School Board

My name is Emma Nasimi. I’m proud my children attend Owairoa, and am proud to continue to represent the parents of Owairoa on our Board. I’m a Mum to Suri in Year 4 and Layla in Year 2. My husband Kenny and I love Howick, he runs his small business here. We love exploring the area together as a family, you can find us out walking, enjoying local cafes or visiting beaches with our dog. Our girls play rugby at Pakuranga United, where I’m a committee member. I coach Layla’s team and manage the Girls Rugby portfolio.

I’ve been in the medical device industry for 20 years, providing healthcare solutions to hospitals and patients. This involves the engineering of strategic products that are beneficial to customers and patients. I have a passion for helping people and that’s why I work where I do. I have an Honours Degree in Physics and a Masters Degree in Health Psychology. I’m passionate about kids getting a love for learning and ingrained habits that set them up for life during their primary school years. I believe this should be academically and also socially; including sporting, wellbeing and values-based learning. I believe in the RISE Values of Owairoa and in us being able to offer a great learning platform for all of our children. I have a passion for diversity, particularly for opportunities for women in science and technology.

I’m currently involved in a Tertiary Education Commission project called Inspiring the Future. This is about broadening primary age children’s career aspirations and challenging biases. My strongest value has always been integrity. I’m driven to do the best thing not for myself, but for the wider group. I have a strong belief and skills in listening to all sides to truly understand what is happening.

I’m a true collaborator that believes together we can always come up with better solutions than on our own. I promise you I will listen and relentlessly pursue the best outcome for students, staff and parents.

My name is Shaun Davidson, I am married to Jodi and together we have three sons- Luke (Year 6), James (Year 4) and Sam (Year 1). Our family has been part of the Owairoa community since our eldest started school in 2016. Owairoa is a fantastic school and I'd love to be involved in its continued success.

I grew up and completed my schooling in Howick, and our family is involved in the wider Howick community, including various sports clubs and we were previously active members of Howick Playcentre.

I bring my experience in business leadership and corporate management, as well as previous community sport board experience. I believe in an inclusive education where all children are supported to reach their goals, and professionals and parents work together to achieve best outcomes for the children.

It is a privilege to represent the Owairoa community and be a voice for parents on the School Board.

My name is Bruce Howard. I am a Detective Sergeant in the New Zealand Police. I have served on the Owairoa Primary School Board for over 25 years. My two children attended Owairoa. I have one granddaughter who attended Owairoa and currently have two granddaughters who recently started in the Junior School, so I have a strong investment in the educational values and environment of the school. My son is a Teacher at the school, further cementing our longstanding family connection to the school.

I believe that I bring to the Board, longstanding experience, stability, proven performance and the ability to make reasoned decisions to the benefit of all stakeholders at the school. I enjoy a positive relationship with the excellent Senior Management and Staff at Owairoa. This is supported by many outstanding reports from the Education Review Office.

I am a supporter of parental choice and I strongly advocate for the rights of students. This means making informed decisions in the best interests of the whole school population. I also advocate for school fees/donations, as they assist the Board in paying for the plethora of services that are not funded through our Ministry of Education grants.

The development of the school has continued to be dynamic, including the brilliant two storey 18 classroom block, reflective of the Ministry of Education’s belief that Owairoa is a high performing school with significant demand for enrolment places. The size of the school allows the Board to provide many services and resources that cannot be provided by smaller schools, which all students benefit from.

I look forward to the opportunity to maintain the stability and direction for the School Board to see the fulfilment of the many exciting changes and developments coming to our school. The other Board Members and I have done a sterling job on your behalf and we look forward to your continuing support in the subsequent Board term.

My name is Megan Bowles. I have been privileged to serve on the Owairoa Primary School Board for over 14 years. I offer my ongoing support to the Owairoa students, staff, and whanau. My vision is that Owairoa continues to be a safe and inclusive environment where our tamariki grow to be resilient, creative, and develop a love for learning.

I currently work for Playcentre Aotearoa facilitating a number of Space programmes, working with parents with new babies. My background in Early Childhood Education allows me to be a great representative for the parents, as I definitely have the child's needs as my number one focus. We have three children who all attended Owairoa Primary School, and we are proud of our long and positive association with the school. They have all moved through their school lives well prepared, securing wonderful working positions following their passions, due, we believe, to the excellent primary education foundation that they received at Owairoa.

An important function of the Board has been to support the Principal and staff to devise and deliver high quality programmes. We have continued this support by backing initiatives and arranging the funding to make these programmes happen. We have been particularly proactive in providing additional Teacher Aide support to assist with the student learning opportunities. In my opinion, Owairoa Primary School provides the best quality primary school education in our area and many families express the same sentiment.

