Koraunui School is governed by a Board of Trustees.
The Board is responsible for ensuring a quality education for all pupils and for the safety and well-being of pupils and staff. It sets the school's strategic direction in consultation with parents, staff and pupils. It also oversees the management of personnel, curriculum, property, finance and administration.
The Board is committed to working with our school community so that everyone can have their say and to ensure that the Board makes well-informed decisions.
Our Board of Trustees Blog is a good place to get more information about what we are doing.
The Board draws on the diverse skills, knowledge and experience of our school community. The Board consists of five elected parent representatives, one staff representative, the Principal and co-opted members. Trustees are elected for a 3-year term.
Contact phone details for the Board are in the school newsletter. Please be mindful when you contact with Board members (i.e. not too early or late in the day).
Part of us, as a BoT, getting to know our community and the community getting to know us will be short little introductions from all of our members. It will help put faces to names and set up a connection for some community engagement we’re going to do in Term 4. That might be through Facebook posts, face to face chats at school drop offs and pickups, surveys and things like that. What we’re hoping to achieve from this is getting a good, well rounded view of what parents and whanau want from Koraunui school during their child’s time at our school. Your views will help shape the plan the BoT set. These are what Dave and our staff can use as guides each year when making their plans for in the classroom and around the school.
If you see these posts come up – please interact with them, having your say is important to help us make sure Koraunui is the best school for our children and families during their time here.
The current members are:
Hi,
I am a dedicated and community-minded parent with a strong commitment to the success and wellbeing of all students at Koraunui School. For the past four years, I’ve proudly served as a Parent Representative on the Board of Trustees, where I have actively contributed to school governance, strategic planning, and community engagement and have enjoyed getting more involved in the school community. I’m grateful that we have enthusiastic board members that bring a variety of ideas and experience to the mix as that can only make for better experiences for our children. Personally, I’m really excited to see the results from both the Structured Literacy and DMIC programs which are already making a positive impact within the school.
I've been working in geospatial technology and infrastructure for many years, leading teams and managing all sorts of projects across New Zealand and the Pacific. I’m used to solving problems, working with different people, and juggling priorities — skills that have been really useful during my time on the Board. I enjoy thinking strategically and helping to plan for the long-term success of the school.
As a parent of a student at Koraunui, I am passionate about fostering an inclusive, safe, and forward-looking learning environment. I bring a calm and considered approach to Board discussions and am committed to transparent decision-making that reflects the needs of our diverse school community.
Hello, I am Jack Taueki. I am a community focused and based family man of 3 kids, one who attends Koraunui school, one at Whetu Ao kindy and a 17-year-old daughter.
I was one of a few who started our local maara in 2023 and am still involved. I help out 2 of our food banks and are the coordinator of SV Kaishare on a Thursday. I also help the elderly in our community to mow their lawns, paint and clean.
Email Jack
Kia ora koutou, ko Michelle Baker tōku ingoa. I grew up in Ōtautahi Christchurch and moved to Whānganui-a-Tara in 2007. In 2017 my husband and I moved to Stokes Valley and have really enjoyed building our whānau here – Stokes Valley is so lucky to have such amazing ngahere and community resources like the community hub available.
Our oldest tamaiti, Matilda, started at Koraunui School in 2023 and our youngest, Benjamin, is starting in Term 3 this year. My kids whakapapa Ngāpuhi and our whānau is really excited that they have the opportunity to continue their Māori medium education in Te Puāwaitanga o te Kākano.
I’m a member of the school Board because I want to tautoko our kaimahi and tamariki and enable Koraunui School to be a supportive and inclusive space for all whānau. I’m keen to draw on my experience of being on the board of our early childhood centre and to bring my passion for clear and accessible communication to this kaupapa.
Kia ora, I’m Grace, mum to Mabel Hiess in Year 3, our third child to attend Koraunui School. Our whānau loves this kura, and I’m a member of the Board of Trustees because I want to give back and help make Koraunui an even more nurturing and inclusive place for all our tamariki to thrive.
I have previous governance experience, having served three terms (six years total) as the student representative on the Academic Board of the Open Polytechnic. My background is a bit of a mosaic – each piece reflecting my passion for social justice, strong communities, and the power of education. Over the years I’ve volunteered with refugee resettlement, worked as a teacher aide and disability support worker, coordinated a local community trust, and contributed as a research assistant to a Waitangi Tribunal report. I’ve recently completed postgraduate study in sociology, and currently work part time as a community facilitator at council, and part time as a coordinator for an education consultancy. I am honoured to bring my mix of experience, big-picture thinking, and deep care for our school community to this role.
