The Shotover Primary School Board of Trustees took office in June 2016. In addition to the elected parents listed below, our principal Ben Witheford and mentor Emma Watts also serve on the board.
Samantha (Sam) Kirk | Board Chair
Kia ora. My name is Samantha and I am privileged to be the Chair of the Board of Trustees at Shotover Primary School.
With a blended upbringing between Australia and America, Queenstown is where I call home and have been for over 15 years.
My husband Marcus (who actually grew up here) and I have two daughters, both at Shotover.
With almost two decades of event management at a senior level, I was seconded onto the Board mid 2022, to use my organisational skills to assist in developing and implementing an international programme, amongst other responsibilities as being part of the Board.
Following Covid, my career pivoted and I am now working in the non-for-profit sector at the Three Lakes Cultural Trust. The work we do is to support and encourage arts and culture in the Queenstown Lakes District in ways that enrich the quality of life of residents that contribute to the cultural, social and economical vitality and resilience of the District.
Working in the creative industry, I strongly value SPS's goal of creating an environment that encourages imagination and possibilities; a place that fosters creative and critical thinking which allows our tamariki to imagine any future they choose.
As a family, in the Winter you can find us on the ski fields, and in Summer we can be found biking, at the beach or gardening in our backyard.
Anna McCarthy | Parent Trustee
Hi, my name is Anna McCarthy. I am mother to 2 children at Shotover Primary School, and have lived in Queenstown since 2020. I have a lifelong love of learning, with a particular interest in life and environmental sciences, languages, and in our collective role of kaitiakitanga for our natural environment. I sing with the Southern Soul and Songbirds choirs and enjoy making new connections across our diverse community
Simon Matheson | Parent Trustee
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Ros Pirie | Parent Trustee
Sarah Fredric | Parent Trustee
Emma Watts| Staff Trustee
Kia Ora! Ko Emma Watts tōku ingoa.
I am the Shotover Primary School DATS Leader (Design, Arts, Technology & Science).
I believe that learning is our core business and that everyone is capable of learning. I am passionate about our community developing growth mindsets to cultivate curiosity, inspire passion and foster reflective thinking.
DATS is a fantastic way to grow future innovators and inventors. Through DATS we can foster children's creative problem solving and teamwork skills. It provides opportunities to learn by thinking with our hands, working with readily available materials, getting our hands ‘dirty’, and failing and bouncing back from that failure. It's a great opportunity for our children to practice climbing into and out of the ‘learning pit’, to foster ‘grit’ and develop a growth mindset within real-life and fun contexts. Embracing DATS within our school fosters future-focused learning.
I am passionate about developing our children’s confidence and ability to talk about their learning so that they can identify where they are at, where they are going and how they will get there, thus enabling our children to see themselves as the key drivers of their own learning. I find it incredibly rewarding to work alongside all akonga and to be part of their journey growing into confident, connected and actively involved life-long learners.
In my spare time I can be found outdoors tramping, exploring, snowboarding, kayaking or indoors reading, tinkering and creating.
I am delighted to serve as a member of the Shotover Primary School Board of Trustees. As a parent to two daughters who attend Shotover, I am deeply invested in our school, which I believe provides an exceptional environment where every child can thrive. We are incredibly fortunate to have dedicated staff and a strong, positive school culture, and I am honored to work alongside the team to support its continued success.
I bring extensive community governance experience to the Board, having held both board member and chairperson roles for various local organisations, including Altrusa, the Whakatipu Care Trust, and the Wakatipu Toy Library. My passion lies in community involvement, and I am excited to contribute to Shotover Primary’s vision of creating a climate of possibility to grow great humans.
While I initially came to Queenstown to ski 20 years ago, I've come to realise this town is so much more. I embrace the Queenstown lifestyle and can be found skiing, mountain biking, and crafting, or out and about with my girls on our E-Cargo bike. My professional background is diverse, spanning roles in tourism, marketing, the wine industry, and most recently working with local charities.
