Our Executive
Myles Ferris
President
Te Kura o Otangarei
Aka Tokerau
Myles's Profile
Ko Hikurangi te maunga
Ko Waiapu te awa
Ko Ngāti Porou te iwi
Ko Te Aowera te marae
Ko Myles Ferris tōku ingoa
Ko au te tumuaki o Te Kura o Otāngarei, nō Whāngarei.
I am married to Malvina (nee Going) and I have 4 tamariki who are Ngati Porou / Ngati Wai / Ngati Hine / Ngati Pukenga
“I am deeply honoured to be President of Te Akatea and with it be given the chance to improve the educational opportunities for our tamariki and to support the overall improvement for our people. With the support of my wife, who is also a teacher, I have dedicated my life to helping tamariki Maori grow and learn – on the Rugby field, in the classroom, in their hearts and in their minds. They are all taonga to me…”
E tipu e rea mō ngā rā o tō ao
Ko tō ringa ki ngā rākau a te Pākehā. Hei ora mō te tinana
Ko tō ngākau ki ngā tāonga a ō tïpuna Māori
Hei tikitiki mō tō māhuna Ko tō wairua ki tō atua, Nānā nei ngā mea katoa
Tā Apirana Ngata
Bruce Jepsen
Vice President
Te Akau ki Papamoa
Aka Tauranga Moana
Bruce's Profile
Ko Tainui me Te Arawa oku waka
Ko Ngati Raukawa no Tuwharetoa toku iwi
Tihei Mauri Ora
Tribe: Ngati Raukawa and Tuwharetoa
Waka: Tainui and Te Arawa
Whanau (Family)
I am a husband and proud father
Education
Principal of Te Akau ki Papamoa School (U7)
Experience
I have 15 years Principalship Experience including:
● Rural Teaching Principalship
● Full Primary years 1-8
● Primary years 1-6 large urban.
I have prior experiences as a Principals mentor for Auckland University and for Evaluative Associates providing leadership development support and guidance across New Zealand.
Current Leadership roles in Education
I currently serve on the National Māori Principals Executive (Te Akatea), National Resource Teachers of Learning & Behaviour Executive, National Maori Achievement Collaborative Trust Board, National Māori Medium reference group, National Education Act Sector reference group and have experience on New Zealand Educational Institute Principals Council.
I bring experience presenting at a wide range of international and national education and leadership conferences including NZSTA,NZEI, Te Akatea, International Conference of Thinking, Belfast- Ireland 2011, International Conference of Thinking, Bilbao-Spain 2015, Apple Leadership Summit-Gold Coast 2017, U Learn 2014,15,16,17, First Time Principals Leadership Residential Conferences 2012,13,14,15,16, Apple Technology Integration 2015 with Ruben Puentedura Christchurch -, Apple World Innovation Summit –Speaker 2018, Apple Global Education Leaders-First foreign keynote speaker at Steve Jobs theatre (Cuppertino / Silicon Valley) 2018
Meralyn Te Hira
Secretary
Kaikohe West School
Aka Tokerau
Meralyn's Profile
Hutia te rito o te harakeke
Kei hea ra te Komako e ko
Kī mai ki ahau, he aha te mea nui o te ao?
Māku e kī atu: He tangata, he tangata, he tangata.
Ko Te Reinga te maunga
Ko Hokianga moana te moana
Ko Ngatokimatawhaorua me Mamari ngā waka
Ko Te Rarawa te iwi
Ko Waimirirangi me Nga Mokopuna ngā marae
Ko Meralyn Te Hira tōku ingoa
Ko au te Tumuaki o Te Kura Hauauru o Kaikohe
Kei Matauri ahau e noho ana
Ko Ngā Puhi ahau, ā, he hononga whakapapa hoki tōku ki ngā iwi o Ngati Hine, Ngati Kura me Ngati Maniapoto ki Waikato.
I ngā tau 19 i pahure, kua whai wheako au i ngā momo kura rerekē, ara, he Kura Māori, Kura Reorua me ngā Kura Auraki.
E ngākau nui ana ngā mahi hei kanohi kitea mō Te Akatea, hei hoamahi mō ngā Tumuaki, ā, hei kaitiaki mō ngā mokopuna Māori katoa.
As Principal of Kaikohe West School, situated in Kaikohe – the heart of Ngā Puhi, I have the privilege of connecting whānau, staff and students to their successes with genuine commitment. I acknowledge my recent 19 years of teaching, leadership and Principal experiences have been influenced by the interactions with many phenomenal Māori leaders and inspiring Māori tamariki, ka hoki ōku mahara ki a koutou, tena koutou.
I also have my husband and 4 very loving and confident Māori children of our own and they all keep me real on the important issues and challenges I am faced with often, in Kaikohe, in Northland and in the complicated Education sector.
I take my position as an Executive member of Te Akatea seriously and with integrity. I have grown in bravery while representing Te Akatea members in forums and contribute added value to our collective journey for enhanced educational experiences and opportunities for all Māori learners, regardless of the school setting.
I look forward to talking with you soon.
Mauri ora ki a tātou katoa
Meralyn Te Hira
Haley Milne
Kia Aroha College
Aka Tamaki
Haley's Profile
Ko Kai Tahu te iwi
Ko Ruahikihiki te hapu
Ko Te Ara a Kewa te moana
Ko Ruapuke te motu
Ko Motu Pohue te maunga
Ko Tuhawaiki te tangata
Ko Haley Milne toku ingoa.
