Rutherford Primary Governance
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Current Board of Trustees
ELECTED MEMBERS
John O'Neill-Fuller
Ingrid Papau
John Newall
Gina Cotton
Lavinia Perumal
PRINCIPAL
Amanda Bennett
STAFF TRUSTEE
Paul O'Leary-Ryan
BOARD SECRETARY
Michelle Kelly
Minutes of Meetings are available from the school office.
ELECTED MEMBERS OF THE BOARD
My name is John O’Neill-Fuller.
I’m the proud father of Jack (Year 5 - Room 6) and Charlie (Year 3 - Moa), and we feel incredibly fortunate to be part of the Rutherford community. With over 20 years of experience in education, I currently work at Auckland Grammar School as the Specialist Classroom Teacher. In this role I provide mentoring, advice and guidance to teaching staff, along with teaching Physics and Science. My career has also taken me beyond the classroom into leadership roles in higher education. I served as Faculty Development Manager with the Royal College of Pathologists of Australasia and as Director of Education with the Royal Australasian College of Dental Surgeons. In these positions, I regularly reported to Boards, helped develop accredited training programs, and ensured compliance with education standards set by professional councils in both Australia and New Zealand. These experiences have given me valuable insight into governance, strategic planning, and educational leadership, that would be of use in supporting Principal Amanda in leading and managing our school. Outside of work and parenting, I am passionate about sport. I’ve long been involved in cricket—as a player, coach, and now as Head of Cricket at Auckland Grammar. These days, though, my favourite sporting moments are watching Jack and Charlie enjoy their Saturday morning soccer with the Te Atatū club. Jack and Charlie's mum, Lisa and I chose Rutherford Primary because of its warm and inclusive culture. From our first visit, we were impressed by the way the school’s values were lived out in everyday interactions between staff, students and whanau. Ngā mihi nui, John |
Tēnā koutou katoa,
Ko Inia me te Haina te whakapaparanga mai, Engari Ko Mareia te whenua tupu, Ko Te Atātu te kāinga, Ko Lavinia Perumal ahau. Tēna tātou katoa. Tēna tātou katoa. My father has always inspired me; with grit and a sharp mind, he used education to get himself out of poverty. He strove for better education for all; creating opportunities for equity. He died over a year ago, but his legacy to support education remains within me. Giving every child a great education leads to creating a better society. As a public health leader, I know that supporting kaimahi|workers to know they are valued and trusted will lead to an engaged and effective workforce. As a māmā, I believe our children need parents to walk alongside their educational journey and be their voices until they can speak for themselves. Hence why I am asking for you to support my nomination; so I can support all parts of this kaupapa|purpose. As a mum of two boys with deep engagement across many parts of Rutherford Primary School over the last 6 years, I have seen our school and community grow and flourish. We grew as a whānau with the school, from supporting the first te rēo Māori learning enrichment class, reading to students, dancing at discos, fund raising for noho marae and camps, cheering at kapa haka and school sports to singing waiata at pōwhiri; we have loved all experiences and opportunities. As long as we walk alongside the staff, we have seen our children thrive. I would like all tamariki and whānau to have similar opportunities. As a migrant, (not so) new to this suburb, the various modes of school engagement have allowed me to meet and get to know the people in our neighbourhood; schools and children are the heartbeat of connecting communities. Good governance keeps this heart pumping in perfect beat. I have worked as a medical professional in Aotearoa|New Zealand for over 22 years, with significant experience in clinical and quality governance. I enjoy working with diverse communities and am no stranger to teamwork. I am a strategic thinker who wishes to support the operational leadership of our school in creating an environment where staff, parents and students feel valued and connected. ‘Nāu te rourou, nāku te rourou, ka ora te iwi’, ‘With your food basket and my food basket, the people will thrive’ |
Kia ora, my name is Gina Cotton. I have a son in year 5 and my daughter is in year 2.
I was luckily enough to be elected to the board in the 2022 election and have thoroughly enjoyed my time serving our community. It's been a privilege getting a peak into our school and how its run and seeing how passionate our teachers and support staff are. I was part of the design committee who developed the new logo and rebrand for the school and also sit on the fundraising committee. Our family loves the Peninsula. We couldn’t imagine living anywhere else! I have volunteered for several community groups and currently sit on the committee for the Te Atatu Peninsula Christmas parade and fun day. I’m also the manager for my sons Cricket and Football teams and love being connected to other families from our school and across the Peninsula. My professional background is working for financial services firms in support roles, managing a behind the scenes team, bringing a different perspective to their day-to-day, asking the right questions and thinking outside the box. I also have an honours degree in Marketing. All skills and experience that will help me to bring a different perspective to the Board. I firmly believe that a primary school education should be based on instilling a passion for learning, and to spark our children’s interest in the future. My aim as a trustee is to ensure that all our children have the opportunity to be inspired, are able to come to the classroom ready to learn and leave looking forward to the next day. Rutherford Primary is a fantastic school and I want to continue to be part of our journey, using the solid foundations we have now to grow the school and our children. Thank you for taking the time to consider me as your trustee. It would be a privilege to represent you, your children and our school community. |
My name is John Newall and I currently have two children at Rutherford Primary in year three and year six.
We have really enjoyed being part of the community around the school and have been lucky enough to be part of the whānau o Kōtuku Rerenga Tahi and now Te Pā o Te Kōtuku. I am a structural engineer by training and currently work in social housing. Outside of work I am involved in local clubs such as Waitakere Cricket Club and Te Atatu Atheletics Club. Through my personal and professional life I have learnt the importance of teamwork and working towards common goals. I am loyal and hard working and care deeply about having a safe and inclusive space for our tamariki to grow and thrive. I have experience with managing budgets in both the public and private sector and feel I have a skill set that would be a benefit in the position of Board of Trustee member. I was lucky enough in my own schooling to come through kaupapa Maori classes and am very excited to see the establishment of a similar class at Rutherford in Te Pā o Te Kōtuku. I have seen the amazing work that Whaea Amanda and all of the teachers do on a daily basis and am keen to support their mahi in building and maintaining a strong and supportive school learning environment for all of the Rutherford tamariki. Kia ora koutou katoa. |
Ko Ingrid Papau tōku ingoa.
With my husband Tuvalu, I am the proud mother of three children, two of whom currently attend Rutherford Primary: Nelle in year 5 and Daniel in year 3. Our eldest is at Rutherford College. We have the privilege of living within walking distance of Rutherford and we live with a strong community of extended whanau and connected neighbours around us, many of whom also attend our local school. I am experienced in governance; currently serving as an elected member on Auckland Council for the past 6 years. Tuvalu and I have also been business owners and operators for 18 years. My passion is for strong, diverse, resilient and connected communities, where everyone has equal opportunity to succeed and where all our children thrive. I believe in integrity, open mindedness, teamwork and the strong partnership between school, the student and their family. I am an advocate for Te Ao Māori and believe that as we honour Te Triti o Waitangi, all people flourish. As a Board all of our decisions must be centred around what is best for our children and their educational success. |