Trust Services

David Hodge
Head of Saint Kentigern

With an M.A. (Honours) and M.Ed.(Honours), David has considerable experience in the education sector. For the last eleven years, he has been Principal of Rangitoto College, a Decile 10 school on the North Shore; the largest and one of the most successful coeducational schools in the country. Prior to this, he had a most effective period as Principal of Tamaki College, a Decile 1 school in Glen Innes, raising the profile and driving exponential improvement in the educational performance of the school. Whilst at Tamaki College, he was recipient of a Woolf Fisher Fellowship.

He is also actively involved in wider educational circles. He is a Board member of the Global Connections International Principals’ Group; an educational leadership organisation of 100 school leaders worldwide that promotes an international exchange of ideas on excellence in education. He is a Board member of the AUT Millennium Operating Trust and was a member of the Education NZ Advisory Committee. In addition to this, he has been a presenter, facilitator and mentor in the New Zealand First Time Principals training programme, part of the Reference Group for the Ministry of Education's e-learning policy, and the University of Auckland's research into school leadership.

Merle Boniface
Chief Operating Officer

Merle is the Chief Operating Officer and Board Secretary for the Trust Board with responsibility for all commercial and support operations across the Saint Kentigern organisation, including Planning, Finance, ICT, Marketing and Communication, Human Resources, Facilities Management, Major Property Projects and Risk Management. She brings significant strategic business and senior leadership experience to the role gained in the Finance, Education and Small Business Development sectors.

Merle has successfully turned around a University Business School, supported large corporates to implement best practise, advised business owners and played a key role in the merger of two banks. She has led large teams through periods of transformation and most recently, worked as Director of Business and Planning at another large independent school, during which time she led the transformation of the Campus with the implementation of a significant Master Plan.

Merle has made a significant contribution to the wider independent education sector holding executive positions as President of ASBA NZ Inc, member of the ISNZ executive and Chairman of ASBA Ltd. Her contribution to the sector was recognised through national awards received in both New Zealand and Australia.

Merle is well qualified for this role with two Business degrees from the University of South Africa, leadership programmes completed at Harvard Business School and Mount Eliza Business School and a Banking qualification. She has also completed the Certificate of Company Direction through the NZ Institute of Directors and the Certificate in Governance and Risk Management through the Governance Institute of Australia / CSA.

Colin Bowring
Major Projects Manager

Colin has had over 30 years’ experience in property development, project and property management in both the UK and in NZ. He has also enjoyed hands-on roles in property development, building design & construction, property asset and maintenance management for a range of organisations with varying property portfolios.

Over the last eleven years he worked for the Selwyn Foundation, a retirement village operator, initially as Development Manager and subsequently as General Manager Property. He led the property development and strategic asset management activities of the organisation across a number of Villages located on the North Island.

Kay Forrester
Strategic Marketing Manager

Before moving to Saint Kentigern Kay held senior advertising, marketing management and general management roles, both overseas and in New Zealand. These were in a range of commercial and public-sector companies, most recently as General Manager of The Brand Group and prior to that as Acting Group Manager of Auckland City Libraries.

Her responsibilities at Saint Kentigern are to develop and implement the organisational marketing strategy and plans at both Trust level and for all five schools, that enhance the Saint Kentigern reputation, engender positive engagement with the community and increase the roll of each of the schools. Kay also provides strategic marketing advice to Saint Kentigern’s senior leaders and managers.

Walter Chieng
Director ICT

Walter has fulfilled a range of roles during his tenure at Saint Kentigern. With a BSC and Grad Diploma in Operations Research his roles have included teaching, leading the Cisco Networking Academy programme, spearheading the one device per student programme from its inception in the late nineties and being responsible for the organisation’s ICT systems and infrastructure development. He maintains strategic partnerships with ICT vendors and suppliers to support the ICT services for students, staff and parents across all Saint Kentigern schools.

Jonathan Gravit
Finance Manager

As financial controller, Jonathan has accountability for budgets, statutory accounts and monthly financial reporting. Responsibilities include the oversight of school fees and student accounts, supplier payments, and payroll matters and oversight of three Uniform Shops. Jonathan gained his qualifications as a Chartered Accountant while working as a Government Auditor. He then then worked in senior financial and operational roles in a range of commercial and public sector organisations in New Zealand and overseas.

After growing up in a family involved in education and not for profit organisations, and as the parent of two school-age children, he understands the issues faced by parents, teachers, and outside organisations involved with Saint Kentigern.

Gayle Harris
Health and Safety Manager

Gayle has worked in health and safety roles for over 25 years, both in the private and government sectors. She has worked with a large range of industries from manufacturing to medical. During her 11 years with OSH Napier (now known as WorkSafe NZ) and WorkSafe Victoria as a health and safety inspector/investigator, Gayle worked with a number of private and government organisations, including schools, and more recently spent nine months working with Catholic schools in Melbourne.

Gayle’s key priority is to work through the Enforceable Undertaking and assist Saint Kentigern to implement systems in line with WorkSafe’s requirements to enhance our health and safety program. In addition, she will also identify other health and safety opportunities for Saint Kentigern to keep students, employees, contractors and visitors safe.

Gayle’s style is to engage with a variety of people on an issue as she respects that everyone at Saint Kentigern has knowledge and experience to contribute towards finding effective, health and safety solutions.

Rochelle Reuelu
Facilities Manager

Rochelle is an experienced Facilties Manager with a demonstrated history of 25 years in the industry.

During this time she has worked across a broad range of areas such as commercial, industrial, retail and heritage buildings.

Over the years she has been actively involved with the Facilities Management Association in NZ both on the Auckland committee and as Chairwoman of Women in FM.

She is skilled in Negotiation, Budgeting, Business Planning, Compliance, Technical services, Project Management, Asset & Facilities Management.

Renee Roberts
Human Resources Manager

Over the past 20 years Reneé has occupied roles which emphasise organisational design, training and development, change management, operations, employment and industrial relations and more recently, strategic and leadership support in Human Resources. She has worked across a variety of industries in the private and public sector, within large human resource teams in complex multi-faceted environments, as well as ‘sole charge’ smaller start up roles. The experiences in each of these environments have shaped Renee as a dedicated practitioner and have prepared her for her role at Saint Kentigern. She aspires to lift staff engagement and capability through the provision of HR infrastructure and support through organisational design, systems, policy and practice.