I also whakapapa to Samoa on my father’s side, and England and Scotland on my mother’s side.
I have spent the majority of my 25 years of teaching at Kia Aroha College (formally Clover Park Middle School and Te Whanau o Tupuranga) in Otara, South Auckland, and won the Principal position in Term 3 2016. Kia Aroha is a “special-character” Years 7-13 secondary school with a curriculum focus on bilingual (Māori, Samoan, Tongan), critical, culturally sustaining pedagogy, and social justice.
I have been very involved in Te Akatea and an active member of Aka Tamaki since its inception in 2008, holding the position of Secretary for most of this time. I have been a member of the organising committees of the four national Te Akatea Conferences hosted by Tāmaki Makaurau. I was elected to the Te Akatea National Executive in 2017.
As the principal of a Year 7 to 13 secondary school, I am able to bring an upper primary and secondary voice to the Te Akatea executive table. I would like to strengthen our membership in these sectors while continuing to support our primary colleagues. I also offer the perspective of a new principal. I would like to see Te Akatea developing AP/DP support networks, Aspiring Principal workshops and First Time Principal mentoring programmes – by Māori for Māori – as a way of ensuring that relevant support is available.
Nga mihi ano
Denise Marshall
Te Wharekura o Maniapoto
Aka Tainui
Denise's Profile
Ko Maungatautari te maunga
Ko Waikato te awa
Ko Tainui te waka
Ko Waikato Tainui, ko Ngāti Raukawa ki Wharepuhunga ōku iwi.
Ko Ngāti Korokī, ko Ngāti Ruru ōku hapū
Ko Maungatautari, ko Parawera ōku marae
Ko Denise Marshall tōku ingoa.
Kei aku nui, aku rahi, tēnā koutou.
He tumuaki ahau i Te Wharekura o Maniapoto.
Ngākau nui ana au te whakaako tamariki me te ārahi he kura māori, he kura a-iwi.
Ka miharo au te noho hei kanohi kitea mō Te Akatea.
Mahia te mahi hei pāinga mō tātou.
Ngā manaakitanga
Denise Marshall
George Ihimaera
Kereru Park Campus
Aka Tamaki
George's Profile
Ki te taha o tōku māmā.
Ko Matihetihe te marae
Ko Hoko Keha te hapu
Ko Te Rarawa te iwi
Ko Tarakeha te maunga
Ko Moetangi te awa
Ko Tinana te waka.
Ki te taha o tōku papa.
Ko Oramahoe te marae.
Ko Ngāti Kawa te hapū.
Ko Ngāpuhi te iwi.
Ko Pouerua te maunga.
Ko Ngātokimatawharua te waka.
Ki te taha o tōku pāpā āno.
Ko Utakura te
Ko Mataitaua te marae
Ko Whakarongorua te maunga
Ko Ngapuhi te Iwi
Ko Ngātokimatawhaorua te waka
Ko George Ihimaera ahau. Ko te tumuaki ki Kererū Park Campus naenei.
I am very passionate and a strong advocate for Māori Education. My strengths are around growing effective cultures within a school and I take great pride in developing strong working relationships with colleagues, whanau and especially tamariki. I have been a member of the Te Akatea Executive for the last 3 years and enjoy challenging and advocating on behalf of my fellow colleagues, making sure there is a strong voice representing Māori issues at the many hui we attend throughout the year. I look forward to seeing you at our next national hui.
Ngā Mihi
George Ihimaera
Tom Paekau
Merivale School
Aka Tauranga Moana
Tom's Profile
Ko Tainui te Waka
Ko Kakepuku te Maunga
Ko Ngati Maniapoto/Tainui te Iwi
Ko Kaputuhi te Marae
No Otorohanga ahau
Kia Ora! Ko Tom Paekau toku ingoa. I love helping all kids to succeed but I take particular interest in assisting our Maori kids to attain their goals. Therefore being a part of Te Akatea Executive is of huge importance to me as I see it as a vehicle in which to make effective change for the benefit of Maori in education. I have been a Principal for the past 10 of 19 years in education. I relish the opportunity to assist educators at any level so please feel free to contact me.
Stacey Honeywill
Oamaru North School
Aka Te Waipounamu
Stacey's Profile
Ko Aoraki te maunga
Ko Waitaki te awa
Ko Araiteuru te waka
Ko Ngai Tahu te iwi
Ko Kati Huirapa te hapu
Ko Stacey toku ingoa
I am the Principal of Oamaru North School in North Otago. My strengths lie in developing strong relationships based on mutual trust and respect with our tamariki and their whānau. I strive to ensure that our tamariki are nurtured and cared for in an environment that allows them to be their personal best.
Contact Information
| Name | Phone | |
|---|---|---|
| Myles Ferris | 09 437 0623 | [email protected] |
| Bruce Jepsen | 07 542 2447 | [email protected] |
| Meralyn Te Hira | 09 401 1713 | [email protected] |
| Haley Milne | 09 274 5807 | [email protected] |
| Denise Marshall | 07 878 6884 | [email protected] |
| Tom Paekau | 07 578 6900 | [email protected] |
| George Ihimaera | 09 296 9040 | [email protected] |
| Stacey Honeywill | 03 482 2888 | [email protected] |
| Bronwyn Panoho | PA | [email protected] |
