What the board does

The board is the group of people that make the big decisions and set the overall direction of the school. Every state, state-integrated school or kura has a board.

The school board is responsible for:

• policies and procedures
• planning for the future
• employing all school staff
• complying with the law
• managing budgets.

The board doesn't get involved in operational issues. The principal is responsible for the day-to-day running of the school.

Who is on the board

Being on the board allows people from the local community to get involved in the running of their school.

Anyone can be voted on to a board as a parent representative. To qualify, you must be nominated by a parent of a student at the school.

Board membership is not a paid position, but you may receive compensation for your time.

The board is made up of:

• community representatives elected by parents
• a staff-elected representative
• the principal
• a student representative if the school has students in Year 9 and above
• representatives of the school's owners if the board is for a state-integrated school.

The board can add more members to fill a skill gap or to make it more representative of the school's community.

Te Whakarōputanga Kaitiaki Kura o Aotearoa (formerly the New Zealand School Trustees Association) supports all school boards.

Advice and Support — Te Whakarōputanga Kaitiaki Kura o Aotearoa

About board elections

A school holds elections for parent representatives every 3 years. A school may also hold midterm elections 18 months after the last election. All parent representatives are elected for a term of 3 years.

All parents of children attending the school can vote in the elections.

Communicating with the board

The board meets regularly, and meetings are open to anyone to attend as an observer. If you want to speak at a meeting you will need to arrange this with the board in advance. Meeting minutes should be available on request from the school.

Boards should communicate with parents regularly about school business. It must consult on matters like rule changes and the strategic plan.

If you have a matter you want to raise with the board, contact your school to find out how best to do this.