Leadership Team & BoT

Huia Toia-Coll- Chairperson

Kia ora, my name is Huia and I have lived in Ruakākā for nearly 14 years, along with my husband Henry and our 13 year old daughter Milly who attends Blomfield School. We are so grateful and truly impressed with the hard work that the teachers and support staff put in to our daughter every day. I am a Deputy Principal at Whangārei Boys' High School. My background in education is varied, having started as a specialist science teacher then moving into a role in Special Education to learn and understand more about the educational world that our then newly diagnosed daughter would be going into. I worked in special education for 7 years before taking on a leadership role at my school. It is such a privilege to serve the Blomfield community by being a BOT member and I am excited about the future direction of this very special place.

Kristy Kewene

I am a returning member of the Blomfield School Board of Trustees. I was inspired to put myself forward after we experienced the respectful caring holistic and unrelenting drive of the people working with James to help him achieve his full potential. I am a Chartered Accountant working in town with my partner Brett. We have a logging and forestry company. We have two children, Naomi who is at University and James who is at Blomfield Special School and Resource centre at Base school. In my spare time I enjoy Saturday morning garage sales, geocaching and learning about/growing food using biodynamics principles. I am looking forward to raising the profile of our school and through my life experiences support Blomfield to deliver its Charter.

Carol CooK

Robert Wallace

I have a wonderful wife and three beautiful children. My youngest child Edin has a rare genetic condition and my wife and I are her full time care and support team. Having involvement with various agencies and schools has brought about personal growth and I feel I can contribute in a positive and uplifting way to the team at Blomfield. I look forward to sharing, caring, learning and contributing to the best of my abilities.

Tracie Mitchell

Staff Representative I am married and have two wonderful adult children. I have worked at Blomfield School for 12 years (the longest I have ever worked anywhere). I am so passionate about our students and truly adore my job. I have worked my way up the ladder to become The Job Coach, which means I take our amazing young people out into the community for work experience. I am honoured to be on The Board and will do my utmost to fulfil my role to its full capacity.

Jaimee-Rae Kaire

My name is Jaimee-Rae Kaire and I am the proud Mum to Phoenix (21), Preston (13) and Brooklyn (12). All of my boys attend/attended Blomfield (base) school and I am grateful to be living back here in Ngararatunua (our tūrangawaewae). The past decade has seen us move from Auckland to Whangarei and then Wellington. On this journey we have experienced a variety of specialist schools and I am grateful that Blomfield Specialist School provides a quality education that recognises the unique needs of students. I have worked in education for 7 years and my current role sees me supporting literacy learning and our school library services. It is a privilege to be on the Board and I look forward to serving our wonderful Blomfield whānau.

Sharlene Clements

My name is Sharlene, and I’ve lived in Whangārei for most of my life, apart from a few years spent living overseas. I’m a proud mum of three—one of my children is still at home with my husband and me, one is currently studying in the United States, and the other is working as an apprentice builder. I’m the owner and manager of Kindhands, a purpose-built facility I established seven years ago to support whānau caring for children with medical conditions and/or disabilities. Kindhands, which was built by my husband, provides both early childhood education and weekend respite care. I bring over 30 years of pediatric nursing experience, and more recently, I’ve completed my training as an ECE teacher. I have a deep passion for supporting children with diverse needs, and my philosophy is centered on ensuring all tamariki are given the same opportunities to thrive, to be the best they can be.