Our People 2025

Shane 
Principal
email: principal@maungaraki.school.nz

Brigitte Ferguson
Deputy Principal
email: brigitte.ferguson@maungaraki.school.nz

Darian Schulz
Deputy Principal
email: darian.schulz@maungaraki.school.nz

Kākano Syndicate

Years 1 & 2

Junior Syndicate Leader: Adam Murfitt

Teachers:
Room 6 -Amber Donaldson - New Entrants & Year 1
Room 7 - Brydie Wolfe - New Entrants & Year 1
Room 8 -Harika Akbaba - Year 1 & 2's
Room 9 - Adam Murfitt - Year 1 & 2's

Tipu Syndicate

Years 3 & 4

Middle Syndicate Leader: Nicola Prichard

Teachers:
Room 1 - Lisa Thompson
Room 14 - Nicola Prichard
Room 15 - Anna Coyne
Room 16 - Grace Esquilant

The Tipu Syndicate is home to our Year 3 and 4 students and are based in Rooms 1, 14, 15 and 16. The teaching team is Grace, Anna, Nicola and we welcome Lisa to join us in 2025.  The Tipu syndicate are focused on delivering a fun and engaging programme, through building relationships, giving students opportunities to build their independence, find their passions and be curious, particularly through Pākiki time.

Koru Syndicate

Years 5 & 6

Senior Syndicate Leader:  Holly Hughes

Teachers:
Room 10 - Ashleigh Edwards
Room 11 - Holly Hughes
Room 12 - Ben Glue
Room 13 - Kim Webby

Kia ora koutou! We are team Koru. We are made up of Ben, Kim, Ashleigh and our syndicate leader Holly Hughes. In Koru we are excited to support our tamariki to develop firm work habits, and further develop their confidence to express themselves. We work mainly from our own classrooms, but are together for a range of activities every day. Our collaborative time fosters bonds between all our tamariki, and develops relationships with all three kaiako. 

We use a variety of online learning tools and programmes to support their learning. Some of these are Reading Plus, Prodigy, Banqer, and Epic. As well as this we utilise each others strengths as teachers, and our natural environment, to offer a learning programme we are proud to be a part of. Through our Inquiries we also delve a bit deeper into their creative, critical, and design thinking.  

In Team Koru, we are passionate about making sure all our tamariki get the most out of us and our time in the classroom.

Ponga Syndicate

Years 7 & 8

Intermediate Syndicate Leader:  Hayley Saxton

Teachers:
Room 2 - Rebecca Barkla
Room 3 - Sam Blandford
Room 4 - Jayne Chatfield
Room 5 - Hayley Saxton

We are the Ponga Syndicate - Intermediate team and we're passionate about providing rich and engaging learning opportunities for the Year 7 and 8 tamariki of Maungaraki School.

We believe in growing young leaders who actively live out our HEART values and give back to the school and wider community in a variety of ways, using the unique skills and strengths they have developed during their time here.

We have four separate classrooms and balance a mixture of home-class time with collaboration as a whole syndicate each day.

Release and specialist teachers

Alle Pollard
Ben Young - Technology
Christine Trummer
Gemma Smith
Kelly Cooper
Michaela Schauer
Moira Hooper
Stephanie Ross
Talitha Le Roux
Tania Singh

Support staff

Admin Support Staff
Juanita Kil (PA to Principal)
Tania Potaka (Office Manager & Bursar)
Tim Barnes (Caretaker)

Teaching Support Staff:
Barbara Hatton
Chloe Rahui-Durkin
Helen Billingham
Lily McClennon
Nic Hughes
Sarah Yaxley
Shona Morris-Priest