Board of Trustees

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.

Andrew is a Member of the Institute of Directors NZ and has a Master of Business Administration. After a long career at Air New Zealand where he worked in Govt Affairs, Communications and Marketing, he created and delivered their Māori strategy. He retired from Air New Zealand to launch 3degrees Ltd, a cultural consultancy, creating tailored cultural strategies for leading national and international businesses.

Andrew also has an extensive professional background in the Māori performing arts and culture including: kapa haka, waiata and mau rākau. He is passionate about quality time with his family and friends and enjoys coaching, cooking, diving, fishing and singing. Andrew and his family are also avid supporters of the Takapuna Grammar School Rowing Club.

Gillian was elected to the TGS board in June 2019 and re-elected for a further term in June 2022. She has previous school governance experience, having sat for three years on the Devonport Primary School board, the last 18 months as the chairperson. She works as a medico-legal lawyer and has a background in general commercial litigation. Gillian enjoys working on initiatives for authentic community engagement and believes that good school governance involves ensuring that student achievement and well-being remain at the heart of every decision. She has a son and daughter currently at TGS who are involved in a wide range of sports and ex curricular activities.

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 38 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.

Gavin currently serves as the student representative on the Board of Trustees at Takapuna Grammar School. In Year 11, he is pursuing a levelled academic approach, undertaking both Level 1 and Level 2 of NCEA.

Gavin is actively engaged in various extracurricular activities, both within and beyond the school. He takes on leadership roles in numerous clubs, which include being the leader of the Math Olympiad Coaching Club, Head Coach of the Table Tennis Lessons Club (while also serving as the Captain of the Table Tennis Premier Team), Chess Club Leader, Debate Mentor, and AI Club Leader, among twenty others. Gavin's interests extend to the performing arts, where he contributes as a member of the TGS Chorale. He also enjoys playing musical instruments such as the piano, Jing Hu, and several others.

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 started here in 2022.