Meet the Team
We are excited to explore a flattened leadership model – recognising the depth and capability we have within the school. This team is a significant group of individuals committed to seeing our school achieve great outcomes.
Lissa Elliott
STUDIO 5 TEACHER – YEAR 1
Suzanne Vogel
STUDIO 6A TEACHER – YEAR 1
Jo Redman
STUDIO 6B TEACHER – YEAR 1
Kayla Matthews
ROOM 1 TEACHER – YEAR 2 & 3
Jemma MacKenzie
ROOM 2 TEACHER – YEAR 2 & 3
Deidre Neill
STUDIO 1A TEACHER – YEAR 2 & 3
Louise Moss
STUDIO 2A TEACHER – YEAR 2 & 3 AND ASSOCIATE PRINCIPAL
Jenna Rutherford
STUDIO 2B TEACHER – YEAR 2 & 3
Anna Peterson
ROOM 3 TEACHER – YEAR 4
Joseph Du Plooy
ROOM 4 TEACHER – YEAR 4
Diane Thomas
ROOM 6 TEACHER – YEAR 5 & 6
George Te Tai
ROOM 7 TEACHER – YEAR 5 & 6
Kirstin Robinson
ROOM 8 TEACHER – YEAR 5 & 6
Tasha Gover
ROOM 9 TEACHER – YEAR 5 & 6
Tracy Taylor
STUDIO 3A TEACHER – YEAR 7 & 8
Ben Shrimpton
STUDIO 4A TEACHER – YEAR 7 & 8
Stacey Watson
STUDIO 4B TEACHER – YEAR 7 & 8
Anita Gokal
STUDIO 7 TEACHER – MONTESSORI
Yuehua (Echo) Mao
STUDIO 7 TEACHER – MONTESSORI
Neil Cameron
STUDIO 8 TEACHER – MONTESSORI
Jennifer Kim
STUDIO 8 TEACHER – MONTESSORI
Traci Mihaljevich
SCIENCE
Stephanie Wales
ESOL & INTERNATIONAL STUDENT CO-ORDINATOR
Gail Rowe
TEACHER AIDE
Kelly Hancock
TEACHER AIDE
Laura Carr
TEACHER AIDE / OCCUPATIONAL THERAPIST
Amber Graham
TEACHER AIDE
Masina Parkes
TEACHER AIDE
Katie Lean
TEACHER AIDE
Cathy Gray
LIBRARIAN
Jo Johnson
BUSINESS MANAGER
Ashley Dalrymple
OFFICE & FINANCE ADMINISTRATOR
Amanda James
OFFICE & STUDENT SUPPORT
Jen Muir
OFFICE SUPPORT
Garry Wells
CARERTAKER
Luke Kearney
HUAPAI PLUS PROGRAMME MANAGER
John Petrie
PRINCIPALYears ago whilst I was on holiday with close family friends, a friend declared, “I have come to realise if my children get one great teacher in their life they are lucky”. Whilst I grieved at the comment I have come to realise my mission in life is to create an environment where teachers can move from being successful to significant. Significant teachers bring their passions to the classrooms, they are risk takers, innovators and restless with the status quo. Release the creative, inspiring teachers to position their teaching on “the edge of possibility” is what makes my day. I am convinced all children are endowed with seeds of greatness. My responsibility is to create an environment where children and their teachers can flourish. To quote Picasso All children are born artists – the problem is to remain one. The environment where this best occurs is one where innovation and creativity is king, there are powerful tools at the disposal of the learner and the delivery is through an authentic real life learning context.
I joined Huapai at the end of 2016. I am grateful for the opportunity to work with such open-minded and child-centred staff.
Keryn Annan
DEPUTY PRINCIPAL & ASSESSMENT, REPORTING & CURRICULUM PRACTICEI have been told that I am a “born teacher” but this is not the case. If anything, I am born a learner, and along the way I have learned how to teach. This still is the case even though I am out of the classroom, as my teaching style and techniques evolve to inspire teachers daily, as I myself continue to learn through professional development, by observing my peers, and most importantly by listening to all. To me, a large part of teaching is figuring out how people learn. I am passionate about education because I am a constant learner myself.
My personal style of teaching brings enthusiasm and authenticity to increase learning, motivation and engagement. I teach and lead with a contagious smile and open personality as I guide learners through the learning process. The relationship I build with learners is a key to success. It is dependent upon openness, trust, accessibility and commitment. Learning success is the result of high expectations, nurturing and mutual responsibility.
As Dolly Parton once said, “If your actions create a legacy that inspires others to dream more, learn more, do more and become more, then, you are an excellent leader.” That is what I aim to do at Huapai District School.
Maree Lloyd
DEPUTY PRINCIPAL, SCHOOL WIDE DRIVER – SPORTS, CULTURE AND LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENTIn order to teach, we must continue to learn. As a teacher in the 21st century, we must accept that we are not simply a fountain of knowledge for our students. Rather, we should aim to be ‘fire starters’ striving to spark the inferno of love of learning within a child. When this passion has been ignited, all children are capable of great success. I am an outgoing, supportive person who believes in telling it straight. I know that children can see through adults quite quickly to find those who truly care about them and their lives. I am grateful for the trust that students have in me to accept challenges and to take risks. I believe that leadership in children needs to be nurtured carefully and that one of the greatest gifts we can give a child is to empower them to stand up, head held high and speak from the heart to positively impact others.
