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Are you interested in becoming a Trustee on the Mercury Bay Area School Board of Trustees?

School boards are responsible for the school | kura’s performance and ensuring that all legal requirements are met.

Every state and state-integrated school | kura in New Zealand has a board of trustees. The board of trustees is a crown entity – that is, an organisation that is part of the New Zealand public sector. 

The board

- is accountable for student achievement
- sets the vision for the school | kura
- ensures the school | kura complies with legal and policy requirements

First and foremost a board is accountable for student progress and achievement to its parents, community and the Crown. The board also has the overall responsibility and accountability for the school | kura.

The legal responsibilities of boards of trustees are determined by the Education Act of 1989. Schedule 6 of the Act outlines the functions and powers of boards:

      - A board is the governing body of its school.  

      - A board is responsible for the governance of the school, including setting the policies.

A board’s primary objective in governing the school is to ensure that every student at the school is able to attain his or her highest possible standard in educational achievement.

To meet the primary objective, the board must—

(a) ensure that the school—

(i) is a physically and emotionally safe place for all students and staff; and
(ii) is inclusive of and caters for students with differing needs.

Boards need a balance of skills and experiences to ensure effective processes for consultation, planning, monitoring, reporting and reviewing the school |kura’sperformance are in place.

The board's decision-making process, all trustees work to take into account all relevant information, and to vote in the best interests of all students, regardless of which position individual trustees hold across the table.

The board will act in an ethical and respectful manner

Board business will be conducted in an ethical and respectful manner, in accordance with legislation and board policy.
Expectations and limitations - 
As members of an effective governance team, each member of the board of trustees shall:
-ensure the needs of all students and their achievement is paramount
-be loyal to the school and its mission
-maintain and understand the values and goals of the school
-protect the special character of the school
-publicly represent the school in a positive manner
-respect the integrity of the principal and staff
-observe the confidentiality of non-public information acquired in their role as a trustee and not disclose to any other persons such information that might be harmful to the school
-be diligent and attend board meetings prepared for full and appropriate participation in decision making
-ensure that individual trustees do not act independently of the board’s decisions
-speak with one voice through board policies and ensure that any disagreements with the board’s stance are resolved within the board
-in the course of board meetings, disclose any interests in a transaction or decision where they, their family and/or partner, employer or close associate will receive a benefit or gain and leave the meeting for the duration of discussion and/or voting in relation to the matter
-recognise the lack of authority in any individual trustee or committee/working party of the board in any interaction with the principal or staff
-recognise that only the chair (working within the board’s agreed chair role description or delegation) or a delegate working under written delegation can speak for the board
continually self-monitor their individual performance as trustees against policies and any other current board evaluation tools
-be available to undertake appropriate professional development.

A successful day on Monday for the Y5-8 swimming sports. Check out some pictures below.

Our weekly newsletter can be found here.

The Middle Years, meet the teacher afternoon that was due to be held on Wednesday will be postponed until next week Feb 27th.

New booking code and details will be posted and emailed later today.

We apologise for the inconvenience.

Morena! Our weekly newsletter can be found here.

Please make sure that consent is given for the iconic across the river swim. If we don't have consent, then students can not swim.

A link to consent form is here - 

https://goo.gl/forms/HIBOjNPhBHfhznPh2

Our weekly newsletter can be found here

Congratulations to all our achieving students!

Academic Achievement – NCEA 2018
It is my honour to announce the top achievers in our Senior Years for 2018. The 2018 Dux is Ms Eleanor Tomkins, and Joint Proxime Accessit is Ms Jessica Alexander and Ms Michaela Duerre. These fine students have been exceptional in 2018 and richly deserve these awards. 

We held a whole school “Welcome” Assembly on Thursday where we were able to acknowledge our other top achievers for 2018.  

Other high achieving students in NCEA in 2018 are:

Level 3

Level 2

 Level 1 

Our pre term newsletter has been sent today. Find it here

All Year 9 and 10 students start at Mercury Bay Area School on Monday 4th February 2019.

The procedure for the day is as follows:

Students new to our school will meet at 8:45 a.m. at the flagpole outside the front of the school where they will be taken to the hall. Students who attended Mercury Bay Area School in Year 8 and 9 are to meet in the school hall at 8:45 a.m. Parents/Guardians are welcome.

A whakatau welcome to all will occur and then year 9 and 10 students go to the Hei block courtyard.

Introduction and explanation of day’s activities and then the students will be divided into Learning Groups.

Students will go with their Learning Coach to their new homeroom. This is an opportunity for the students to be introduced to their class and teacher and to know which rooms their classes will take place in.

