From the Board

It was a privilege to host the 107th Annual General Meeting of the St Andrew’s College Board of Governors on Thursday 20 June. As always, the AGM is an opportunity to reflect on the past year, hold ourselves accountable for achieving goals set at the start of the year, and look forward to opportunities ahead.

There have been no changes in Board members since the previous AGM. Two members, Stephanie Bain and Peter Nelson, were reappointed for a second term of three years. My appointment as Board Chair and Nick Letham’s appointment as Deputy Chair were both ratified at the AGM. We have a prayer that we say at the start of each Board meeting. It speaks about the Board giving their time and skills freely to support the College’s vision and being positive working examples of living the Colleges values. I’m proud to say my fellow Board members live up to those words with great respect for each other and the College.

The 2023 Annual Report presented at the AGM can be found on the College website under the heading Publications. Contributing factors to the health of the College in 2023 included the strong roll, high academic achievements, a number of sporting and cultural successes, continued well-being initiatives, development of the first Cultural Narrative, the appointment of a dedicated Health and Safety Manager, generous donations from our community, and sustained giving back to the community.

We wouldn’t be enjoying these successes if it weren’t for the team effort of the whole community. Leadership across the College, management teams, teachers, and support staff, keep the College running day to day. Our staff strive for continuous improvement which ensures the students can perform at their best. Support and generosity from the wider community strengthen the outcomes.

Jo Parsons, Castle Hill Outdoor Education Centre Operations Manager, spoke to the Board at our meeting in May. Jo took us through Castle Hill’s health and safety measures, and the current challenges and opportunities in the outdoor recreation sector. Jo is a highly respected specialist in this area, and we are fortunate to have her expertise alongside the experienced team of instructors. Our carefully managed outdoor programmes balance levels of challenge with risk controls, giving our ākonga an immeasurable experience that builds character, confidence, and social skills.

At our April Board meeting, we heard from Chief Information Officer, Dave Hart, and Nick Baty from Bastion Security Group on the topic of cyber security. Nick explained the most common phishing and credential harvesting pathways and attacks the College is exposed to. Bastion Security Group’s review suggested that the College has reasonably good cyber safety hygiene and we are focused on how we continue to move with developments in this area.

Congratulations to the hockey and netball parent committees for hosting a successful Black and Bling Ball. It was a fabulous night and great to see the support from the school community.

The official opening of our new Ngā Toi Performing Arts Centre, combined with the opening night of the Senior Production, Legally Blonde, was an impressive spectacle. It is the beginning of a new home for creativity, talent, boundless potential, and community connection. It has been many years in the planning and two years in construction.

Designed by Wilke and Bruce and constructed by Armitage Williams, the Performing Arts Centre encompasses the Gough Family Theatre, the Fife Dance and Drama Studios, and superb lighting and sound design throughout. We are grateful for the many generous donations which have made this possible.

The Board was delighted to announce the appointment of Mark Wilson as our next Rector to our staff, students, and school community on Thursday 30 May. The Board spent considerable time getting to know Mark and his wife, Judi, during the recruitment process. Mark has invaluable and proven experience relevant to all aspects of our St Andrew’s College’s offering. This experience has been gained over the past 25 years in his roles as leader of a large co-educational independent school, Kristin School, leader of Cashmere High School, Deputy Principal at Hamilton Boys’ High School, and Boarding House Director at St Peter’s School in Cambridge.

Mark shared his educational vision with us which is based on making a real and positive difference in the development of young people so they can realise their potential as individuals as members of our society. We are excited to begin a new chapter in 2025 and work alongside Mark as we continue realising our shared vision. We are confident Mark will continue to build on the College’s strong foundations, and foster our long tradition of academic, sporting, and cultural excellence, as well as growing wellrounded young people.

In the meantime, the Board is privileged to continue to work alongside Christine Leighton in the final six months before she retires at the end of the year. We know she will continue to lead with her usual passion, commitment, and professionalism, and leave her inimitable mark on every aspect of College life.

Noho ora mai.

Felicity Odlin
Board Chair
On behalf of the Board of Governors