OUR BOARD

​​​​​​​The Paraparaumu College Board consists of elected and appointed members of the Kāpiti Coast community, a student representative, a staff representative and the Principal.


The Board is responsible for establishing the college’s strategic plan and direction in consultation with whānau, caregivers, staff, students and the wider community which sets out the objectives for each year.

The Board monitors student achievement and attendance, wellbeing, policies and is also responsible for overseeing the management of personnel, curriculum, property, finance and administration.  A sub committee for finance, property and disciplinary is established to support these areas.

Board meetings are held in public and we encourage and invite our local Paraparaumu College community to attend.  In terms of Section 48(1)(a) of the Local Government Official Information and Meetings Act 1987, the public be excluded from the “in committee” part of the meeting in order to protect the personal privacy of natural persons.

If you would like to attend please can you advise the Board Secretary at board@paraparaumucollege.school.nz in advance.

“School Board members play an important role in shaping the education experience and achievement of students.  

Mai i te kōpae ki te urupa, tātou ako tonu ai | From the cradle to the grave, we are forever learning.” NZSTA

To contact our board, please get in touch with the Board Secretary – board@paraparaumucollege.school.nz

Michelle Mason

Presiding Member

Michelle and her husband have two sons who attend Paraparaumu College.

Michelle owns local business The Chocolate Shed Cake Design. Before opening her own business Michelle worked in private practice as a family and criminal lawyer, later moving to Inland Revenue where she worked in the Office of the Chief Tax Counsel.

Michelle was on the Board of Kenakena School for nine years, and was Chair for six years.

Michelle was elected as the Presiding Member in February 2024 and a member of the Property Committee.

Lawrence Kirby

Vice Presiding Member

Lawrence and his wife Philippa have been involved in the Paraparaumu College community for nine years, having three daughters progress through the College. Lawrence has served on the College Board for over six years - three of which he was Presiding Member. He is chair of the Property Committee.

Lawrence is the Deputy Mayor of the Kāpiti Coast District Council and is passionate about creating environments where children, young people, and families thrive.

He has extensive experience on governance boards, educational and not-for-profit, and brings strategic thinking, integrity, a pastoral heart and fun to the Board.

Mark Robinson

Principal

Mark joined Paraparaumu College at the beginning of Term 2, 2024, having previously worked as a Manager Integrated Services at the Ministry of Education and, prior to that as Principal at Waiopehu College in Levin from 2015 to 2022.

Mark and his wife, Jo, have two adult children, Matthew and Bee, and whilst they both live in Wellington Mark and Jo live just behind Paraparaumu College having moved here from Levin in 2022. The daily commute to school is a walk of about 7 minutes!

Mark has always been passionate about education having taught in schools both in the UK and New Zealand for over 30 years, and it is now a real privilege to lead Paraparaumu College through its exciting next phase of growth and development. In his leisure time Mark is a keen musician, playing both the piano and saxophone, and he also enjoys cycling on the roads of the beautiful Kāpiti Coast.

Kate Cormack

Staff Representative

Kate has been at Paraparaumu College since 2017 and she is our library leader.  She also works closely with our executive officer two days a week on operational projects.

Kate was elected as the staff representative in 2023.  She is a member of the Property and Disciplinary Committees.

Manit Desai

Student Representative

Manit is a Year 10 student who joined the Board in 2023 as the student representative.  He has been living in Paraparaumu since year 4 and has been attending the College for two years.  He enjoys math, science and many leadership opportunities in and out of school.  He enjoys reading, listening to music and speedcubing in his free time.  Manit goes to his temple every Sunday where he does a lot of work to help out.

Paula Helms

Board Member

Paula joined the board in June 2019 and is also on the finance and disciplinary committee.

Diane Bradley

Board Secretary

Diane joined Paraparaumu College five years ago as the executive officer and part of this role is the Board Secretary.

Zoe Pearson

Board Member

Zoe has one child at Paraparaumu College, and another set to attend in 2025.

Zoe has a legal background, completing LLB, LLM and PhD degrees in Law in New Zealand and Australia, and has worked mainly in the legal field in government and academia in New Zealand and the United Kingdom. Zoe has also had voluntary roles with various non-profit and community organisations.  She has served on the Paraparaumu Beach School board, where she was the Chair for nearly five years.

Zoe joined the Paraparaumu College Board in 2024 and is a member of the property committee and the disciplinary committee.


Martin Baker

Board Member

Martin has two children attending Paraparaumu College with another to come.

Martin has a degree in science, has had a variety of management roles including Health and Safety, Human Resources Management and General Management.  Currently Martin is the Chief Operating Officer for a Petone Based Construction Company where he is a member of the company’s board.  He is passionate about learning and development which he studies as an interest in his private time.

Martin joined the board in 2024 and is a member of the finance committee.