Meet the Board

Kia ora my name is Dave Tilton, my daughter began at Matua Ngaru in February 2019. My wife and I built and moved into our first home in Huapai in mid-2018 along with our two daughters (6 and 2).

From 2002 to 2009 I was a Commissioned Officer in the New Zealand Army with operational experience in the Middle East in 2009. In 2012-2013 I undertook an MBA at AUT University at the same time as starting my own business which now employs 40 staff across New Zealand and overseas.

I am the Managing Director of Parallaxx, a traffic management consultancy firm based in Auckland which I founded in 2012. Particularly over the last 2 years, I’ve transitioned from ‘in the business’ to ‘on the business’ which has afforded me valuable exposure to the world of governance. I am a Member of the Institute of Directors (MInstD) and an active participant in their programs. I’ve undertaken numerous courses in governance, finance and strategy through my membership.

I’m a passionate west-Aucklander since birth and the purchase of our first home and transition of our first child to school has solidified our roots in the north-west for some time to come. We are looking forward to our 2-year old attending Matua Ngaru in 2022.

I’m enthralled and impressed by Matua Ngaru’s connection with Maori culture and adoption of evidence-based learning principles. My daughter is loving it and each and every interaction I’ve had with all staff has been exemplary.

I’ve been fortunate with exposure to a range of organisational cultures across my working career, from military to construction to my own business. The transcending theme is synergy – and I’ve evolved profound respect for teamwork and mutual understanding. I enjoy collaborative environments where different views are collected and shared to move towards an agreed outcome.

My desire for consideration on the Board of Trustees is threefold – first to contribute to my community, second to be part of a culture that has impressed me greatly to date, and third to share expertise that I hope will add value. I seek more exposure to the world of governance and in return - promise an attitude of openness, respect and curiosity. I seek first to understand, before being understood. Through that approach, I find collaborative environments to be rewarding and would very much like to be considered to be part of this one.

Diana is the foundation Principal at Matua Ngaru School and prior to this was the Associate Leader of Learning at Ormiston Primary School. Her lifelong learning journey includes a Masters in Educational Technology, Bachelor of Science in Environmental Science., Bachelor of Education, the National Aspiring Principals Program and the Springboard Trust Principal Leadership Programme. She is a Google Certified Innovator who completed the Mindlab Post Grad Certificate in Applied Practice in 2015. She is a member of WIEL, APPA, WAPA, NZPF and NZEALS.

Diana loves to read, watch movies and travel. She is mommy to 3 gorgeous fur babies of the feline persuasion. While Diana was born and raised in Thunder Bay, Ontario she now identifies as a ‘Caniwi’ who met her New Zealander husband in South Korea, one of the 59 countries they have visited. While travelling, Diana loves to find places to snorkel, hike and have mini-adventures of the active and culinary sorts. Her favourite countries so far include: Aotearoa (of course!), Colombia, Panama, Italy, Jordan, Finland and Kenya.

Previously, Diana worked with Cognition Education for 7 years in both the Middle East and New Zealand where she supported school leaders and teachers to use innovative pedagogy and digital technologies through coaching, mentoring and inquiry models.

Diana, guided by her moral compass, is committed to creating collaborative, creative and wonderful opportunities that enable all learners to drive their own learning. We want to offer the best schooling experience for our young people by challenging them to think and act differently. She is passionate about guiding all tamariki in our Matua Ngaru community to engage in "ubiquitous learning, on a wave of change" through enacting our four learning values:

• Communicative | Whakaaro,
• Creative | Auaha,
• Curious | Mahirahira and
• Collaborative | Mahi tahi .

Diana holds the unique position of being both the educational leader of the school and a member of the Board of Trustees in the role of governance. Diana is thrilled to have a highly competent and passionate parent elected Board and looks forward to governing Matua Ngaru collaboratively, transparently and effectively alongside them.

