Board of Trustees
Ehara taku toa i te toa takitahi. Engari, he toa takitini.
Success is not the work of one, but the work of many.
Chairperson: Andrew Baker
Andrew Baker joined the board in 2019. He is of Te Arawa, Tūwharetoa, Irish and Scottish descent. Andrew resides in Devonport with his wife and daughter following in the footsteps of his great grandparents and father who were Devonport locals. Andrew is passionate about people development and has been coaching and practicing the non-aggressive martial art of Aikido for more than 25 years. He founded Devonport Aikido in 2014.Deputy Chairperson: tbc
Staff Trustee: Rosemarie Close
Rosemarie Close has been the Staff Representative on the Board since 2013, and is a current member of the Planning and Property Committees. She is an ex-pupil of the school and has taught at Takapuna Grammar School for the past 33 years. She is currently a Mana House Dean. She is married to an ex-pupil, Stephen, and their three sons all attended the school. Rosemarie has lived locally since the late 1960's.
Student Trustee: voting currently underway
Secretary: Ngaio Hardie
As well as being the Executive Assistant for the Principal of TGS, Ngaio is also the role of Board Secretary. Her family has a long history at TGS as her grandmother, Shirley Brickell was on the Board back in the 1950's and 60's. Her father went to the school, playing in the 1st XV and her uncle was the late potter and conservationist, Barry Brickell – the art studio is now named after him. Her hobbies include musical theatre and putting on musical revue productions. Ngaio has four children, three older daughters and her youngest son who has just started here in 2022.
Gillian joined the TGS board in June 2019 bringing school governance experience, having completed three years on the Devonport Primary school board, the last 18 months as the chairperson. She combines this with 15 years experience working as a commercial litigator and employment lawyer in London and Auckland. She has enjoyed working on initiatives for authentic community engagement as part of strategic planning and believes that good governance involves staying focused on the strategic direction of the school and ensuring that student achievement and well-being remain at the heart of every decision. She has a long-term interest in the continuing success of the school with a son and daughter heading to TGS in the not too distant future. She spends free time involved in school and sporting activities, including instructing for Waterwise. Gillian hopes that her governance experience together with a legal background will allow her to make a valuable contribution to the school and its community.
Michael Sweetman joins the Board of Trustees in 2022. He is a father of TGS students Hugo (Year 12) and Isla (Year 11) with youngest, Lucia (Year 8) set to arrive in 2023.
Mark Spooner joined the Board in late 2019 and currently chairs the Finance Committee. He is self-employed, as Director of Insight Accounting, a firm based in Takapuna providing accounting and taxation services to small to medium sized businesses.
Helen joined the Board of Trustees in 2018. Starting out as an Asset Manager for Fletcher Property, Helen moved into technology start-ups, co-owning a software company for 12 years. Helen currently leads Air New Zealand Digital Innovation and Strategy, collaborating across Digital and the wider business. Helen's partner grew up in Bayswater and went to Takapuna Grammar as did his mum, and uncle, Sir Peter Blake. Helen has three children, one each at TGS, Belmont Intermediate and Vauxhall Primary. She volunteered at Narrowneck Playcentre for 12 years, and is now an active member of the AUTEUR Influencer Network, a think tank set-up by AUT. Helen loves bringing the community together and travelling, especially to South America.Takapuna Grammar School Policies
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