The Paekākāriki School Board is the governing body of Paekākāriki School. It is made up of the School Principal/Tumuaki, a staff representative, and elected parent representatives.
The board’s role is to oversee the governance of the school. It is responsible for setting and providing oversight over the strategic direction of the school, financial and property management, policies and procedures, health and safety, and the employment of staff at the kura.
The Principal of the school is the board’s ‘chief executive’, and manages the day-to-day operations of the school in line with the board’s direction and policies.
Devah Jackson-Botterill is the Board Chair and she can be contacted at chair@paekakariki.school.nz
Board meetings are open to the public.
Board members are elected for three year terms. Standing for election to the school board is a great way of getting involved in the school community and in the education of our tamariki.
Copies of agendas for upcoming Board meetings
Copies of minutes for previous Board meetings
Julia Bevin
(Tumuaki/Principal)
Jess Hortop
(Staff representative)
Devah Jackson-Botterill (Parent representative and board chair/presiding member)
Five years in Las Vegas, four years in New Zealand, two years in Denmark, one year in
London, three years in Singapore…and I’m back! Not bad for a little girl born along the Mississippi River.
We (myself, my husband, who is originally from Auckland, and our dogs) returned to NZ in 2014. We’ve since had two tamariki, both of whom currently attend Paekakariki School.
It is sincerely humbling to serve as the Presiding Member of our school board. While I am not an expert in education, policy, finance, processes, governance…. or even school pools…it is a pleasure to chair such a dynamic team. Watching Paekākāriki students develop into the confident and curious beings that they are has been an amazing experience for the past two years. I encourage families from all over to come and see the good things we have going here!
Email: chair@paekakariki.school.nz
I’ve lived in Paekakariki since 2015, with my wife Maree and our daughter Mia, who is currently in Nga Kakano (junior block) at the school. We love the community here and we are keen to make a contribution where we can, and help the school continue to thrive.
I grew up with education in small rural schools, and both my parents were teachers. I went to playcentre at Ngā Tamanuhiri marae in Muriwai, near Gisborne, then schools in different rural areas in Horowhenua and Wairarapa.
My professional background is in governance and management in private sector technology and design businesses, and I’ve held governance roles in the non-profit sector for Outward Bound NZ, the experiential education provider, and 2020 Communications National Trust, who instigated and ran the NZ Computers in Homes programme. I’m currently an Ambassador for the Gillies McIndoe Research Institute.
Email: nickwhite@paekakariki.school.nz
I live in Paekākāriki and have two tamariki at Paekākāriki School.
Our kura may be small but it has a great community spirit and I’m proud to represent it as a parent representative on the board.
I am an historian by training but have worked in government for the past decade, most recently at the Office of the Auditor-General, where my role involves reporting on and making recommendations to improve the performance of public sector organisations.
My previous and current community roles include secretary at Paekākāriki Playcentre and committee member for Ngā Uruora Kāpiti, a local conservation restoration group.
Originally from Northland, my ancestors are from Scotland, England, Ireland and Aotearoa (Ngāi Te Rangi).
Email: rachelpatrick@paekakariki.school.nz
In 2022 we relocated from Little River, Banks Peninsula, Ōtautahi Christchurch to Paekākāriki, where we have two tamariki at school. I grew up in Paekākāriki and it is a great joy to return to my whānau, and turangawaewae, to enable my tamariki to grow up here.
I have an education background as a secondary school art teacher with experience both in Aotearoa and I taught abroad for twelve years, in London and Kathmandu, Nepal where I lived for three years before returning home. I currently work at Pātaka Art + Museum in Porirua as an art educator.
I have a strong interest in the benefit of the arts to support wellbeing, in education settings and beyond. As a Board member I am committed to support the work that the school does with our tamariki, to enable every learner to achieve, thrive and develop themselves in their time at school.
Email: josiewhelan@paekakariki.school.nz
Tēnā koutou katoa, my name is Brigitta (often called “B”),
I moved to Paekakariki in 2021 with my son Kellan (10) and been on the board of trustees here since 2022.
I grew up in Ōtaki with my parents – a teacher and a social worker. It has always been important to our family to give back to the community where we can and I feel especially lucky to have ended up in this village where everyone looks out for and cares for each other. I am passionate about Paekākāriki school and want to support and challenge the board and staff to create a safe and exciting environment for our tamariki where they are cared for and valued while invited to tap into their unlimited potential, set up for high school and beyond.
Kellan and I moved from Tutukaka, in Northland where I worked in the health sector, running a large technology programme for the Northland DHB. It has been so wonderful for us to return to the Kapiti coast and reconnect with whanau and friends from my childhood and to bring Kellan back to his ūkaipo and his Ngāti Raukawa and Te Ati Awa whānau and whakapapa.
I currently manage the project delivery function for One New Zealand and have had experience in governance and management for both the private and public sectors. Being on the board of trustees has been a new and exciting challenge for me as I navigate through the ways in which we support our kura and bring the strategy to life.
Email: brigitta@paekakariki.school.nz
