Westlake Boys High School is my alma mater. Following my graduation from school I studied a Bachelor of Physical Education at the University of Auckland and continued with Post Graduate study in Social Theory with particular interest in Masculinity. I have spent the past 14 years teaching in single-sex boys’ secondary education on Auckland’s North Shore in both the state sector and Catholic sector. During this time, I also spent a year teaching at Surbiton Girls High School in the United Kingdom. I am passionate about Physical Education and the role it can play in fostering positive behaviours for maintaining wellness. 

I have been fortunate to have held various areas of responsibility throughout my time in education including leading a physical education department, being a senior dean, managing school-wide property, coordinating and maintaining school-wide health and safety procedures, being the director of sport, music and performing arts, a Deputy Principal and now Associate Principal. My main area of responsibility is pastoral care and ensuring Westlake is a safe and healthy place of learning for our student body. 

My leadership approach is to hold students at the heart of decision-making. We know that young men benefit from relational education where trust and high expectations are a priority. I therefore value fairness and consistency, effective communication, ensuring I am visible and approachable and role modelling what we expect of our young men. We have a responsibility for our practice to be adaptive and reflect the needs of the students we serve, and in this respect, developing the professional capacity of staff is a priority. 

At Westlake Boys High School, we aspire to be the best, and this vision is reflected in the quality of what is on offer. It is an honour to be able to enact change and drive initiatives which help our student body succeed. 

Born and bred in Tāmaki Makaurau, I have not moved far from home. In fact, my grandfather grew up in old Northcote in the 1920s, and I remember him telling me stories of how he roamed the shore through the farms and orchards and swam and fished at Sulphur Beach, a little different from the Shore now.

After I left school, I studied a Bachelor of Science degree majoring in Chemistry at the University of Auckland and commenced my career in education at Westlake in 2008. While teaching Chemistry, and since 2017 Earth and Space Science, I have enjoyed the continuous journey of learning. Sharing a passion for lifelong learning with many talented young men over my time here is a real highlight for me.

I joined the senior leadership team in 2022 and my responsibilities as a Deputy Principal are leading NCEA and assessment as the Principal’s Nominee. Before joining the senior leadership team, I was the Head of Faculty - Science for almost ten years, a role that I greatly enjoyed, made even better by the dedicated and hard-working teachers in the faculty.

The shore is a fantastic place to grow up as a young man and Westlake is, in my opinion, the jewel in the crown of that experience. The opportunities offered are first class, and I enjoy the moments when I help with the co-curricular music programme, in particular the Westlake Concert Band, seeing the amazing work our music teachers do with our ākonga.

Originally from South Africa, Westlake is the only school I have taught at in New Zealand. Both my sons have attended the School and my wife has spent a few years teaching at Westlake Boys too. In my twenty years at Westlake I have mainly taught Commerce, Accounting and Economics but started as a Mathematics teacher and taught the subject for a number of years. 

I coached cricket for around 10 years but my passion outside the classroom is rugby. Barring two years, I have been manager of the 1^st XV my entire time at Westlake. My responsibilities as a Deputy Principal currently lie with operations including managing the calendar, staff duties, health and safety, prefects and EOTC.

Being part of and contributing to a team is very important to me. Leading by example would be my modus operandi and striving to make a difference. Upon reflection, I would like to have made an improvement in whatever way. There are so many opportunities for our young men at Westlake and every day presents a new challenge, there is very little chance of being stuck in a rut. Our students and past students excel in all spheres of life and star on many stages, locally and globally. It is indeed a privilege to be a part of this School.

As Assistant Principal my role is to monitor, mentor and support students through their NCEA qualifications, and work with teachers, deans, and students to ensure that all our young men leave school with the qualifications they need to be successful. I am passionate about helping our young men find success, both in the classroom and beyond.

I have been teaching at Westlake Boys since 2009 and during this time I have taught Social Studies, Hauora, and English. Prior to my role as Assistant Principal, I was head of the Level 1 NCEA English course for 9 years, and I also completed 6 years as a dean. Outside the classroom, I have been heavily involved in the distance running programme for ten years.

When I am not at Westlake Boys I enjoy spending time with family and friends, travelling and playing sport, especially netball. I am fond of skiing in winter, and tennis and touch rugby in the summer. However, my true passion is supporting our students to be the best that they can be. I am very proud to be part of a school that offers incredible opportunities, dedication, and support for our young men.

I have worked at Westlake Boys High School since 2012 and really enjoy being part of Westlake’s friendly, welcoming community. I believe Westlake is an outstanding school which provides amazing opportunities for our students.

I have been fortunate to take on varied roles and responsibilities both inside and outside the classroom during my time at Westlake. This has included being a Pastoral and Academic Dean, a Within School Leader as part of the Pupuke Kāhui Ako, Community of Learning, and running the football programme for a number of years.

My particular focus is working with our pastoral team to ensure all students are given the care and support they require while at school. I also work alongside our Pasifika community to ensure that they remain connected to Westlake through their culture. 

I am passionate about educating young men and aim to make a difference in the lives of all our students. I believe that it’s important for our boys to be positive role models to both other students and the wider community, this will ensure that they are successful in whatever they choose to do in the future.

In my spare time I enjoy playing and watching sport and spending time with my wife and three young children.

A passionate sports fan and a qualified Accountant, all thanks to the excellent education and sporting experiences I had at Westlake as a student who graduated in 2006.

I returned to work at Westlake in 2017 and I have taught in the Commerce Department, directed our Cricket programme and also lead the delivery of our high-performance sports programme - The Academy of Sport. Most recently, as the Property Manager I was the caretaker of all our facilities.

Now, as the Operations Manager, my role is to lead and develop our infrastructure at school and ensure our campus provides modern, safe, clean, and functional teaching and learning spaces. I see my role as critical to supporting the learning outcomes and extra-curricular experiences our young men have at Westlake. It is very enjoyable to now give back to our students so they too can enjoy their time at school as I did.   

A key component of my role is to deliver the Strategic Development Plan of our campus and ensure that while our campus changes its physical footprint “Westlake Life” can continue.

I am very proud of our campus and look forward to welcoming all our families and students each day to a school they too can be proud of attending.