Sophie Bartlett
ASSISTANT PRINCIPAL AND ASSESSMENT & REPORTING PRACTICEAs a learner I am motivated through new challenges, feedback and the success of others. I strive to provide an inclusive, fun, learning centered environment where ideas are challenged and learning is balanced with creativity and a will to succeed. I have a strong sense of self-belief about learners and am committed to ensuring all students have the opportunity to reach their fullest potential. It is truly rewarding seeing growth in the people that I work with.
Louise Moss
ASSOCIATE PRINCIPAL, TEAM LEADER YEAR 4 AND POSITIVE BEHAVIOUR FOR LEARNING (PB4L)Kids are cool. Every single one of our students bring their uniqueness and sparkle to our lovely school community. It is wonderful to build relationships with each child, to help them become the best they can be for themselves and in our community. We love to make the learning journey fun and purposeful. At year 2 we love to develop empathy, team building, self-control and independence skills. We work to build on the foundations, to strengthen their core curriculum needs, but with a drive to develop opportunities for student voice, choice and wonder. It is spectacular working in a collaborative learning space, to teach the skills needed in our new and challenging world, with a skilled team of staff.
Kelly Charteris
LEARNING SUPPORT COORDINATORI am very excited to be in the new role of Learning Support Coordinator at Huapai District School. I have a background as a Speech Language Therapist, Autism Specialist and as a Special Education Teacher and I look forward to being able to use the skills I have developed in these roles to support the students, families and staff at Huapai District School. I believe that each child can learn and reach their full potential when the right supports are in place. I am a firm believer in listening to the students whether it be their voice or actions to find out how we can support them to be the best they can be. I look forward to working closely with whanau and staff to access the best supports for our learners.
Hamish Taylor
PARENT REPRESENTATIVEMy wife Molly and I have three boys at Huapai, and have absolutely loved the environment and ethos of the school since we arrived in the region nearly two and a half years ago. As a former Early Childhood educator, I appreciate the broad emphasis on emotional, cultural, and physical education, as well as intellectual. I believe that Huapai is growing well-rounded students capable of tackling our ever-changing world.
For myself, I have tried to engage in school life as much as possible, including helping with Reading Recovery, the Breakfast Club, and coaching sports teams. I believe strong parental involvement helps to create a fuller, richer education experience for our kids.
Will Eastgate
PARENT REPRESENTATIVEKia ora, my name is Will Eastgate and I am married to Kelly and have two boys Lucas and Benji.
I work as a Health and Safety Professional and also have a number of years’ experience in Risk Management and Commercial Insurance.
I am passionate about success and helping all of our children move forward with their education, be that academically, culturally, in sports or any other area that will help them grow. By providing direction and the right tools for the teaching team and the school, we can create a great environment for the future of our children to continue helping and improving what is already a strong and well performing school.
Andrew Kinzett
PARENT REPRESENTATIVEKia ora, my name is Andrew Kinzett, my wife and I are blessed with three glorious balls of energy, our children – Maia, Archer and Alice. Since joining Huapai District School we have been thrilled to see the empowerment of students and to experience an inclusive culture throughout the schoo
Personally, I’m an avid sportsperson and passionate outdoorsman. Professionally, I have enjoyed a diverse career that spans from sporting goods into I.T.. As a result, I believe firmly in attaining a balance between ensuring we equip our children with the digital literacy they need, whilst ensuring they remain connected to their community and our natural world..
It’s clear that no one knows how the future will look. It is, for this reason, I’m passionate about ensuring we provide a strong foundation during these formative years, as we equip our next generation with the adaptive thinking and self-awareness skills they need to be independent learners and community leaders in all areas and through all stages of their life.
Jenny Bull
PARENT REPRESENTATIVEHi, my name is Jenny and I am proud to be a Huapai local, having now lived here for over four years (and counting) with my husband and daughter.
I’m extremely passionate about Huapai District School, everything it stands for, including the students, staff and wider school community. I am a roll-your-sleeves-up and get-amongst-it type person, who is not afraid of hard work or making hard decisions. Making a difference for our tamariki on their educational journey in life is something I hold dear to my heart.
I work as a Business Development Manager in the Finance Industry with a background in Sales.
Daniel Rode
PARENT REPRESENTATIVEKia ora, I’m Daniel Rode and our family has been part of the Huapai District School Community since mid-2017. Our son George started his school life at HDS and is now in Year 5. I also have two older sons who are both studying at Auckland University.
My partner Victoria and I have enjoyed being part of the strong school and wider local community and I would like the opportunity to contribute more to the development of our fantastic school.
I’m a General Manager at one of Australasia’s largest tourism companies and oversee the marketing and digital strategy for multiple brands in New Zealand and Australia. While this would be my first position on a school board, I have previously served three years as a board member of the NZ Backpacker Youth and Adventure Tourism Association and have contributed to several local and national tourism strategy working groups.
I believe I would bring valuable digital experience to the HDS Board. This is an increasingly important area as our children do more online in their learning and socially, and I would welcome the opportunity to help support our children and the school in this.
