Takapuna Grammar School BOT Bio's
Ehara taku toa i te toa takitahi. Engari, he toa takitini – Success is not the work of one, but the work of many
Chairperson: Vivien Kirk
Vivien joined the Board in 2013 and became Board Chair in 2017. She is currently on the Finance, Planning and Discipline Committees. Vivien is a mathematician, and works at the University of Auckland where she is an Associate Professor in the Mathematics Department and Associate Dean in the Faculty of Science. She grew up on the North Shore, and after a period studying and working overseas, has lived locally for the last 25 years. Her two children have both attended Takapuna Grammar School.
Deputy Chairperson: Penny Harrison
Penny Harrison joined the Board in 2016. She chairs the Planning and Strategy Committee, and also serves on the Finance and Discipline Committees. Prior to joining the Board, Penny was Chair of Stanley Bay School Board for six years (2008-2014). She is a self-employed Leadership Coach and Facilitator, and a partner in Communicate Consultants. Her work is centred on adult learning and development and brings her into contact with leaders across a broad range of professional experiences, industries and roles. Penny combines the above with 20 years of business experience, including leadership roles with a major bank and as general manager for two medium-size organisations. Married to Martin Butler, she currently has a son attending the school, as well as three adult offspring. She also serves on the committee of our local Wakatere Sailing Club.
Peter Adams
Peter Adams joined the Board of Trustees in 2014 and currently chairs the Finance Committee. He is a Chartered Accountant employed as Group Treasurer, Rank Group Limited. Prior to joining Rank Group Limited, he was Treasurer at HSBC New Zealand. Peter’s son is a past pupil of the school.
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 Year 13 dean. She is married to an ex-pupil, Stephen, and their three sons all attended the school. Rosemarie has lived locally since the late 1960s.
Asian Community Rep: Jenny Lim
Jenny Lim joined the Board of Trustees in 2015. She is currently the Sport Capability Project Manager at Harbour Sport, managing the KiwiSport Funding in the North Harbour region, and the ActivAsian Project. Jenny is actively involved in the Chinese community on the North Shore in her role as Chairperson of the North Shore Chinese Community Network Trust. She is also a member of the Massey University New Migrants Advisory Board. Outside of work, Jenny volunteers as a Zumba Instructor for the Public Fitness and Wellbeing Trust, providing affordable physical activity opportunities to the community on the North Shore.
Hiram Ryan
Hiram Ryan has been a member of the Board of Trustees since 2013. He is chair of the Property Committee, serves on the Discipline Committee, and has also been a member the Planning Committee. Hiram has worked as a Detective in the Police, and has been the owner of two large businesses. In recent years he has worked as a security manager, involved in the planning and delivery of security at large-scale sporting events, including two FIFA age-grade Football World Cups and Cricket and Rugby World Cups. Hiram has four children. His youngest son is currently a student at Takapuna Grammar School and the older children also attended the school. Hiram’s wife is a reader/writer for the Learning Services Centre.
Claire Sinnema
Claire Sinnema joined the Board in 2016, and serves on the Planning Committee. She is a past pupil of the school and her two teenagers are current students. Her toddler will attend the school in the future. Claire’s interest in education is a parental and professional one. She began her career in education as a primary school teacher and she was a primary school deputy principal before moving to the Faculty of Education and Social Work at the University of Auckland, where she has an academic position. Her research broadly relates to educational leadership and improvement including studies on curriculum, effective teaching, problem-solving, interpersonal and organisational effectiveness and teacher inquiry. Claire also has a keen interest in educational policy and has been a member of multiple advisory/reference groups at national level.
Whanau Rep: Mark Te Kani
Mark has been the Whanau Community Representative on the Board of Trustees since 2016, and is a member of the Property and Discipline Committees. His association with the school spans more than 14 years; three of his now adult children attended the school and his step daughter is a current student. Mark has lived in Devonport for the past 44 years and is currently serving in the Royal New Zealand Navy as the Executive Training Officer responsible for Seamanship and Diver training. He brings to the Board and wider community a very strong sense of cultural identity particularly for Te Ao Maori (The World of Maori). Mark was appointed as a Member of the NZ Order of Merit (MNZM) in the 1998 New Year’s Honours in recognition of the development of Tikanga Maori within the Navy and the construction of the Navy Marae – Te Taua Moana O Aotearoa Marae. He has played premier rugby for the Navy Rugby Football Club and the North Shore Rugby Club.
Tim Williams
Tim Williams joined the Board in 2016, and serves on the Planning and Finance Committees. He grew up locally, attending Devonport Primary, Belmont Intermediate and Takapuna Grammar School, and has two children who attend local schools. Tim is formally trained in genetics, but has become a serial entrepreneur. He spent 17 years in Japan, where he met his wife Yuri, and started an ecommerce business, before returning to NZ in 2011. Tim is now a Board member of the IceHouse, a business incubation and growth driver which helps NZ companies grow and go off-shore. He is also actively involved in a number of other local companies including The Donovan Group, 90 Seconds and Technomancy. Tim is passionate about family, friends and the local community, and loves all sport, music and fishing.