment that provides inclusive education.
We have overall responsibility for the school including legal obligations, proper management of the school finances, reporting to the ministry and school community and setting the school's strategic direction.
As a Board, our aim is to provide timely information and updates to the wider school community. We hold monthly meetings which we will announce via the school newsletter, skool loop and the school calendar. We welcome all members of the public to attend our meetings. Please refer to the Guidelines to Attending Board Meetings at this link before attending.
If you would like more information a great resource for parents is the Parents’ guide to the role of the Board of Trustees provided by the NZSTA.
To make contact with the Board please email the Board Chair at rebeccabot@hvschool.co.nz
Board Meetings - Agenda & Minutes
Board Meetings - Agenda & Minutes
Rebecca Fox - Presiding Member (Chair)
Kia ora HVS whānau, I am Rebecca Fox. It has been a privilege to be a parent representative for the past two years. I am very proud of the work completed during our tenure on the board, and developing the strategic plan is one of the stand-out achievements. My husband, son, and I live in Swanson, all born and raised in the foothills of the beautiful Waitākere Ranges. Our son Oliver is in Y3 at HVS, and we all love the unique semi-rural setting of our outstanding kura/school and the opportunities that being in this fantastic location brings to the learning environment. I am an Administration Manager, having worked for the past 18 years in management positions in various industries. In my current employment, I am responsible for the financial accounts for several companies and have been working there for the past seven years so have a good understanding of financial workings and budget requirements. I have found that many of the skills I have gained in my career have transferred well to my position on the board. Governance is about supporting the tumuaki/principal and kaimahi/staff to provide the best learning outcomes for our tamariki. It is about ensuring that policies are in place and engaging with our community to see all ākonga/students getting equal opportunities to become the best version of themselves. I bring the experience I have gained over the past two years, along with my life experience, and continue to grow and learn in my position on the board. Email: rebeccabot@hvschool.co.nz
Mark Hellier - Elected Trustee
Kia ora, I’m Mark. My wife and I have 2 children. Reid a Yr 4 student, and Piper who is in Yr 2. We’ve lived in the valley for 10 years. We love living in the Valley – the mix of bush and rural living on the edge of suburban Auckland makes it a very special place. I feel that we have a special opportunity with Henderson Valley School to reflect its location and the community it sits in. Professionally, I am an experienced business leader, owner and board member. I have started and grown three successful businesses in the technology sector, two which have gone on to IPO and international acquisition, and another that continues to serve the large landowners and regional government of New Zealand. My current role is focused on leadership and product design. I am pragmatic in my approach to solution finding and am able to quickly get to the heart of complex challenges. I have had the privilege of serving on the board of trustees for the last term. I’m really pleased with the property development completed in the first part of the tenure, and really proud of the work we’ve done on the ’21-’23 Strategic plan. It puts us in a great place to provide clear governance moving into the next board term. I’m really enjoying helping to ensure the children of our community have the most enriching learning experiences and best educational outcomes that we can give them.
Clem Larsen - Elected Trustee
Kia ora koutou, I’m Clem. Myself and my wife Tania have been lucky enough to be involved with Henderson Valley School for the past 25 years while also having our three children grow and learn in our unique school. Our youngest son Buster is in year 3 under the nurturing of the amazing Claire Simiona, while our daughter Spye graduated last year having loved her every moment at HVS. Our oldest son feels the same and has stayed close with friends he made at HVS even as he now graduates through tertiary studies. I was originally involved in the setup of the school’s environmental programs in the mid 1990s and over the years have watched and helped the school grow. Reminders of the camaraderie of parents, teachers and whanau over the years are scattered through the school and in memories of everyone I get to catch up with. At HVS we have the opportunity to provide a safe place where our children and HVS whanau can discover their place in the world. A place that is unique and sets it apart from other schools as it sits in the history and beauty of the Waitakere Ranges, nga taonga o Te Wao Nui a Tiriwa. Throughout my time with HVS I’ve lived and worked in the Henderson Valley. I’m currently a trustee with Birdsong Opanuku, a local NPO Community Trust that undertakes predator control in the foothills beyond HVS, revegetation and environmental education programs within HVS and other local schools. Professionally I’m from a land management background that first brought me to the Valley as a Ranger to eventually have responsibilities for the entire Waitakere’s. A change in direction over a decade ago translated these experiences into logistic and national/international team management to eventually evolve into design management balanced with all the skills and time needed to grow a happy whanau. Although I’ve been involved with HVS over the years, it feels like the right time to be involved in a different capacity and offer what I can to support our school.
