Board of Trustees

Board Chairperson: Julie Yeoman

Tēnā koutou katoa. I am honoured to the Board Chair of Tauhara College for 2017. I have six years of School Trustee governance experience and I am an Accredited Trustee with the New Zealand School Trustees Association. I have been Chair of a school board for five years and touched on every aspect of the role of a Trustee. The most important of which is Student Achievement for all ākonga and being a good employer to the Principal and staff. I am an ex-student of Tauhara College and I bring with me a passion for the future of our local school. The Board is driven to support Keith and the staff in creating an excellent learning environment for all of our students. We represent our school community and thus input from our stakeholders provides the platform from which we plan the direction of the school. The Charter is our guiding document through which we develop our long term and annual plans. These focus around curriculum, finance, property and extra curricular activities. Our role as governors of the school is legislated and regulated by the government and our association NZSTA is a valuable resource to help us in our practice.

My husband Steven is also an ex-student, together we operate two forestry companies and raise our three children in this wonderful town. Having previously played and coached netball, run half and a couple of full marathons, walked Oxfam and enjoyed many outdoor activities and adventures as a family, my focus now turns to education and doing what I can to contribute to the local school framework. And my first role as a Mother ensures I do a lot of cheerleading, taxi driving and school trips with the children. To conclude, I will lead our Board to be the best we can be in our role through the values of integrity, honesty and transparency and I share our school's commitment to excellence - tino ū ki tou hiranga - in my role as Trustee for Tauhara College.

Malcolm Macdonald

My name is Malcolm Macdonald and I have been associated with the Tauhara College for the past six years. I have two boys that have attended and still attend the school, and have seen them absolutely thrive in the Tauhara environment. I love the fact the Tauhara College is a school that has a family feel and that ALL are welcomed into the family like environment. When my oldest son decided to attend Tauhara College, it was not the preferred school for sports. I have seen this change over the past few years where we now have numerous students partaking in school, regional, provincial and international events. So, not only do we excel in the academics and arts but also at sport. What a wonderful school to be associated with! It is with this in mind that I decided to make myself available to the BOT so that I could give back a little of what Tauhara College has given my family.

Tracey Lidington

I am excited and privileged to represent parents on the Tauhara College’s Board of Trustees. My underlying belief in education is that every child must be given every opportunity to experience success and reach their personal best. Each student is unique. I would therefore like to think that every student’s educational aspirations are met at Tauhara College and that it is a school that strives for equity and inclusiveness. I believe in Tauhara College’s ‘Commitment to excellence - Tino ū ki tou hiranga’ and the school’s underpinning values which provide the basis for growth.

I also think that families and whānau play a large role in assisting schools to evaluate their progress and develop.

Gordon Roberts

I am a Veterinary Surgeon and entrepreneur. After 15 years of managing a thriving business I’m ready to use the skills I’ve acquired to benefit the board of trustees. Returning to New Zealand to send my children to Kiwi schools has been a hugely important decision for my family, as I believe we offer an amazing environment for children in this country, where nature, community and cultural diversity are championed. I’m passionate about education, and deeply impressed with the wonderful job that Tauhara College does of nurturing and supporting its students. I’d like to give back to the school by helping it to grow and develop.

Joanne Lewis

I am Joanne Lewis and I am very happy to be serving on the Tauhara College Board of Trustees. Like all parents, I wish the best for my children and I recognise that their secondary education experience will set them up for life. I see Tauhara College as a school that strives to be the best it can be by providing a high quality and all encompassing environment to support learning. As a parent representative on the Board I want to support that on-going effort.

I am a self-employed resource management consultant and hearings commissioner. A large part of my work is assisting people with local body resource management processes (including analysing policy and regulatory frameworks). As a parent/care-giver representative on the Board of Trustees of Tauhara College I look forward to working with the school over the next three years.

Staff Representative Vicki Witton

Student Representative: Jack McNeill

Principal: Keith Buntting

I am privileged to be the Principal of Tauhara College and am thoroughly enjoying the opportunity of connecting with the cross section of students that make this school such a positive, vibrant and adventurous learning environment. I am also honored to work with a very committed, enthusiastic, future-focused Board of Trustees and a team of teachers who ensure that our students have powerful learning experiences. Prior to this opportunity to work at Tauhara College, I was the Deputy Principal of Morrinsville College in the Waikato, and Learning Area Leader of English at Matamata College. Both schools shaped my journey as a teacher and as a leader, and reinforced my vision for ensuring that education should be a personally relevant and adventurous experience for all students.