Board of Trustees
Andrew Baker
Presiding Member
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 Weir
Deputy Chairperson
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.
Michael Sweetman
Board Trustee
Michael Sweetman joined the Board of Trustees in 2022. He is a father of former Deputy Head Boy Hugo, and Isla (Year 13) with youngest, Lucia (Year 10).
He has a long connection with Devonport and Takapuna Grammar School, being a second-generation student and former Head Boy and captain of the First XV at TGS.
Michael is property professional focussing on developing retail and commercial property assets. He looks forward to supporting the Board of Trustee team by focussing on the Schools property asset development.
Mark Spooner
Board Trustee
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.
Mark is a Chartered Accountant and holds two degrees, a Bachelor of Accountancy and Bachelor of Business Studies with First Class Honors and a from Massey University.
Hamish Nevile
Board Trustee
Hamish Nevile joined the Board of Trustees in 2024. He is a married father of two teenage children – his daughter is Year 11 at Takapuna Grammar School and his son is at Westlake Boys High School.
Hamish is a consultant structural engineer by training and has almost 30 years experience in the construction industry both in Aotearoa New Zealand and the United Kingdom. He recently completed a 5-year tenure as CEO of Holmes Consulting, Aotearoa New Zealand’s premiere structural and civil engineering consultancy, and is now the Global Director of Design across the whole of Holmes Group. Hamish has strong governance experience, and has sat as an Executive Director on the Holmes Group Board of Directors for the past 8 years.
Outside of his professional life he lives on the North Shore and enjoys everything it has to offer. Hamish and his wife Kirsten have coached and managed various sports team including teams at all levels within the girl’s basketball programme at Takapuna Grammar. Hamish is excited about the opportunity to contribute to the Board at Takapuna Grammar School.
Kayrn Lowe
Board Trustee
Karyn joined the TGS board in October 2023. Karyn is a Nurse Practitioner with a passion for youth health, she deeply cares for the well-being of our students and the staff supporting them during their time at school. She believes in fostering a school environment where every student is given the chance to reach their full potential. She has lived in Devonport for nearly 20 years and has a son in year 10 at TGS and daughter in year 7 at BIS. She values the open and inclusive culture at TGS and looks forward to contributing to the Board of Trustee team by collaborating with the school, community, staff and government to support the school in achieving what is best for our students and community.
Rosemarie Close
Staff Trustee
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.
