Governance
Ficino School is owned by the Ficino Educational Trust, established in 1998 and governed by up to seven appointed trustees. The Board of Trustees meets every month and is primarily responsible for the strategic and financial governance of the school and management of school assets.
As guardians of the school, the Board is committed to ensuring that the unique qualities of the founding charter are maintained and that the pupils and staff have the best possible environment in which to realise their greatest potential.
The Board sets the purpose and policies of the school, including establishing and monitoring the strategic development needed for school growth; and each year agrees the annual plan and objectives in consultation with the Principal for the following year. They receive progress reports throughout the year.
Board sub-committees, sometimes with co-opted non-board members, are established from time-to-time to attend to specific projects. Board members can be contacted via the Business Manager.
Our present trustees are:
Bruce Watson
BE, NZCE, MInstD
Bruce has held various senior management roles including Managing Director of Kent Heating and Group GM of Hume Industries. He has been consulting to boards and management on strategy, business development and product development for over 20 years. He has also been a member of Rotary for many years and is currently a volunteer Business Mentor.
He has three adult children and has worked closely with Ficino School since its inception, managing the design and construction projects on the property.
Anna Winter
Anna is a past parent and is highly supportive of Ficino School; she is also a member of the School of Philosophy. She is the parent liaison for the Ficino School Board. Her affiliation to Ficino School began in 2003 when her first son started school. She runs four investment and hospitality companies together with her husband, in the property and marine fields. Her previous work experience was within a leading NZ food industry organisation in project management and R & D. She enjoys running projects and taking a systematic approach to tasks.
Sue Andreassen
A member of the School of Philosophy for many years, Sue’s son was a student in the inaugural intake for Ficino School back in 1997. Sue’s many years working in school administration sees her bring her on-the-job experience to her role on the Board of Trustee
Rosemary Auld, MA, Dip Ed
MA, Dip Ed
Rosemary is a longstanding supporter of Ficino School and the School of Philosophy. Her two daughters were both educated at Ficino School. As a qualified primary school and dance teacher, Rosemary developed and taught the Ficino School dance curriculum for eleven years. Her qualifications and career history have included town planning and local government administration as well as dance and choreography at a variety of schools.
Bruce Cowper
Board Member
Bruce has a long history with Ficino School. His son Jarvis studied here from 2013 – 2020 (becoming Head Boy in 2020). Bruce and his wife immersed themselves in school life, variously coaching sports teams to being involved with fundraising initiatives and events.
He looks forward to applying his skills in Business Consulting and Information Technology services to his role. He sees becoming a member of the Board as an opportunity to continue to help the school and support its wonderful teachers and staff as they continue to provide an outstanding education for its students.
Kayur Patel
Board Member
Kayur attended Ficino as an innaugural Year One student when it first opened in 1997.
To him, Ficino School represents the best of primary and intermediate education. The importance it places on values, disciplines and good learning cannot be overstated, and the impact the school has had on our community is impressive.
In his view, the more things change, the more important the values and philosophies that Ficino School represents have become, and he’s pleased that 27 years later, the school continues to maintain the importance of raising well-rounded young girls and boys who will contribute positively to society. He’s hoping to continue the emphasis on that focus in this role.
Mark Rassie
Board Member
Mark has held various management positions within major New Zealand corporates including Fletcher Building Limited. His work has focused on manufacturing, and he particularly enjoys the organisational change and HR aspects of this. Mark offers mentoring support to small businesses through Business in the Community and to students through the University of Auckland’s Alumni Careers Network.
Rowan Ashton
Board Member
