As a New Zealand state-integrated school Fairlie Primary School is governed by a Board.A board is a group of people working together for a common goal. Actions and decisions are made by the board as a legal entity, not by individual board members. A board is a body corporate, a Crown entity and a local authority; therefore both the board and its members are subject to a higher level of accountability and scrutiny than entities in the private sector. Regardless of their role, each board member has equal standing, voice, accountability and vote. The Board is responsible for strategic governance, whereas the Principal is the Board’s CEO and is responsible for the management of the school.
Current Fairlie Primary School Board
Fairlie Primary School Principal Amanda O'Brien
Board Member - Staff Representative Jane Wilks
Board Member - Parent Representative Rachael Handy
Board Member - Parent Representative Helen Johnson
Board Member - Parent Representative Anna Orbell
Board Member - Parent Representative Hamish Wallace
All board meetings are held in the Fairlie Primary School board room, 21 School Road, Fairlie.
Meeting dates and times can be found on our web calendar
To request an agenda or minutes please contact Presiding Member - chairperson@fairlie.school.nz
Management vs Governance
Management • The board delegates all authority and accountability for the day-to-day operational organisation of the school to the principal who must ensure compliance with both the board’s policy framework and the law of New Zealand. Governance • The board is entrusted to work on behalf of all stakeholders and is accountable for the school’s performance. • It emphasises strategic leadership, sets the vision for the school and ensures that it complies with legal and policy requirements. • Policies are at a governance level and outline clear delegations to the principal. • The board and principal form the leadership team with the role of each documented and understood. • The principal reports to the board as a whole with committees used sparingly and only when a need is identified in order to contribute to board work. • The board is proactive rather than reactive in its operations and decision making and does not involve itself in the administrative details of the day-to-day running of the school. • Achieving the four primary objectives is the board’s focus A parents guide to Board of Governance can be found here.