Kirstin was born in Rotorua, but spent most of her school years in Wellington, before moving to Hamilton to complete her teacher training at the University of Waikato. She began her teaching career in Tauranga in the early 1990s, and has since taught in Hamilton, Levin and Auckland. In her last position she was a Learning Leader at Oteha Valley School and was responsible for a team of teachers and students ranging from New Entrants to Year Six.

She considers herself to be lifelong learner, and enjoys having the opportunity to further develop her personal and professional knowledge. Kirstin holds both a Diploma of Teaching and a Bachelor of Education. Most recently, she completed the MindLab Post Graduate Certificate in Applied Practice (Digital and Collaborative Learning), and this led to her being nominated as one of 4 finalists for the Next Foundation Expert Teacher award. Kirstin also completed He Papa Tikanga - Certificate in Tikanga Māori in 2017.

Kirstin is married, with one adult son who is currently at university. She is an avid reader, enjoys listening to a wide range of music, and is a huge fan of Science Fiction, which has fostered an interest in robotics and coding. Her two very active Cocker Spaniels ensure that she and her husband spend plenty of time outdoors as well.

Her interest and experience lies in delivering and leading innovative classroom programmes, where students are supported to follow personalised learning pathways, underpinned by a competency based curriculum. Kirstin is committed to leading both students and colleagues to identify their strengths, as well as their areas for growth, and by supporting them in their learning journey, helping them to activate their full potential.

Kirstin is our staff trustee. The role of the staff trustee is to present to the board of trustees the views of the staff and to report to the staff non-management related decisions of the board as per the minutes. As a trustee the staff trustee has an obligation to serve the broader interests of the school and its students.

Kirstin looks forward to serving on the Board of Trustees at Matua Ngaru School.

Tena koutou. My name is Jaime Rose-Peacock. I am so excited and proud to be part of the BOT for Matua Ngaru.

My family and I are lucky to live a hop, skip and jump from school – One of my favourite things every morning is walking my daughter, Charlie, into kāinga wheke and seeing the excitement of each day. I get to see the wonderful interaction between the Learning Coaches and Learners, see what projects are on the go and then to walk away knowing that my daughter has the privilege of being at such an amazing new school, with so many opportunities.

My husband, David, is in the military. He travels a lot with work, and it was important to me, to find a balance in our lives, where I could see my daughter to school each day, be home with her at the end, get to take her to her activities, and be with her during school holidays. I have been blessed to bring that vision alive by starting up my own companies. With self-employment and the relative flexibility that it has given me, I try and put as much into Charlie’s life as possible: through sports, hobbies and school. Hence, I have put my very willing hand up to be part of the MNS Board and I am so humbled that I was elected to be part of the team. Having the opportunity to help with the future of Charlie’s school, at such a foundation stage, is an exciting prospect.

I have worked across a wealth of roles in my twenty years in the workforce. The majority of my recent roles have been in leadership in the Health Sector. I currently own and run two companies – one is Marbles Business Solutions, a consultancy which offers Human Resources, Employment Relations and Organisational Behaviour advice to small businesses. I have recently established The Adelphi Project, which helps guide individuals towards professional wellbeing (career coaching, CV/Interview skills and Employment Advocacy & Representation). I am passionate about all things to do with employment justice, whether that is by representing the Employer or Employee. Finding a balance is satisfying.

I have also enjoyed being in governance over the past four years’ experience serving on a number of boards. These include the Helensville Women & Family Centre, Massey University Extramural Student Society (President) and Muriwai Volunteer Life Saving Club (MVLS). I am also Welfare Officer for MVLS and heavily involved in Children’s Protection. On a Sunday, you will also find David and I down at Muriwai in Charlie’s Under 10 Nippers team (with him as Coach and me as Manager) I have a passion for boards which have a social welfare aspect. I am all about helping create “the change you want to see” and for me: governance allows me to work at a high level to help company’s steer in a strategic direction and with ethics and best practice at the forefront of those strategies.

I am excited to be part of the MNS Board to bring my passion and commitment to the team. I am driven to leave a legacy within the organisations I serve – whether that is big or small. Knowing I have helped serve an organisation makes me incredibly satisfied and proud.