Meet Key Staff

Julie has a strong record of educational leadership, with extensive experience in curriculum, pastoral design, building leadership capability, and is an accredited coach with Growth Coaching International. She has held leadership positions at a number of Waikato and Auckland secondary schools.

Julie is an advocate of learner-centred programmes and student leadership and is experienced in designing and implementing data-based initiatives to improve student learning outcomes.

Rob comes to us from the Dilworth Trust Board in Auckland, where he was General Manager for 9 years. His area of responsibility was managing a diversified portfolio of investments which generated revenue to fund the operating costs of Dilworth School.

As a highly competent Business Unit Manager, Rob has had experience running one of the largest divisions of a major New Zealand bank. Accountable for strategy development, implementation of business plans and development of high performing teams.

Brenton is a long-serving St Peter’s staff member who remains passionate and excited about serving the needs of all students at St Peter’s.

He has transitioned from his role as Director of Boarding to take on a Senior Leadership role as a Lead Dean in 2019, and in 2020 became a Deputy Principal for St Peter’s.
Brenton has an extensive background in pastoral systems, having previously worked as a School Counsellor, Dean and Boarding House Director.
Currently, his focus is on leading the pastoral care framework through his involvement in supporting the Deans and School Prefects. Brenton is a teacher of Theory of Knowledge in our IB programme, and relishes his involvement with his Year 9 Learning group.

Brenton loves his sports and has previously enjoyed his involvement as both coach and manager in 1st XI cricket, boys football, and rugby. Brenton remains an avid supporter of our school sports teams.

Jed oversees our eight boarding houses. His role involves ensuring consistency of standards across boarding houses; collecting feedback on what is happening in boarding; representing boarding on the senior leadership team; liaising between students, staff and parents; managing serious disciplinary processes; promoting boarding; interviewing prospective students.

Jed is passionate about making boarding a great experience for all students. He believes that the experience young men and woman gain through their time in a boarding environment plays a big part in shaping their character. As such, an environment where students feel safe, where their wellbeing is seen as important and they are learning to be resilient, is vital. He is an experienced boarding leader, having been a House Director and a Director of Boarding in previous roles. Jed is an experienced teacher of mathematics. He is also a keen sportsman and sports coach, having had coaching involvement with rugby at all levels from junior rugby to international rugby.

Kurt has an extensive background in education, coaching and leadership in both in New Zealand and overseas. Previously he was acting headmaster at Medbury School in Christchurch. Prior to this, he worked in a range of international schools in Hong Kong, China, and the United Kingdom. In all of these roles he has held different leadership positions.

Kurt has a passion for unlocking the potential of all students. This can be done through differentiated learning in the classroom. With Kurt’s extensive independent and international school experience, he is able to combine the best parts of their curriculum structures to help meet the needs of our students. He has started working on his Masters in Education through Monash University in Australia, to complement the leadership positions he has held. Kurt has also been the director of PE and EOTC (Education Outside the Classroom) at Scot’s College. He has also coached rugby and cricket at both primary and secondary level.

Jess has a wealth of experience and thrives when immersed in teaching and learning, coaching, and sports management. She is passionate about encouraging everyone at St Peter’s to be the best they can be and implementing strategies to achieve this. She is a strong advocate for embracing a wellbeing culture.

Jess is a former representative track athlete and national medallist. She has also managed New Zealand Athletics and cross-country teams at Oceania, Commonwealth, and World Championships. Jess acknowledges the importance of creating a high performance environment for all and ensuring ngakau pono – integrity, whakakoa – respect, kairangatira – excellence and whanaungatanga - relationships, are all values that are instilled in our community. She continues her love of sport by coaching the Athletics at St Peter’s, specialising in relays.

Jess’ role as deputy principal encompasses leading the wellbeing curriculum, NZQA, Principal's Nominee, overseeing faculty areas and International Baccalaureate. Jess’ love of learning continues as she studies a diploma of positive psychology and Te Reo Manahua Māori.

Contact Jess at info@stpeters.school.nz for any Principal's Nominee matters.

Gerard is a passionate teacher who enjoys encouraging students to develop a love of the beauty of mathematics. He is responsible for timetabling at St Peter’s as well as being the Head of Faculty of Mathematics. With over 15 years of teaching experience across a range of private and state schools in both New Zealand and the UK Gerard brings a wealth of experience to St Peter’s. He also has a law degree and over five years’ experience working in a large commercial firm as well as smaller firm.

Amy has been at St Peter's for nearly five years, joining initially as the Head of English. She has taught predominantly English for over 13 years, across all year levels in both NCEA and International Baccalaureate.  Prior to her time here, Amy taught in the state sector for 8 years in both Cambridge and Palmerston North.

She has a BA in French and English. A Grad Dip Teaching Secondary, Graduate Certificate of Arts, and a Post Graduate Certificate in Education.  She did attempt a stint at law school, but quickly realised that her childhood of playing ‘teachers’ with her sister and friends was actually where she was meant to be - a quick refocus of her degree to focus on literature and teaching occurred!

Amy has also recently become the House Director of Beaufort House, caring for 70 girls from Year 11-13.

She is passionate about teaching and learning, curriculum, and ensuring that all students have a pathway.  As she loves learning and is always looking for a challenge, each summer she writes a new version of a national textbook to support students across the country.

Sean joined St Peter’s in 2014 initially as a teacher in the Social Sciences faculty, however he has since held various roles including Year 9 Dean, Broadhurst Boarding House Director, and Head of Faculty Social Sciences. This broad leadership experience has given Sean an excellent understanding of school systems from a variety of perspectives and enabled him to establish and maintain positive collaborative relationships across multiple areas in the school.
 
A former professional rugby player, Sean coached the St Peter's 1st XV for a number of years and was responsible for the initiation and implementation of the school’s Rugby Academy programme. Sean’s philosophy on sport and education, in general, is that young men and women thrive under high expectations and being coached to new levels of skill, effort, and commitment.
 
Sean is currently a part of the Aspiring National Leadership Programme, designed to develop the personal leadership capabilities of leaders within the education sector.

With more than 20 years experience of working in the St Peter's community, Sara has a reputation for dedication, loyalty, kindness and service of the highest quality. She has worked in the (fantastic) Science Faculty since 2001, where she has been involved in the implementation of both NCEA and International Baccalaureate Biology courses. Sara has held a variety of leadership roles in both pastoral and curriculum-related lead teams.

In 2018 she was the recipient of the Kudos Secondary Science Educator award in recognition of the quality of her teaching and service to the Science teaching community in the Waikato region. She loves her day job and thinks that unpacking Science ideas with a class of keen students is a genuine treat.
 
Sara is a great believer in the St Peter’s ethos of "Growing great people in body, mind, and spirit."