As a Board Member, I am committed to ensuring that the school delivers the current high level of achievement that we all want for our children’s education. I am grateful for the support of the school community in electing me to the Board in the past and I have enjoyed working as a cohesive group with my fellow board members, so I can continue contributing to our school as an integral part of the Board of Trustees.

My name is Kitty Lu. It was an honor and a privilege to be selected as a new member of the Owairoa Primary School Board. I am a proud mother of two boys who currently attend Year 1 and Year 3 at Owairoa Primary School.

My family and I have lived in Howick for the past thirteen years. I have been working in the real estate industry for 10 years, through my career I have gained numerous skills that are of benefit to the School Board.

I have experience in cooperating between various areas and understand the importance of ensuring good, communicated relationships are in place. I am also passionate about creating a world where everyone can feel included.

As a first-generation immigrant which given me an appreciation of the challenges of cultural difference some of our family's experience. I understand the tasks we as parents face every day in balancing between our professional and family life. I want to play a bigger part in my children's education and being on the School Board is a great enabler for this. Through this, I hope to assist to build a strong relationship between parents and Owairoa Primary School, support our staff team and drive a best practices process.

My name is Katherine Foy and I am on the Owairoa Primary School Board to give back to the Howick and Owairoa School communities that are a huge part of my family’s life. I have two boys at Owairoa who are currently in Year 1 and Year 3. We also live on Nelson Street opposite the school so as a family we have a vested interested in everything that goes on at the school.

I want to ensure all the Owairoa students get the best experience at school. I believe primary school is the most important stage in the development of children. These formative years provide the foundation for them to build on in their future education and lives after school. To achieve this strong foundation, a strong board is required to assist the management of the school and provide sound decision making in the best interests of the whole school community.

I am a qualified accountant and have worked in both public and private sectors. In a previous role I was involved in the audits of public schools so, while I immigrated to New Zealand 13 years ago from the UK, I have a strong knowledge of how New Zealand schools work, from both operational and financial perspectives. Currently I am working as financial accountant at a Council Controlled Organisation where providing transparency of reporting is a key part of my role. I am used to following procedures while achieving results, a mindset that would be an asset to Owairoa.

I am heavily involved in my sons’ sporting pursuits, including manging teams and helping out at practices. I believe sport is an important part of a child’s upbringing and support the initiatives the school has in place to foster the student’s involvement in sport. My unique and varied experience means I bring a diverse perspective which allows me to relate to the situations those people in the school community find themselves in. I will work hard, I will be open and honest, and will represent the views of all in the local community the school services.

My name is Shaun Rice. For the last 45+ years, I have lived and undertaken my schooling locally. I am married to Kirsty and we have three children, all of whom have been or are currently students at Owairoa Primary School. Owairoa Primary is an important part of the local community. The family-centred ethos and the high educational standards and social values that the school promotes, are a credit to the hard work of the Senior Management and staff.

As a Board, we are exceptionally proud of the way the school consistently performs, teaches and cares for all students. Particularly during these uncertain times with COVID. Despite these unforeseen challenges, the staff has continued to provide a safe, fun and secure learning environment, inclusive of all.

For twenty years, I have worked at the Auckland Botanic Gardens as a team leader, workplace assessor and a health and safety co-ordinator. These role include carrying out workplace audits, organising staff training, drafting workplace procedures and completing risk assessments. All of these skills have been transferrable to my role on the Board.

My work experiences have enabled me to see the importance of sustainability and facilitating opportunities for children (and their families) to interact with the environment around them, to further their learnings about the world we live in. I have been lucky enough to coach and support my children in various sports and other pursuits. I certainly encourage all Owairoa students to participate in the co-curricular and extra-curricular activities the school offers. I believe that participation in activities like these can reinforce much of what children learn in the classroom, developing their skills in problem solving, communication and collaborating with others.

I look forward to continuing to provide the staff and students with meaningful access to the quality teaching resources required for their ongoing learning and development; and to ensure our school remains a safe environment for staff and students, to work, learn and play in.

My name is Barry Maxwell, I am a co-opted member of the Board of Trustees, with expertise in school property.

I am married with five adult children and numerous grandchildren who are at a school age. I am a retired Architect with 55 years experience and have spent my whole career focused on school design, initially with the Auckland Education Board and subsequently in private practice.

I have been privileged to work with the senior staff and previous Board of Trustees’ on all the developments at Owairoa Primary School from 1992 to 2017. I have a detailed understanding of the school property and also a good understanding of both Owairoa Primary School’s culture and its aspirations to offer a first class education to all students.

Having worked with the Ministry of Education since its inception, I have a full understanding of their policies and procedures and on that basis, I believe I can offer guidance and support to the Board at a time of significant property redevelopment in the school.

I see the co-option as a way of giving back to the community and I welcome the opportunity to participate in all other aspects of school governance.

Principal, Owairoa Primary School

Staff Representative, Owairoa Primary School