Our people

I am a year 11 student at Orewa College. Born and schooled on Auckland's North Shore until I moved to Orewa in 2016. My current interests at school include taking part in Duke of Ed, Debating, SADD, Student Council and Nepia House monitor. Outside of school I enjoy reading, going for walks with my dog, watching movies and spending quality time with friends and family. I am excited to have been elected as the student rep and my intention is to represent my peers to the best of my ability. I enjoy the learning environment at Orewa College, the various opportunities provided for the growth of students and I strive daily to uphold the core values of Manaaki Orewa.

Having worked in the education sector for the past 22 years I have been fortunate in the past two years, to be charged with ensuring the efficient and practical provision of Non-Teaching services to the College. Working with highly skilled professionals in the areas of Property, Health and Safety, Human Resource and Finance management, success in all areas is consistently achieved. This role includes being Secretary to a motivated and passionate Board of Trustees. No day is ever the same and it is a pleasure to be included in a staff who practise Manaakitanga.

j.delaney@orewacollege.nz

I have served as a member of the Orewa College Board of Trustees since 2013. I was previously a Trustee and Chair at Red Beach School for two terms. I also have current and past involvement in governance of Sport Waitakere and Harbour Basketball. I am active in supporting sport at Orewa College and are a coach and committee member for Orewa College Basketball and my husband Darren coaches rugby for the school. I am the Business and Enterprise Manager at Auckland Tourism Events and Economic development and oversees the team supporting business growth and innovation on behalf of Auckland Council. My husband and I also own a business in Orewa. Our family has lived on the Hibiscus Coast for 18 years and are active in a Red Beach Surf Club.

I have been in education as a teacher, manager and leader for over 30 years, working in a range of schools in New Zealand, Brazil and Argentina. I am currently working as a Regional Principal supervising and supporting the leaders of 6 schools in New Zealand and 3 schools in Argentina as part of One School Global.

My son is in Year 12 and has benefitted greatly from the academic, cultural and sporting opportunities available at Orewa College and so I believe serving on the Board is an opportunity for me to give back to the school in a meaningful and positive way.

I trust that my experience with school leadership and interacting with a wide range of the school community will be seen as adding value for serving on the Board at Orewa College. Further, I believe that I can provide confidence for parents, students and staff that an educator’s lens will be adapted when considering the work and decisions that Board members must engage in.

I have served as a member of the Board since 2010. I was previously a school trustee at Maunu Primary School in Whangarei from 2001 to 2007. I work as a planning manager for northern and western Auckland at Auckland Council and have previously worked at Rodney District Council and Northland Regional Council. I hold Masters’ degrees in Geography and in Public Management. I am a third generation Hibiscus Coast resident and myself and my wife Sally have two daughters, both of whom have attended Orewa College. I am now enjoying learning to paddle board. My Board interests lie particularly in long term planning and community relationships.

I have served on the Board of Trustees since 2012 and I am an ex-student of Orewa College. I work full time for the New Zealand Police and also work in the aviation industry, holding a commercial pilots licence and flight instructor rating. I hold a Diploma in Aviation and I am finishing off a Law and Commerce degree from the University of Auckland. In my spare time I enjoy spending time with friends and family and working on aviation or community related goals. As deputy chair, I believe in promoting alternative career pathways for students believing that one size does not fit all.

My wife and I are parents of two teenagers, one of whom recently graduated from Orewa College to study Fine Arts at Auckland University. The other is a senior student at the College intending to study Engineering at University when his time comes. Each child has benefited greatly from the options and the supportive learning environment Orewa College provides. For this I am very proud and grateful.

I am at a stage in my life where I want to give back. I have spent most of my career in the media, technology and telecommunications sectors, with the past 13 years working for Spark where I currently lead the Wholesale and International sales team. The environment we operate in is very challenging, rapidly changing and complex from the perspectives of relationship management, regulation, customer need, competition and technology. We must constantly adapt and evolve to keep pace; embrace diversity; be inclusive and empower our people. There are aspects of my experience at Spark that I believe are directly applicable to the school environment, and that I think will help me to make positive contributions while serving on the Board.

I am passionate about helping the College guide our students to pathways that are suited to their unique capabilities and that aid them in navigating in an increasingly complex and changing world.

My name is Linda Rubens and I am a year 9-13 English teacher. I have been teaching for over 27 years and have been at Orewa College for over 9 years. Currently I am a lead teacher in the Orewa Kāhui Ako: Community of Learning. I am loving working with students and teachers from across our wider community. In my own class, I encourage independence and strive for students to find their own learning path. I use a blended approach with a variety of teaching tools and resources to suit the individuals that make up the class. I feel privileged to have been accepted into the Apple Distinguished Educator programme and this has opened up so many wonderful opportunities for me to grow as a teacher.

Tony was elected to the Orewa College Board of Trustees in 1993, after serving on the Board of Whangaparaoa Primary from the inception of “Tomorrow’s Schools”. He was closely involved with the development of the Hibiscus Coast Area Strategy and the subsequent new building programme at the College and other Education Facilities on the Coast. Tony is well placed to lead the property development planning process for the College to ensure the roll growth is appropriately catered for.

Tony recently retired from his position as National Buildings Director for WSP Opus, where he was responsible for a wide range of Education and Public Sector projects, and is involved with all aspects of the development and management of new building assets.

Tony and his wife Elizabeth have lived on the Coast for over 30 years and our four children have attended Orewa College and enjoyed the benefits of an excellent local education. His business, community, and education involvement ensures a sound basis to be an effective member of the Orewa College Board of Trustees, contributing particularly in the areas of Property, Finance and Governance.

My journey at Orewa College began as a Mathematics teacher moving on to Head of Department then to Principal in 1996.

I enjoy being involved in the education of young people, encouraging self-management and preparing them for the next stage of their lives, and keeping our education relevant and future focussed. Leading a group of such professional, dedicated staff is rewarding and inspiring. Education is rapidly evolving towards more self direction, more personalised learning, more relevant technology and more involvement with opportunities to work in business and social partnerships beyond the school. This brings challenges within the school and across schools, challenges we face with enthusiasm and optimism.

Working in a beautiful natural environment here on the Hibiscus Coast in a well resourced successful school, is a privilege.

My wife Kim and I have 3 daughters that attend Orewa College. A proud local I am looking forward to the opportunity to be a representative on the OREWA College School board. As a member I feel my experience offers a balanced contribution in the vision and subsequent planning for our school going into the future.

Firstly, as a parent we want our school to represent what our families require for our children. Secondly as an ex teacher (I was a PE teacher for 11 years working in 4 different schools) I have a huge appreciation of quality staff and leadership. Thirdly as a professional trainer (Hibiscus basketball, Warriors, Harbour, Blues and Toyota rugby) I’ve experienced how success was achieved and the mistakes that were made. Finally, as a business owner for 10 years I’ve seen these same values and lessons learnt applied to a business sense and succeed.

We have a wonderful school and I am to be part of the leadership team taking it forward.