School Board

Katya Old – Presiding Member

I joined the Point Chevalier School Board in 2020 and was elected to the Board Presiding Member role this year. I have really enjoyed being able to support our school through my role on the Board and working as part of a wonderful team to ensure Point Chevalier School continues to develop and enhance its role as a connecting point for us all, bringing together teachers, students, parents, and families from all backgrounds. 

My husband and I have three children, one of whom is at Point Chevalier School now. I have lived in Pt Chevalier for over 10 years and have been actively involved with the school for six of those. As a result, I have developed a strong interest in the role of parents both as partners in education as well as in school and community engagement.

My professional background is in social marketing, injury prevention, and health education. Having spent several years working with primary and high schools around Auckland, I bring a real passion for helping children grow and develop both in and outside the classroom. 

In the past four years, my family and I have moved out of Auckland twice. Each time, our children attended a different school, and each time they were made incredibly welcome to be back at Point Chevalier School. It is through this experience that I have become a firm believer in schools being at the heart of their communities. I love being part of the Point Chevalier community and I am excited to be able to contribute more to our school through the Board.

Byron Stephenson – Staff Board Member

I feel privileged to serve as the staff-elected representative for the board of trustees at Point Chevalier School. I grew up in Mt Eden and attended several central Auckland schools. I began teaching at Point Chev in 2019. I am passionate about seeing our tamariki reach their full potential and see this as vitally important for our future.

As well as teaching a Year 5&6 class, I am the school sports coordinator, a Within School Leader (WSL) for wellbeing as part of Te Kāhui Ako o Waitematā, and I am the chair of Western Bays Waterwise Inc.

Outside of school, I enjoy being outdoors, fishing, hiking, and surfing. During the summer months, I work for Auckland Cricket as an operations coordinator for domestic cricket matches and also as a visiting team liaison for international teams.

Santha Brown

I’ve lived in Point Chevalier for the last 8 years and I’m passionate about the area, the community and contributing to the continued success of the school.  I have two children, one is a junior at Point Chevalier School and the other is a preschooler who will be starting school next year.  

My husband is of Tūhoe descent and it’s important to both of us that our children grow up with a strong understanding of te ao Māori through their education and family connections. My father is Sri Lankan and my mother is English, so our children have quite the diverse ethnicity.

For the past six + years I’ve worked at Tātaki Auckland Unlimited, Tāmaki Makaurau Auckland’s economic and cultural agency, initially overseeing the Tourism, International Education, Major Events and Auckland Convention Bureau portfolios. I now lead the planning and delivery of the Auckland Host City Programme for the FIFA Women’s World Cup Australia & New Zealand 2023. 

Prior to joining Auckland Unlimited, I worked as an in-house lawyer at Barclays Bank in the UK and have also spent time in a commercial role with Les Mills International.

Susan Diao

Kia Ora! Ni Hao! My name is Susan Diao. I have worked at Te Pūkenga, formerly known as Manukau Institute of Technology as a senior lecturer in Supply Chain Management for nine years. Before that, I worked at various supply chain management positions in the commercial world, covering manufacturing and transportation and distribution industries. I’m also doing my PhD at the moment while working full-time.

I started contributing to our communities, especially the Chinese community in 2009 when I realised the increased needs of this community, particularly the Chinese residents with limited English literacy. I’m also the support person and volunteer for multiple non-profit organisations and societies across Auckland. 

In addition, I am the accredited Justice of the Peace. Providing JP services makes my life busier but fuller. It is an honour to become a board member of our school and continue providing support services to our valuable shareholders.