From the
Board
As I sit writing this column a few hours before my final Board meeting, I pause to reflect on the more recent history of St Andrew’s College in the context of the last 100 years. It has been a privilege to serve as Chair of the Board for 11 of these years. During its rich history the College has prospered during periods of leadership stability, and the relationship between the Board and management is always crucial to that. I have been fortunate to enjoy an honest, trusting and warm relationship, with both Harvey Rees-Thomas and Christine Leighton, the Rectors I have worked with. I also highly value the support, wisdom and guidance I’ve received from the 36 Governors and five Deputy Chairs I have worked alongside on the Board. All have given generously of their time and made a positive contribution to the College. Early in my term as Chair we overhauled the Constitution, reducing the size of the Board, which as an Incorporated Society required 15 members, to just eight Governors, plus the Rector. The local Presbytery endorsed a plan to remove the representative rights
of stakeholders, replaced by a more modern process of nominations from the constituent groups. This governance structure allows the Board to select from a range of suitable candidates to fill vacancies based upon the skill set required. Just over a decade ago the Board embarked on an ambitious 10-year plan to upgrade facilities, eliminate debt and ready the school in time for the Centenary. Of course the development plans we made in 2006 had to be completely modified in 2011 following the earthquakes. Who would have thought we would need to demolish and rebuild the boarding houses or the Memorial Chapel? Negotiating the incredibly complex insurance settlement is something I am particularly proud of. We decided to go ahead and build the new boarding houses without the claim being settled, and faced the additional challenges of our insurers and main contractor Mainzeal going into receivership. There were a few sleepless nights, but we worked carefully and strategically through the issues and the College is now better off for it. I’m incredibly proud of all the new facilities and our courage to develop at a furious pace over the last decade. Particularly with regard to the upmarket boarding houses, state-of-the-art Gym 2, and the spectacular Centennial Chapel. We have also spent over
$10 million strengthening and upgrading Strowan House, Rutherford House, the Arts Block and many other structures around the campus. The development plan may have been ambitious, but we have delivered it, even with the unexpected challenges of the earthquakes. The College has never been better resourced and is debt free, things made possible by a good reputation and a full roll. Over the last decade the Board has also worked to develop a philanthropic culture in order to grow the St Andrew’s College Foundation to sustain future affordability, and provide scholarships. We put in place plans to improve the educational reputation of the College by focusing on a true co-ed environment, better teaching and learning practice, and world-class facilities. The desired reputation is caused by outstanding teachers delivering a quality product as promised, coupled with stability, accountability and unity of purpose. St Andrew’s College staff and management together have worked hard at continuous improvement, and I urge all current students, staff and Old Collegians to honour their role as guardians of the College’s reputation. With my time on the Board at an end, I would like to offer particular thanks to Rector Christine Leighton, for the trusting partnership we forged, and the various College communities who provide the unity of purpose. I thank my wife Tanya, who has been a patient supporter given the thousands of voluntary hours required to properly support the College. I wish incoming Chairman of the Board Bryan Pearson all the best and thank him for his great support and wise counsel over the years. As the College looks ahead to its second century I am absolutely confident it has the right mix of exceptional governance skills and energetic Board members to take it forward.
The Board of Governors (back row) Felicity Odlin, Malcolm Johns, Richard Holyoake, Rob Hall, Chris Janett (front row) Rob Woodgate, Rector Christine Leighton, outgoing Board Chair Garry Moore, new Board Chair Bryan Pearson, Sandra Wright-Taylor.
Garry Moore Chairman