I’m confident I can represent the hopes, concerns and values of our whānau well – and do my part to support our kura and tamariki to shine. Ngā mihi nui, Grace Hiess
Email Grace
Kia ora, I am a current member of the Board of Trustees. I have had two children complete their primary education at Koraunui school and have one child who is still in attendance. Being on the school board provides me the opportunity to support our school and give back to our school community.
II value the diversity of our school and look forward to supporting all our children’s education. I am especially interested in advocating for the needs of the children that struggle in our education system the most. I urge the school community to reach out with your ideas of how the school could be doing things better and of course let us know what is working well.
I have a background as an enforcement officer, auditor, inspector, and educator in the field of Environmental Health and currently work in quality assurance overseeing a Quality Management System. I enjoy CrossFit, hiking, gardening, reading and cooking
Email Amber
Dave Lamont joined Koraunui as our principal from Term 1, 2018. He brings several years of strong leadership experience in a number of schools. He enjoys the special character of our kura and how we value diversity, inclusiveness and the other aspects of our korau values, prioritising relationships as the basis for building strengths in schools - both individually and within the wider school community.
Dave impressed us with his genuine manner, straight forward approach and passion as an educator. We are also impressed by the importance Dave attaches to getting to know the whanau in the schools he works in, including finding out what's important to those communities about their school. We believe he has the vision to build on our existing strengths and the skills required to guide us into the future of education for our students.
Email Dave
Kia ora koutou,
Ko Remutaka te maunga
Ko Te Awa Kairangi te awa
Ko Koraunui a hau
Ko Gilmour toku whanau
Ko Craig Gilmour toku ingoa
Kia ora, my name is Craig Gilmour, I’m a teacher in the senior end of Whetu o le Moana. I’ve been teaching at Koraunui School for a few years now and really love my role in the school. I’m really looking forward working alongside you all in the community and within Koraunui School.
Ngā mihi.
Email CraigPolicy documents explain how the school will meet its legal requirements under the National Administration Guidelines set by the Ministry of Education.
These areas are; Curriculum, Self Review, Personnel, Finance and Property, Health and Safety and Legislation and Regulation. These policies detail the governance responsibilities of the school.
The school community develop procedures based on the policies. They detail how the policies will be implemented on a day to day basis. Policies tell people what we must do and Procedures tell people how we will do things.
Copies of our school policies and procedures will be made available upon request at the school office.
To access all of the school’s policies and procedures online go to the below Schooldocs website link:
https://koraunui.schooldocs.co.nz/
Username: koraunui
Password: koraunui
Every state and state integrated school in New Zealand has a Board of Trustees. Their role is to govern and manage the school, which includes planning and reporting.
Whilst the Governance Plan is a longer term plan, the Annual Plan covers a one year period. It is required that the Annual Plan is submitted to the Ministry of Education Annually.
"Strategic planning is the process of setting goals, deciding on actions to achieve those goals and mobilizing the resources needed to take those actions. A strategic plan describes how goals will be achieved through the use of available resources." - www.thoughtexchange.com
The Koraunui Board of Trustees are seeking information from our school community about what priorities, dreams, hopes and ideas there are for our kura, tamariki and staff over the next 2-3 years. Thank you to those who have already completed the first survey.
Please contribute to this short Strategic Engagement Survey that can be completed anonymously to help guide the Board in their decision making for the 2023 - 2025 planning and will guide the work we do with you tamariki.
The BoT plans to complete the evaluation of feedback and will communicate this back with the school once completed.
We will be going through the information we have received so far at the board meeting next week. Please contribute to this consultation as this will guide the work we do with your tamariki.
Boards of trustees meetings are "open to the public". This means that even if you're not a trustee you are welcome to attend as an observer although you will not have speaking rights the way you would if it was a public meeting.
Some items on the agenda may need to be discussed in private, for example if they concern a complaint to the board or a disciplinary matter. The board chair will tell you when you need to leave the meeting, and when you can come back in after the in-committee discussion is complete.
The agenda for public meetings along with other documentation related to that meeting will be publicly available in the school office two working days before the meeting, and posted on the school website as soon as possible after that. Once minutes are ratified as true and correct by the Board of Trustees they are also available in the school office, and then on the website.
Details of our meetings can be found in the downloadable files section below and also on the Board of Trustees Blog.
The dates and times of meetings are included in the school newsletter and are posted on the school website. BOT meetings are usually held the first Wednesday of each month, 7-9pm in Koraunui School staffroom.