Te Kupenga Board
Our Board is appointed by the Bishops of New Zealand and is made up of senior leaders from across the country.
Chairman
Mr John Gallaher AFA CFInstD FCA ANZIM BCom (Otago)
John is Executive Director at Forsyth Barr and has over 35 years of experience in the financial services industry in funds and investment management, commercial and chartered accounting, management and banking. He is Chairman of City Forests Ltd, Mercy Hospital Ltd, and Fund Managers Otago Ltd, Deputy Chairman of NZCEO Ltd/NZCEO Finance Ltd, a Director of the Otago Rescue Helicopter Trust Ltd, Forsyth Barr Group Limited and Grow Dunedin Partners. He also has an active involvement in the non-profit and sporting sectors as Chairman of United Way NZ Inc.
Board Directors
Matua Turi Ngatai MNZM QSM, Ngaiterangi /Ngāti Ranginui, Tauranga Moana
Turi is trained at Loreto Hall and is a former Principal who has leadership experience in both Catholic schools and State schools. Turi has 40 years’ experience in the Kiwifruit Industry and was instrumental in establishing the Māori Kiwifruit Growers Association. He is a director of the 100% Māori owned and operated Te Awanui Huka Pak and Chairman of its investment company, Te Awanui Capital Limited. His experience in governance includes membership of the Rotorua Energy Trust, Chairing the Fordland’s Community Trust, and involvement in the Tangitu Whānau Trust, Ohuki Trust, and Te Haumāruru Trust. He is Deputy Chairman of the Ngaiterangi iwi post settlement governance entity and the Runanga. He is a representative for Ngaiterangi at the Iwi Chairs Forum. Turi has also held executive management positions at Te Wānanga o Aotearoa and the Open Polytechnic of New Zealand. He is a member of the the Interim Establishment Workforce Development Council for the Primary Industries.
Mrs Sandy Pasley BSc, PGDipSc (Otago), MEd (Massey)
Sandy is Principal of Baradene College of the Sacred Heart in Auckland having previously held senior leadership positions in a number of schools, including as Principal of St Mary’s College in Auckland for almost a decade, Deputy Principal of Birkenhead College on the North Shore, and Head of Science at Waitaki Girls’ High School in Otago. Sandy is a former President of the Secondary Principals’ Association of New Zealand, and in that role was involved in a number of major projects at a national level, including the Ministry of Education’s Review of Funding Systems Advisory Group.
Most Rev Richard Laurenson
Bishop Richard was ordained as Bishop of Hamilton in the Feast of the Immaculate, 8 December 2024. 2023. He is 4th Bishop of Hamilton, succeeding to the office vacated by Bishop Stephen Lowe, who is now the Bishop of Auckland. Bishop Richard has mostly been a Pastor in the Hamilton Diocese with various ancillary roles, including Military Chaplaincy, Teaching in the Formation of Permanant Deacons, Director of RCIA, Archivist and Chancellor for the Diocese, and latterly Canon Lawyer and director of the Tribunal Office in Hamilton. Bishop Richard earned his BTh at Otago (1993), and JCL at the Urbaniana in Rome (2010).
Mrs Jan Waelen BSc , GradDip Tchg, Grad Dip RE (ACU), MEdMgt (UoA)
Jan is currently Principal of McAuley High School in Auckland and previously was Principal of Marcellin College in Auckland. She has also been Deputy Principal at St Paul’s College, Auckland. She is a member of the AIMHI group of Principals and Auckland Principals’ Association.
Jan is passionate about Pasifika Education and Achievement , particularly within the Catholic Education system, where she has taught for 30 years.
Lisa Emerson MA (Dist.), PHD, Principal Fellow Advance HE.
Lisa is recently retired from Massey University where she held the title Professor of Teaching and Learning in Higher Education. She is an Assessor for Advance HE, has been a board member of Ako Aotearoa, a Fulbright Scholar and winner of the Prime Minister’s Supreme Award for Sustained Excellence in Tertiary Teaching. She is an active researcher, having published books and academic papers in the fields of academic and scientific writing, academic integrity, and the transition to higher education. She brings to the Board a passion for ako and a lifetime of experience in the tertiary sector. As well as this, she brings an ecumenical perspective and is currently a member of the Senior Leadership Team at the Cathedral of the Holy Spirit, Palmerston North.
