From the Board

Ehara taku toa i te toa takitahi, ēngari he toa takatini. Our strength does not come from ourselves alone: our strength derives from the many. This whakataukī (proverb) is attributed to Paterangi of Ngāti Kahungunu. It also reminds me of the parable or fable (frequently repeated among many nations and civilisations) that “one arrow is easily broken but a bundle of arrows is not”. This sentiment is a good reflection of how the Kristin community has come together to respond to the challenges of the past 18 months.

Our thanks go to our amazing staff for their magnificent responses to the disruptions caused by the COVID-19 situation; for example, the successful transition to remote learning and back on site, and the rescheduling of events.

We also thank our families for their part in managing through the lockdowns, particularly those parents who were juggling working at home and supporting their children’s remote learning. Finally, we acknowledge our students for their resilience and strength of character; this is evident in some of our best-ever NCEA and IB Diploma achievements in 2020.

The school is in a positive financial position, with student enrolments peaking at 1,777 as at 1 March 2021 and strong application demand. Given the potential for economic impact across Aotearoa and in our community, the retention of families at Kristin was better than anticipated. We thank all our families for their continued support.

What underpinned our successful navigation of the changing public health situation was the quality of the relationships in our community; the trust and goodwill that was already present before the crisis situation occurred. We shouldn’t take this for granted. Forming positive relationships requires an intent to do so, investment of time and energy, and generosity of spirit. As a school, it is important that we all continue to work to develop a positive sense of belonging and healthy wellbeing for all our community.

It is my pleasure and honour to be writing as the Interim Chair for the Board of Trustees. Gus Gilmore has temporarily stepped aside as Chair due to current demands in his role as CEO of the merged MIT and Unitec, although he remains as a Trustee. Managing board succession over the next 12 to 18 months is a focus for the board, as we will have some board members stepping down at the end of their terms.

During 2021 the board looks to make new appointments, and we have been humbled by the quality and quantity of the response from our community, with over 40 outstanding candidates putting themselves forward. The whakataukī quoted above applies just as well to the board, whose members value having diverse life experiences and skill sets represented to give strength to our collective impact.

The board has recently approved a new Strategic Plan for 20212025, which is built on by our commitment for the school, as well as its students, to be ‘future ready’. This includes developing the new “Korowai Ako” framework to provide wrap-around support for students, and high-quality professional learning and development for staff. Given the school’s strong financial position, the board has also committed to many new capital developments to support this intention. Alongside the “Lightbox” covered multisports centre, the board has also approved the new Junior School welcome/administration centre, and a range of improvements regarding traffic management.

Progress with Vision, Integrity and Love – these are the values of Kristin that strongly guide the board, as the board looks to the future in leading the development of the school’s purpose and strategy. It is with these values that we serve our community.

"The school is in a positive financial position, with student enrolments peaking at 1,777 as at 1 March 2021, and strong application demand."