Board of Trustees

The Board of Trustees are elected in accordance with the Education Act 1989.

Board meetings are held in two parts. All members of the public are welcome to attend the first part of the meeting. If there are confidential matters that need to be discussed, following the public part of the meeting the Board moves into “committee” and this section of the meeting is only open to the Trustees and the Principal.

If you would like to get in contact with the Board of Trustees please email chair@newtown.school.nz

Nick Booth

Co-Chairperson

Kia ora koutou,

We have 2 kids at Newtown and I’ve really enjoyed being part of the school community.

I have been a member of the Board of Trustees for 5 years.

During this time Board members have worked hard to support the school to provide a fun, safe place for learning and teaching.

I’m excited about the recent shift to co-governance on the Board and hope that this contributes to giving meaningful effect to Te Tiriti o Waitangi at school.

I work in the post production film industry. I enjoy biking and bush walks as long as they’re quite short.

If you’d like to know more about what the Board does feel free to ask me or any of the other trustees.

Ngā mihi nui,

Nick Booth

Joe Winkels

Co-Chairperson

Ko Ngatokimatawhaorua tōku waka

Ko Te Ahu Ahu tōku maunga

Ko Omapere tōku roto

Ko Ngawha me Parawhenua oku marae

Ko Ngati Hineira, Ko Ngati Rangi, ratou ko Te Uri Taniwha ōku hapu.

Ko Ngāpuhi Nui Tonu tōku iwi.

No Taitokerau ahau

I whānau mai au, i Te Whanganui-A-Tara

Ko Joe tōku ingoa

Kia ora koutou

My partner and I have 3 tamariki with our eldest, attending Newtown School in Ngati Kotahitanga.

We have lived in Newtown on and off for past 20 years and very much call Newtown home. We love living in and being part of the amazing community that is uniquely Newtown and seeing our community expressed at our school

I have been apart of the Board since late 2019 and thoroughly enjoy supporting the school to ensure it can be the best place it can be, for all of our tamariki and kaimahi who spend part of their journey here.

Having recently stepped into the space of Co-Governance with Nick, I am excited to serve our school community through duel leadership and being part of a Board and School that is on a journey to ensuing we are giving meaningful effect to Te Tiriti o Waitangi/ Treaty of Waitangi.

When I am not at the school, our whānau is kept busy with 3 tamariki who led much more busier lives through various sports and other commitments, my mahi is with Biosecurity NZ/Tiakiatanga Pūtaiao Aotearoa- within The Ministry for Primary Industries. As a whānau we like to get to the beach, up into the hills around Newtown and pursue the challenges of Brazilian Ju Jitsu.

Always keen to talk about our amazing kura, the Board or the community so feel free to drop a line, come up at the sports field or chat on the streets of Newtown

Mauri ora!

Jessica Gorman

Parent Rep

Tēnā koutou

We have been part of the Newtown School community for over 10 years, with one child now at Wellington High School, one at South Wellington Intermediate and our youngest in Year 4 in Pohutukawa. We love Newtown School and its warm, friendly and fun community and we have all made lifelong friendships here.

I joined the Board of Trustees as a parent trustee in 2019 and was honoured to be the Chair until midway through 2023. It has been great during my time on the Board to learn more about the amazing work that goes on at our school and to be part of exciting changes happening like the appointment of our tumuaki Nicki, the re-opening of our school pool and the expansion of our Ngāti Kotahitanga classes. I am now contributing to the Board as our Treasurer.

If you would like to know any more about what it’s like to be on a Board of Trustees, please come and have a chat if you see me in the playground or drop me an email.

Ngā mihi maiora

Jess Gorman

Yadana Saw

Parent Rep

Kia ora tatou, mingalabar, I’m Yadana Saw. Like both my kids, I love being a part of the Newtown School whānau. I’ve been on the Board for 5 years and am really proud of the way we look after each other at our kura, and the work we are doing to make our school the best place to learn and teach.

One of the things the Board has worked really hard on is its commitment to Te Tiriti o Waitangi and how everyone at our school can benefit from taking a Tiriti-led approach. It helps us to make our decisions more equitably and thoughtfully.

Other priorities I look forward to working on are:

Growing our community engagement and interaction for school whanau-wide events
Implementing a vision for a climate-friendly and sustainable Newtown School
Having a clear, shared understanding of what success and achievement looks like in our community

I am a first-term councillor on the Greater Wellington Regional Council, and have previously worked at RNZ. Outside of mahi I mostly bike everywhere, play video games with my kids, cook, knit and spend too much time scrolling on my phone.

Please feel free to come along to any of our board meetings. We always have biscuits and good times!

Shannyn Edmonds

Ngāti Kotahitanga Rep

Nei rā te mihi ki te whānau whānui o Te Kura o Ngā Puna Wairoa. Ko wai tenei?

He uri whakaheke au no Ngati Tuwharetoa, Ngati Tahu, Ngati Kahungunu, Ngati Hinemanu ki Rangitikei, Ngapuhi. Ko Shannyn Edmonds ahau. I tipu ake au ki te taha o Te Awakairangi, engari kei te noho au inaianei ki te Whanganui-a-Tara. A Māmā to two beautiful girls, who are in Ngāti Kotahitanga.

Fatima Sheikh
Staff Rep

Kia Ora koutou,
Ko Fatima toku ingoa
No Humarie ahau
Kei te noho auki Omaroro.
Assalam alaikum and Hi everyone. My name is Fatima , I am a teacher aid in whānau pōhutukawa at Newtown School since last year. I am the staff representative of board of trustees. I was born in Somalia, I grew up in Kuwait and moved to New Zealand 2012 to join my husband Mohamoud. We have three kids and they are Newtown school students. The kids and I love the environment of Newtown school. Newtown school is rich in multicultural and diversity and I’m glad to be part of the whānau as a mother and a member of staff. I enjoy cooking, walking around the beaches ,reading ,writing ,researching and analysing. I love and enjoy mathematics as I have a master degree in Statistics and Operation Research/Computer science.

Nicki Read
Principal

I am proud to be the Principal of Te Kura o ngā Puna Waiora (Newtown School). I have taught and led in a number of schools from in the countryside of Kaiapoi, multicultural whānau grouped Bangladesh and a number of Wellington schools until landing at Newtown School.

I have a heart for becoming better Te Tiriti o Waitangi partners, inspiring kindness and inclusion for all based on a respect for all cultures. I believe in weaving community together and have a passion for learning. My husband Richard and my three children keep life interesting. We love to walk, swim, read, discuss life views, listen to music and eat together.