Kieren Bainbridge - Elected Trustee
Hi, my name is Kieren and I have three children at Henderson Valley School (Scarlett Y5, Ruby Y4 and Arthur Y2). Since the kids started at Henderson Valley, I have been a supporter at many events that the school has organised and have been lucky enough to help at a couple. Like many parents my children have various extracurricular activities and I have been involved in coaching the Y1/2 netball teams previously and this year have been looking after the Y4 netball team. I am looking forward to being involved in the Board as I believe my skills as an IT Manager, such as, working collaboratively with my colleagues, finding solutions to issues, managing budgets, reviewing current procedures and future planning, make me a good candidate for the role. Many members of my family are teachers so I have a good knowledge of how a school operates and an insight into the opportunities a school community can provide to help young people achieve their potential. My family have also called West Auckland home our whole lives and have enjoyed being part of the Henderson Valley community. We are so pleased to be able to send our kids to such a great school, with an awesome teaching staff. We have always been impressed with the level of commitment from the parents in all areas of the school and it is great to represent you on the Board..
Emma Barnes – Selected Trustee
My name is Emma. I live in Sunnyvale with my partner and fabulous twin daughters who are in year 1. I am passionate about wellness and equity in our community. I value the opportunity to support Henderson Valley School to provide a safe, nurturing, holistic environment that supports all children’s authenticity, enjoyment of learning, and sense of belonging. Professionally I have 20 years’ experience as a paediatric/youth health nurse. For 15 years I worked as Nurse Specialist in child protection within Te Puaruruhau, the Auckland Regional Child Protection Service. There I supported the health and wellbeing of tamariki and their whānau who experienced abuse and neglect. I was also involved in many projects leading/supporting services to work better together and become more responsive to children’s and family’s needs. This included roles/responsibilities in education, policy, research and service design. I have worked across many sectors including Ministries of Health, Education, Social Development, Justice and the NGO sector. I have particular skills in working with hard to reach whānau, trauma informed care, adult education and supporting agencies/teams to collaborate better together. I have also had volunteer roles in Henderson Valley Playcentre and St John Youth. I currently work as a Contractor for a company providing professional development for Teachers/Kaiako in the Early Childhood Sector. This includes work in the areas of child protection, emotional regulation, neurodiversity and the Incredible Years Parenting support programme. I am a lifelong learner. I am currently a student studying te reo Māori through Te Wānanga o Raukawa. Next year I am enrolled to start postgraduate education in Psychotherapy.
Phil Spriggs - Staff Representative
Tēnā koutou katoaKo Ingarangi te whakaparanga maiKo Newcastle te whenua tupuKei Swanson au e noho anaHe Tumaki Tuarua au i Henderson Valley SchoolKo Phil Spriggs tōku ingoa My name is Phil Spriggs and I am privileged to be one of the deputy principals at HVS. I was born in Newcastle (North East of England) and have lived in Aotearoa for 30 years.I have three grown up children, two granddaughters and two cats!My passion is that every child will be able to live the life they want to live using and responding to their own cultural identity and beliefs. In New Zealand, we hear about priority learners and the drive to raise achievement; I prefer to think of unrealised potential, and to seek ways to work collaboratively with colleagues, whānau and community in culturally sustaining ways to remove barriers and realise the potential of all our students.
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Janet Moyle - Principal
Tēnā koutou katoaNgā mihi nui kia koutouNō Ingarani me Kōtirana aku tūpunaI whānau mai au i, ā, i pakeke ake au i Taupō-nui-a-tiaKei Tamaki Makaurau ahau e noho anaKei Maungawhau taku kaingaKo Allan taku taneKo Antonia rāua ko Georgia aku tamāhineKei te kura o Henderson Valley ahau e mahi anaHe tumuaki ahauKo Janet Moyle tāku ingoaI am the proud principal of Henderson Valley School, having been in this role since 2016. I love being part of this wonderful caring school community - we have truly amazing ākonga/students; a dedicated, positive and hard-working kaimahi/staff; and super supportive whānau/families. I have been in education for over 30 years, in both teaching and leadership roles, and really enjoy creating opportunities for and supporting both students and staff to develop as lifelong learners. He waka eke noa ~ We are all in this together.Email: janetm@hvschool.co.nz