Presiding Member

I am thrilled to be Presiding Board member at Westlake Girls High School this year. My family and I live in the local community and my daughter Isla is a current student at the school.

I have been fortunate to have developed a significant amount of governance experience having served as Board Chair at both Takapuna Normal Intermediate School and Northcote Primary School over the last few years.  I am proud of the achievements the team I worked with made in the terms that we served for both schools.  I have also held Board positions at Dress for Success Auckland and HP New Zealand and will soon join the Sir John Kirwan Foundation Board as a Trustee.

In my position, I can offer the school my experience from the commercial sector, as well as my knowledge and experience of governance, and my personal passion to help steer the school into the future. I am passionate about community engagement, staff and student welfare and creating an excellent learning environment for all students.

I am a qualified Chartered Accountant and member of the Institute of Directors, as well as a member of Global Women New Zealand. I have extensive and unique commercial experience both in NZ and abroad.

I have been fortunate to spend the last 20 years working in the IT industry holding a number of executive roles across several companies. I recently left Spark New Zealand where I had worked for 3.5 years in positions such as the COO of Spark Health, the Group Program Lead, and CEO of Entelar (a Spark subsidiary).

I am looking forward to continuing to work with the Board to ensure we provide the best environment for all students, and to ensure all students have access to the many opportunities that a school such as Westlake Girls High School can offer.

Principal

I was appointed Principal of Westlake Girls with effect from 1 May 2017. Following a degree in Physical Education from Otago, my first teaching position was at Epsom Girls Grammar School. I then went on to teach at Rangitoto College for 10 years. More recently I worked at Birkenhead College where I held the position of Assistant Principal for 12 years.

Prior to taking up this position, I was the Athlete Life Manager at High Performance Sport New Zealand for four years, where I led a team of advisers to develop a programme designed to maximise the potential of our elite athletes.

I have lived on the North Shore for more than 30 years and am married to husband Mike and have three children, two sons and a daughter who all attended the Westlake schools. As a former champion rower I am still involved in this sport and I love to spend as much time as I can enjoying outdoor life.

I enjoy working with the Board as we build on the success of Westlake Girls and ensure that our students make the most of every opportunity and are fully equipped to meet the challenges that lie ahead of them.

Co-opted Member

Talofa lava, I have been a Co-opted member on WGHS board since April 2023 and currently on the WGHS Pasefika parents committee. Of Samoan descent (Matautu-Lefaga and Leauva’a) and my family (daughter and four nieces) have been students at WGHS for the last 9 years. My daughter Dora recently completed her Year 13 in 2023.

Westlake is a school like no other. It has been a great nurturing ground for our girls both academically, culturally, and on the sporting field.

It’s an absolute privilege to serve alongside passionate, skilled, and proactive board members at WGHS. They really care about our staff and students. I contribute advice relating to policy, health and safety, research, academia, and supporting our many cultural communities at Westlake Girls. Outside of education, I am involved on boards and special advisory groups for the health safety, pacific/migrant community, ergonomics, and retail industries.

I have a PhD in anthropometry and 3D body scanning (AUT), MSc in human factors (Loughborough) and BSc in psychology (Otago). I specialize in reducing musculoskeletal injuries in our construction industry. Previously, I was a senior adviser (WorkSafe NZ), research associate (Sports Performance Research Institute New Zealand, AUT), military scientist (NZDF/NATO), consultant (Bristol) and counsellor (Youthline).

My experiences above have taught me the value of perseverance, quality education, understanding ‘people’, and ensuring that workers (staff) and students alike are supported, and feel safe. These are values that I hope to promote Westlake Girls High School.

Member

It is an honour to be on the Westlake Girls High School Board.  My daughter is in Year 11 at this great school, and we have lived on the North Shore for 23 years.

I am passionate about fostering strong community support for our school, along with creating an excellent learning environment for all staff and students.  I believe that education is key in developing our students into strong independent people, that in return contribute positively to our community.  The wellbeing of staff and students is also fundamental.

I currently in a senior role at New Zealand Carbon Farming.  My broad background across Accounting, Finance, Operations, Sales and Strategy, is often called upon to bring a balanced approach to decision making.  I have significant experience in the IT and Telecommunications industries with nearly 20 years working for companies such as Microsoft, TelstraClear and Vodafone. I am also a member of the Institute of Directors.

I have coached and managed my daughter’s various netball teams over the years, and am currently an active supporter and parent helper in the Westlake Girls Rowing programme.

I am committed to ensuring that Westlake Girls continues to deliver opportunities for students and staff to realise their potential and drive.

Student Member

Hi, I’m Jappan Kaur, a Year 13 student at Westlake Girls High School. I was born in New Zealand and my parents migrated from Punjab, India in 2001. After facing many hardships in New Zealand because of their race, religion and socio-economic differences, they continued to pursue through those tough times and are now successfully and happily living on the North Shore. My parents made many sacrifices to give me a life much easier than theirs and I want to thank them for this and their constant support because they are the reason why I am here.

I am very grateful for being elected me as the Board’s Student Representative of Westlake Girls High School. I will continue to try my absolute best to fulfil all the promises I made and represent the student body and their concerns. I would also like to thank everyone who took the time to vote, not just for me but any of the other capable candidates, because I am proud that you took action to get closer to changing our school for the better. I would also like to thank all my teachers and staff for supporting me and a special mention of thanks to the other candidates.

Here in my time at Westlake, I’ve tried to make the best of the opportunities our school offers and I am very grateful to be here at this school and for all the amazing teachers and peers that supported me every step of the way and still continue to do so. I have previously been part of the school tennis team, the CYGNET programme, and many different clubs and events. I am currently an Amnesty International leader, librarian team leader, participating in the Bronze Duke of Edinburgh and many other clubs and activities ranging from participating in the Westlake Model United Nations to Junior Debating and Philosophy Club. This school has helped me excel in school as well as out of school helping me to win speech competitions, sports competitions and encouraging me to help my committee through volunteering.

Standing up for this role was a step outside my comfort zone, challenging my confidence, abilities and self-esteem. I am grateful I did this because I believe that growth only happens when one is willing to put themselves in an uncomfortable and challenging situation. That’s how I believe one can truly grow and become a better person for both themselves and the society around them.

Now elected for this role of student representative I will take the problems and concerns of the students to the Board so real, long-lasting change can happen that enhances the student and staff life here at Westlake Girls’ High School. I am dedicated to helping my peers and my teachers. As promised, I want to be the voice of the students and have this voice heard loud and strong.

Once again thank you to everyone who took the time to vote and also supported me along the way.