About our Board of Trustees

'Take care of our children. Take care of what they hear, take care of what they see, take care of what they feel. For how the children grow, so will be the shape of Aotearoa.’ - Dame Whina Cooper

The Peninsula Primary Board of Trustees includes parents, one staff representative and the Principal. Elections for the board take place every three years.

The dates and times of our board meetings are published in our newsletter. Meetings are open for anyone to attend, but they are not public meetings. This means members of the public may attend, but will be asked to leave when the board goes into committee, and do not automatically have speaking or voting rights.

Our Board of Trustees Members

Katy Perry

Presiding Member

Kia ora tātou. Ko Katy tōku ingoa.
This is my third term on the board at PPS. I have three children - one currently in Year 4 and two have come through PPS and now on to local intermediate and high kura. I bring with me a wealth of knowledge around schools, as a teacher myself at Liston College, and also a teacher educator at the University of Auckland. I am a life-long learner and want to promote this love of learning in our PPS students. We have such a wonderful school community here and I passionate about ensuring all of our tamariki get the best out of kura through promoting a productive, safe and exciting environment.

Chris Mundell

Parent Representative

Hi, I’m Chris Mundell and this is my second term on the PPS board.
I have two children currently attending PPS and with a third to join them next year I feel it’s important to support the work of the Brenda and her team to ensure the school is the best place to learn, both now and for future new entrants!
With a professional background in sport and sport development I hope my skills around community engagement and growth can support the direction of the school. I really enjoyed the work of the board in my first term with some positive decisions made to improve the school both through resource and in the environment. I hope to be able to contribute this for the next three years.

Jaime Melville

Parent Representative

Kia ora e te whānau o tō tātou kura. Nō Pouto ahau, he uri tēnei nō Ngāti Whātua e tipu ake ahau ki Tāmaki Makaurau. Ko Jaime Melville tōku ingoa. I am a descendent of Ngāti Whātua tribe from Kaipara moana, born and raised in Auckland. I am dedicated to serving our students and teachers over the next three years. I am also looking forward to seeing our Mana Kura Programme with Te Kawarau a Maki develop further, enriching our school community. If you see me around our kura please come and say Kia ora! I'd love to have a kōrero. Together we can help our tamariki thrive.

Sara Tuitupou

Parent Representative

Talofa lava and Malo e lelei.
My name is Sara Tuitupou, and I am of Samoan descent married to Essendon Tuitupou whose family has resided in Te Atatu North since the 1970s! We have five children ranging from Years 6 to 12 who have all attended Peninsula Primary School and nieces and nephews who are also current students. As you can tell we are a proud Tongan/Samoan, generational family who continue to enjoy and see the growth and evolvement in our children’s education. I am so blessed to be able to serve our school and evolving wider community to the best of my ability.

Linda Yuen

Parent Representative

Kia ora, I’m Linda Yuen, a local parent and proud mum to a Year 1 student. I’m of Chinese heritage, born and raised in Fiji, and have called New Zealand home for over 20 years-with the past 8 years spent here in the Peninsula. I’ve been very impressed with how much my son has grown in confidence and curiosity since starting at PPS, and it’s made me proud to see him thrive in such a warm, inclusive environment. That’s what’s inspired me to give back to this wonderful school community. I bring over 20 years of experience in finance, strategy, governance, and creating safe, people-first environment. I’m excited to support our tamariki, teachers, and whānau as part of the board.

Neil Cording

Parent Representative

Kia ora, my name is Neil Cording, a dad of two girls, one is in year 2 at PPS, and the other is due to join the 2026 roll.

I'm excited and privileged to join the Board of Trustees to give my insight, perspective and experience to our community's most valuable asset. I have a real interest in music and the arts, and work in the not-for-profit space for the Auckland Philharmonia. I love a good chat during drop-off and pick-up, so please do stop me for a yarn. I'd be only too happy to chat!

I look forward to seeing you at school events throughout the year.

Alecia McCulloch

Parent Representative

Kia ora koutou. Ko Alecia McCulloch tōku ingoa.I was born and raised in Ōtautahi Christchurch, and have lived on the Peninsula for nearly 15 years. I love that we live in such a diverse and supportive community and I feel very privileged to serve as a parent representative on the Peninsula Primary board.

Professionally, I have an accounting firm that specialises in services for the creative industries, and I am passionate about supporting the growth of others by providing them with the tools for success. I believe that access to quality education is one of the biggest gifts we can give our tamariki and that our role as board members is to help ensure that as a school we serve our local community to the best of our ability, so that every one of our students is able to achieve their potential and move on to higher education equipped with the tools to excel.

Sarah Mackay

Staff Representative

Kia Ora, my name is Sarah Mackay and I am the Peninsula Primary Staff representative on the Peninsula Primary BOT and this is my second term in this role. I am currently the Deputy Principal of Year 4-6. I feel really proud to work at PPS and really enjoy working with the staff, students and whānau that come through our kura. a

Brenda Cronin
Principal

Our Charter

Our Charter is the agreement between our board and the government on how we will continue to improve the school. It is an undertaking by the Board and outlines how the school is best managed and organised, the expected conduct of the school, and how our administration works.

The Board’s responsibilities towards the school curriculum are outlined in the National Education Guidelines, the National Administration Guidelines and National Curriculum Statements. These are considered part of our Charter. The Board is authorised to include goals that reflect the particular values and needs of our community and are agreed on through our community consultation.

View Our Charter Here

Understanding the governance of the school

The Board is entrusted to work on behalf of the school’s community, and is accountable for the school’s performance. It sets the standards and vision for the school, and ensures compliance with all legal and policy requirements. Policies are made at a governance level and outline clear responsibilities to the Principal.

Along with the Principal, the board serves as part of the leadership team. The Principal reports to the board as a whole. In serving the school the board is proactive rather than reactive, and does not involve itself in the daily operational matters of the school. The board places student achievement as its focus, and aims to ask the right questions to best advance the success of the pupils.

If you are interested in reading more about the governance of schools in New Zealand, the New Zealand School Trustee Association website is a good place to start.

The Board ensures the goals laid out in the school’s Charter are achieved through good practises. The Board serves a number of practical purposes, including setting strategic goals, board policy, delegating powers to the appropriate groups of individuals, and reviewing how well all of those parts are working to improve the school.

The Principal manages the school within the planning and policies of the Board. The Board and Principal work in partnership to provide and maintain overviews of school activities, develop and review board policy, provide strategic direction and keep track of progress on all these fronts.