We will re-assemble at the Hei block courtyard again at approximately 9.45am to begin the walk to Hilton Park. Morning tea will then be at 10:00am. The activities will be based at the park all day where toilet facilities / changing rooms are available.

Over the day tasks will be undertaken in Learning Groups to help them get to know each other. The tasks will involve a range of challenges which are designed to get the students working together to develop their co-operative and team skills. The activities will be wide ranging from thinking skills to activities which are more physical. All activities will link back to the New Zealand Curriculum and the Key Competencies i.e. Thinking, Managing Self, Relating to Others and Participating and Contributing, as well as our Middle Years philosophy of thinking for ourselves through thinking with others.

We will return to school before 3:00 to enable bus students to catch the buses home.

Remember: No school uniform is required on Monday, but will be necessary from the following day - February 5th. Students should bring hats, sunblock, togs, towel and lunch, water bottle, pen, medications as needed. Rolls will be taken during the day for health and safety reasons.

Any queries, please do not hesitate to contact the year 9/10 deans through school or at the following email addresses:

Y9 Dean Jaimy Goble - This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Y10 Dean, Pete Davy- This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

The dates for start-up for 2019 are below:
**Our school office will be open from Monday 21st January 2019 from 9:00am to 3:00pm.**

**Appointments for New Enrolments
The Deputy and Assistant Principals along with Senior Deans will be available over the holiday period from Wednesday, 23rd January. For appointments please contact the school office. (07) 866 5916

Good morning, our weekly newsletter can be found here

Good morning, our weekly newsletter can be found here.

The University of Auckland has released its annual list of 40 exceptional graduates under the age of 40.

We are pleased to advise that one of these outstanding individuals are a former pupil of Mercury Bay Area School: Black Fern Eloise Blackwell.

Eloise is the first professional rugby player to be named one of the University of Auckland’s 40 under 40 exceptional alumni.

Now in its second year, the annual 40 under 40 list celebrates the high achievers and game changers who are making a significant contribution in their fields, all before their 40th birthday.

Eloise grew up on Great Barrier Island and went to Mercury Bay Area School for her secondary schooling, before completing a Bachelor of Physical Education at the University of Auckland. As well as playing elite level sport, she also teaches PE and Health at Epsom Girls Grammar, where she is passionate about influencing the next generation of sportswomen to wear the silver fern.

“I constantly have students asking about my sporting career and what they can do to become a better athlete. I want to empower my students to achieve their goals and dreams and realise that with a bit a hard work and determination anything is possible,” Eloise says.

The annual 40 under 40 list recognises that many of the highest achievers who studied at the University of Auckland are making huge contributions be it to business, technology or a social good before the age of 40.

It is quite an achievement to be recognised on the list given the University of Auckland graduates some 10,000 students each year.

We hope that the inclusion of Eloise on the 40 Under 40 list is an inspiration to your students, and we welcome you to share this news with your school community.

The full 40 Under 40 list for 2018 is available here.

Morena! Our weekly newsletter has just been sent and can be found here.

Our school offers specialist music lessons in flute, clarinet,vocals, saxophone, drum, guitar, bass guitar and keyboard. These lessons are highly sought after! Lessons are often over-subscribed and places fill very quickly.

If you would like your child to take part in these lessons, please click the hyperlinks below (for each instrument) or if you have received a hardcopy of this letter please email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. for the links to register.  We will confirm our ability to offer lessons to your child by the end of Week 1 in 2019, and payment in advance for Term 1 will need to be made immediately on acceptance of the lessons in order to keep the space. We are also happy to accept a payment schedule on request.

Returning students must re-enroll and complete these forms - we do not automatically re-enroll as we do not know if your child wants to continue, will be coming back to MBAS etc. etc.

As the lessons are so highly sought after, it is essential that your child’s fees are paid termly in advance, or that you arrange regular payments in order to pay it off by the end of the year. Additionally, if a student misses too many lessons without explanation, their place will be offered to another student. It is the student’s responsibility to get themselves to their lessons on time. Our teachers do their best to remind students, but ultimately it is their responsibility.

Please note, students in Years 3-6 are only allowed to do one instrument. Students Year 7 and above may do more than one instrument after consultation with the tutors.

Drum Lessons - Years 3-13

Flute and Clarinet Lessons - Years 4-13

Saxophone Lessons - Year 4-13

Guitar and Bass Lessons - Years 4 -13

Keyboard Lessons - Year 3 - 13

Vocal Lessons - Year 4 - 13

Please do not hesitate to contact me with any queries at  This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Kind regards,

Dave Mulholland

HOD Music

Mercury Bay Area School

Congratulations to all our prize winners for 2019. Below is a copy of the programme a few photos.

Our weekly school newsletter can be found here