School Board & Policies

School Board

The school board is responsible for the governance of Hutt Valley High School. The School Board is an important part of our school as they set the strategic direction for our school, consult with our school community about our school, ensure the school’s funding is spent wisely and ensure that we are giving effect to Te Tiriti o Waitangi within our school.

School Board Elections

Every three years, state school communities elect their parent and staff representatives to help govern their schools.  Our Board is made up of five parent representatives, the Principal, a staff representative elected by the staff and a student representative elected by the students.

Voting Information for the Parent Representatives School Board Election

Published 18 August 2025

Voting papers for the election of parent representatives were emailed on Wednesday, 13 August 2025. If you haven’t received an email, please first check your spam folder — the subject line is Hutt Valley High School Board Election – Voting has opened! Parents and caregivers without an email address on file should now have received their printed voting papers by post.

A friendly reminder that all votes must be received by 4pm on Wednesday, 10 September 2025, when voting closes. Parents and caregivers with printed voting papers must ensure these are dropped off at the School Office by the deadline.

If you need your voting paper re-sent, please contact Election Pilot (the Returning Officer for the HVHS elections) on 0800 VOTE NZ (0800 868 369) or email election@electionpilot.nz.

Key Dates for the Board Election for the Parent Representatives

  • Call for parent nominations by Friday, 18 July
  • Nominations close at 12pm on Wednesday, 6 August
  • Voting papers issued by Wednesday, 13 August
  • Election day is Wednesday, 10 September, poll closes at 4pm
  • Counting of votes on Tuesday, 16 September
  • Board election results declared on Wednesday, 17 September
  • Board takes office at the first board meeting on Wednesday 8 October

Student Representative School Board Election – Nominations Due Monday 25 August

Published 19 August 2025

Nomination packs for the Student Representative election were emailed to all HVHS students on Tuesday, 19 August by Election Pilot (the Returning Officer for the HVHS elections). Nominations for the student representative role close this Monday, 25 August at 12pm.

Being the Student Representative on the HVHS School Board is a great opportunity to develop new skills, share student perspectives, and contribute to our school community. Any current HVHS student can nominate themselves or another student, and all students can vote in the election.

The role involves attending eight Board meetings each year (Wednesdays, 5.30–7.30pm), preparing by reading the board pack (1–2 hours), and checking your school email for updates. The Student Representative is expected to share views confidently and respectfully, keeping our school values in mind.

If you need your nomination pack re-sent, please contact Election Pilot (the Returning Officer for the HVHS elections) on 0800 VOTE NZ (0800 868 369) or email election@electionpilot.nz. For questions about the HVHS School Board or the student representative role, students are also welcome to stop by the School Office and speak with Rachel Williams (Office Manager/Events Manager).

Key Dates for the Board Election for a Student Representative

  • Call for student nominations by Tuesday, 19 August
  • Nominations close at 12pm on Monday, 25 August
  • Voting papers issued by Sunday, 31 August
  • Election day is Wednesday, 10 September, poll closes at 4pm
  • Counting of votes on Tuesday, 16 September
  • Board election results declared on Wednesday, 17 September
  • Board takes office at the first board meeting on Wednesday 8 October

Board Elections – Staff Representative

Published 11 August 2025

Sarah Robbins has been elected as the Staff Representative on the School Board. Sarah will take office at the first board meeting of Term 4 on Wednesday, 8 October 2025.

School Board Members

The board members are:

  • Denise Johnson – Principal (on sabbatical leave, returning at the start of term 4)
  • Tim Fox – Co-Acting Principal
  • Fiona Pearson – Co-Acting Principal
  • Miranda Cross – Presiding Member/Parent Representative
  • Charles Darr – Parent Representative
  • Susan Dunne – Parent Representative
  • Jacinta Laulau – Parent Representative
  • Mike Pewhairangi – Parent Representative
  • Tyson Szeto – Student Representative
  • Jason Tierney – Staff Representative
  • James Wilkinson – Parent Representative

Also in attendance at board meetings are:

  • Lana Goddard – Board Secretary

To contact the board, please email Board Secretary, Lana Goddard at lana.goddard@hvhs.school.nz. If you wish to contact the Presiding Member directly, please email Miranda Cross at chair@hvhs.school.nz.

Board Meetings

Board Meetings for 2025

The board has scheduled its 2025 meetings for 26 February, 2 April, 21 May, 25 June, 6 August, 3 September, 8 October (first meeting for the newly elected board), 5 November and 3 December.

Board meetings are held in public. All members of the Hutt Valley High School community are welcome to attend.  The provisions of Part 7 of the Local Government Official Information and Meetings Act 1987 apply to some sensitive issues discussed ‘in committee’.   If you wish to attend a meeting, please email Board Secretary, Lana Goddard at lana.goddard@hvhs.school.nz

Board Minutes

Please find below copies of the approved minutes for the 2024 and 2025 board meetings:

Governance Manual

Find out more about Hutt Valley High School’s governance framework in the Governance Manual

Plans & Reports

School Policies & Procedures

Hutt Valley High School uses SchoolDocs’ services for storing policies and procedure documents.

Please click on the link below to view the policies of Hutt Valley High School’s school board. When you’re prompted for a username and password, please enter the following:

  • SchoolDocs website: https://www.schooldocs.co.nz/
  • Click on the ‘Search for your school’ button and enter Hutt Valley High School
  • Username: hvhs
  • Password: Adalta

Once you’ve logged in you’ll see the screen below and you can search for Hutt Valley High School’s policies.

SchoolDocs image for logging into the Hutt Valley High School policies page.