Board of Trustees Election Voting Notification 2019

Voting papers for the Board of Trustees 2019 election were sent to eligible voters on 29 May 2019. These need to be returned by 12 noon on Friday 7 June 2019.

If posting your voting papers, it is important that these are posted ASAP – NZ Post has reduced the frequency of its mail delivery service and can no longer guarantee that all envelopes will be post marked. For those envelopes that are not post marked, Returning Officers will not have any evidence that the envelope has been posted before 12 noon on election day, and as such will not be counted.

Please note, the voting paper is valid only if returned in the addressed envelope provided.

Board of Trustees Election Nomination Results 2019

Parent Representative Nominations
The following nominations have been accepted for Parent Representatives on our Board of Trustees:
IGATIA, Vili
NEILD, Jeremy
RICKARD, Kerry
SAGE, Leigh
SPENCER, Jonathan
WARD, Elizabeth

Voting papers will be posted to eligible voters on 29 May 2019.

Staff Representative Nominations
The following nominations have been accepted for Staff Representatives on our Board of Trustees:
DOBSON, Keith
REICHE, Bruce

Voting papers will be issued to eligible staff by 29 May 2019.

It is your responsibility to exercise your right to vote.

The poll for Parent and Staff voting closes at noon on 7 June 2019 and election results will be declared on 13 June 2019.

Denny Brunton
Returning Officer

Board of Trustees Elections 2019

Nominations are invited for the election of five (5) Parent Representative to the Awatapu College Board of Trustees.

Being a Board member is an important role in schools as Trustees have an oversight of the school in its entirety (i.e. finance, property, and governance), not just one area of the school. Being on a Board does not mean you are responsible for the day to day management of the school. Anyone, other than those ineligible under sections 103 and 103A of the Education Act 1989, may stand for election for the Board of Trustees. However, if you are not on the voting roll you must be nominated by a person who is.

Nomination forms and a notice calling for nominations are available here.

Nominations close at noon on Friday 10 May 2019 and may be accompanied by signed candidate’s statements of not more than 400 words. Nominations will close at noon on Friday 24 May 2019. The voting roll is open for inspection at the school office and can be viewed during normal school hours. There will also be a list of candidates’ names, as they come to hand, for inspection at the school office. The voting poll closes at noon on Friday 7 June 2019.

The new Board will take office on Friday 14 June 2019. This means the meeting on 12 June 2019 will be the last for the outgoing Board and is an opportunity for all potential Trustees to come and observe a Board in operation.

For more information on the Board of Trustees Election please visit www.trustee-election.co.nz or contact the Returning Officer, Denny Brunton, by emailing This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or phoning 06 356 4817.

North Island Athletics Champs

Congratulations to Eli Gifkins-Cairncross who represented Manawatu and was the sole Awatapu competitor at the North Island Secondary School Athletics held in Tauranga on Saturday 6 and Sunday 7 April. Eli placed 5th in High Jump, 8th in Triple Jump and 9th in Long Jump. Well done!

NCEA Change Package 2019

Last year, New Zealanders were asked to share their views and experiences of NCEA – the challenges, the successes, what they like, and what could be done better. The feedback received from across the country was phenomenal. With New Zealand’s help, several areas where NCEA could be strengthened were identified.

The Minister of Education has announced the NCEA Change Package which will strengthen NCEA for all our young people. The seven changes are:

1. Make NCEA more accessible
2. Mana ōrite mo te mātauranga Māori
3. Strengthen literacy and numeracy requirements
4. Have fewer, larger standards
5. Simplify NCEA’s structure
6. Show clearer pathways to further education and employment
7. Keep NCEA Level 1 as an optional level

What Next?
Around 16,000 New Zealanders took part in the year-long review of NCEA, and the Ministry of Education is to continue to work with stakeholders to confirm a detailed design and implementation plan for the changes by the end of the year.

Manawatu Inter Secondary School Swimming Champs

On Saturday 6 April we sent a 9 strong squad to the Manawatu Secondary School Swimming Championships. As a team they placed 4th out of 12 schools for overall combined scores. Congratulations to all students who competed. Individual results as follows:

• Sam Brown - 1st in Junior Boys’ 100m Individual Medley, 2nd in 200m Butterfly and 3rd in 100m Breaststroke
• Jessica Greenwood - 2nd in Junior Girls’ 100m Breaststroke and 2nd in 50m Breaststroke
• April Holman - 2nd in Junior Girls’ 100 Freestyle, 2nd in 100m Individual Medley, 2nd in 100m Butterfly and 3rd in 100m Breaststroke
• Tia Davis - 1st in Intermediate Girls’ 50m Butterfly, 1st 200m Backstroke and 1st in 100m Individual Medley
• Kyden Hillman - 1st in Junior Boys’ 200m Individual Medley and 2nd in 200m Freestyle
• Cassidy Ututaonga - 2nd in Junior Girls’ 200m Breaststroke
• Ollie Beech - 3rd in Intermediate Boys’ 50m Backstroke
• Sophie Dobson - 2nd in Junior Girls’ 50m Backstroke

Sequinned Suits and Platform Boots

Over three spectacular nights, the Performing Arts department staged the fantastic production “Sequinned Suits and Platform Boots” written by Mark Wheeler and directed by Mrs Bennett.    

The auditorium rocked to the sounds of 70s glam rock with vocal performances from David Bowie, T-Rex, Bryan Ferry and Suzi Quatro. The space themed set was beautifully painted with glittering stars featuring in the backdrop, whilst colourful stage lights, smoke and a glitter ball gave the place the feel of a 70s nightclub. The cast enthusiastically told the story of Shakey Threwer, a teenager in the 70s whose desire to catch the eye of local beauty Lorraine Izoff, prompted him to write songs, join a band and led to outrageous lies about music publishers.

One of the highlights of the show was the upbeat nostalgic soundtrack, performed by talented soloists and ensemble vocalists, which had the audience toe-tapping and singing along. Likewise, the energetic performances from the actors and dancers captivated the audience with their story of heartbreak, love, ambition and bravery.

This fantastic production could not have been possible without the hard working team of talented performers, dancers, costume designers, hair and make-up team, stage crew and set designers - thank you!! A tremendous thank you to our incredible staff and volunteers for bringing the production to life, particularly to Mrs Bennett for directing the show, Ms Ferry for her musical direction and Miss Agius for choreographing the dances. Thank you also to our fabulous audience for attending the shows. We hope you enjoyed yourselves!      

Australian Athletics Championships

Congratulations to Noah Macdermid who represented New Zealand and competed at the Australian Athletics Championships in Sydney recently.