About Us

A Fun Group of Parents

We are a group of volunteer parents who help out where we can to connect our fantastic school with our local and wider community. We organise many great events throughout the school year, as well as fund-raise to contribute to a number of great additions for our school environment. We have fun, and the biggest reward is seeing the smiles on the children's faces, and knowing we're helping to make a difference in their lives.

Why we do what we do

We all have a passion for ensuring our children have the best possible chance to learn and grow in an amazing, supportive and loving school environment.

The school can't do it all, and the school experience doesn't work unless all the moving parts come together. So, put simply, we aim to help and support where we can. We work with the staff, the children and the wider community, and try to fill the gaps. This ranges across, but is not limited to:

  • organising events, e.g. school disco, twilight fair, quiz night, guest speakers, leavers dinner.

  • funding extra school resources, e.g. new music tops, shade sail for the swimming pool.

  • helping around the school, e.g. organising working bees, redecorating the music room.

  • providing nutritious food for bought lunches every Friday to support our children's healthy growth and development.

  • working with the Maunu team to support a positive experience for our new families to school through our New Families BBQ and our regular Starting School huis, giving these new members to our wider school whanau a chance to connect in their new environment.

  • help out and support teachers by supplementing the school resource pool with additional items so they can, as much as possible, provide the best environment for our children to learn in.

  • supporting families in need through our Hardship and Empathy funds respectively.

We're passionate about our children's future, and that starts right here and right now!

Pop in to a Meeting

The PTA meetings are public and all are welcome. It's a great place to share ideas!

There's no pressure to join, but as we're volunteer parents, the more the merrier, and there are many ways to contribute and help out.

Come and learn more about how we support the school.

PTA Members

Lou Neville

Co-Chairperson.

Shane Langman

Co-Chairperson

I joined the PTA in 2021, after helping out with school crossings and being invited along to a meeting by another member. I saw that there was help needed and wanted to give back to the community in some way. I started with a few small jobs, helping where I could then later became a lot more active. This is genuinely a fun bunch of people to work alongside and we have a good laugh along the way. I especially enjoy seeing familiar faces amongst the tamariki and how much they love what we do for the school. At the time that I joined, my daughter (Elsha) and Son (Nathan) were both at CPTPK. Nathan is now year 5 and enjoys seeing his dad getting involved with his school events - especially the disco!

Gavin Burn

School Principal

Barbara Turner

Treasurer

Wilfred Walsh

‘Friends of the PTA’ contact, Website, Environmental

Michelle Smith

Teacher Representative

Kia ora, my name is Michelle Smith and I am the teacher representative on the PTA. My own two children, Benji (Year 6) and Fletcher (Year 4) attend CPTPK and we all love being part of this school community. I have been teaching at Cashmere Primary Te Pae Kererū after returning from teaching in London, in 2009, and have worked across many levels within the school. Currently, I am job sharing with Penelope Blanchfield in Year 2, as part of MS/PB. I also help out in other homerooms around the school if needed. I am married to Blair and we also have a dog, Bella, who was our first baby and the only other female in the whānau. My hobbies include keeping fit, dance, skiing, aerobics, reading, travelling and spending time with family/friends. The PTA is a great way to help the school community and to keep staff, students, and whānau connected.

Jackie Sun

PTA Member

Lisa Hopfengarten

PTA Member

Lizzy Payne

PTA Member

Asia Emslie

PTA Member

Jenafer Matthews

PTA Member

Ellie Taffs

PTA Member