BOT Members
Chris Caselton
Board Chair
caseltonchris@mairehau.school.nz
Chris is our BOT Chairperson. He has two children, one of which is a current Mairehau student. He is a Chartered Quantity Surveyor and who has worked in construction for the last 23 years. He was born in the UK, grew up in Kent, studied in Manchester and then lived in Bristol, where he lived and worked until moving to NZ in 2013. Chris chose to be part of the BOT because he is a parent and wanted to be more involved with the school and because he wanted to contribute some of his experience to the proposed refurbishment project.
John Pearson
Deputy Board Chair
pearsonjohn@mairehau.school.nz
John's son and daughter attend Mairehau High School. John is a researcher at the University of Otago at Christchurch.
Don MacDonald
Co-opted Trustee
macdonalddon@mairehau.school.nz
Don's son and daughter attended Mairehau High School.
Elissa Smith
Parent Trustee
smithelissa@mairehau.school.nz
Elissa has 4 children who will be at Mairehau for their secondary education. She has been working and volunteering in the education sector for 24 years with a strong focus on advocating for families and communities. She was keen to be on the Board to communicate the needs of current families and strengthen the school for the future.
Alex Prior
Student Representative
Alex is a Year 13 student and was elected by students to represent them on the board for the 2024 year.
Harry Romana
Principal
romanah@mairehau.school.nz
Harry has been the Principal of Mairehau High School since 2004.
Ben MacDonald
Staff Representative
macdonab@mairehau.school.nz
Ben has unique insight into Mairehau as he has been a permanent feature here for some time. First as a pupil attending the school, he briefly left to train in music and teaching before returning to join the teaching ranks. Ben teaches in the music department and is the year 11 dean.
Giving Effect to Te Tiriti o Waitangi at Mairehau High School
Manahua te mānehurangi - Take charge of your destiny. The Mairehau High School Board of Trustees fully acknowledges its responsibility to honour Te Tiriti o Waitangi and ensure that its actions align with the treaty's principles. As one of the primary objectives of the board, efforts have been made to recognise the aims and aspirations of Māori, address the employment requirements of Māori, and foster greater involvement of Māori in the education service. This report highlights the actions taken by the Mairehau High School Board in pursuit of these objectives.