Kia ora,
I was elected to the board in 2019 and am employed as Corporate Agribusiness Manager at the BNZ. I am married to Megan who is an alumni of Southland Girls High School and current staff member. We have three children – Amelia who graduated from SGHS in 2019 and now attends Otago University, Paige who is a current student at SGHS and a son Max who attends Southland Boys’ High School.

I am a strong advocate for our students to receive the very best education possible: to be actively engaged in a school environment that both motivates and inspires them to be the very best they can be. To ensure they have full access to the school curriculum: academic, sporting, arts and culture and relevant life skills.

Southland Girls’ High School provides an excellent education for its students and produces confident, well rounded young women ready to take on the world.

The challenge in today’s world is delivering a high level of education consistently. That takes a considerable amount of effort by teachers, support staff and other stakeholders with the support and leadership of a strong BOT.

Hi – I am Kelly Tagg and work in the busy role of Community Partnership Leader at the Southland District Council.  My daughter, Sydney is in Year 11 at SGHS.

I have really enjoyed my time to date as a parent representative on the Southland Girls’ High School Board of Trustees, where the focus is very much on developing an inclusive learning environment, where our girls have every opportunity to achieve their goals.

I especially enjoy working cohesively with such a great group of people, and to help grow our girls into fantastic women of the future.

Kia ora tātou.

Ko Takitimu te maunga

Ko Oreti te awa

Nō Waihopai ahau

Ko Henry tōku whānau

Ko Liz tōku ingoa.

Kia ora, my name is Liz Henry, I am sole director of Mee & Henry Law Limited and I am delighted to have been elected on the Board. 

A little bit about how I operate:

I believe that finding something important and meaningful in your life is the most productive use of your time and energy.   I am a big proponent of critical hope theory in education and development of local community.

Every life has problems associated with it, and when you find meaning in your life you can sustain the effort needed to overcome the problems you face.

Having been on the receiving end of an education as a student of SGHS last century, and now a business owner in the local community, I am aware of the importance of having productive and high performing schools in Invercargill. They help sustain the community, assist it to attain better health outcomes and remain an economically productive region.

In general, I can see via my other roles within the community and my legal practice that our city could use some additional support for developing a more inclusive and dynamic population.   We are not doing enough to help ourselves be the best version of ourselves.  And in some areas, we are doing the same things we have always done, and yet expecting a different outcome with generations coming through who do not respond in the same way as generations that came before.

I am a collaboratively trained lawyer with skills in alternative dispute resolution.  I am passionate about ensuring that we appreciate differing groups and persons with different personal characteristics from ourselves.  This helps create a safe and inclusive community.  And it allows for innovation and problem solving for the betterment of the community as a whole.

I am on a learning journey with Te Reo and Te Ao Māori and keen to see where that might take me in this new role on the board of SGHS.

My guiding proverb is “He iti hau marangai e tū te pāhokahoka”  (after the storm a rainbow appears).

We are often discouraged whenever we face trials and challenges in our lives.  We can become weak and insecure. We reach the point when we just want to give up. However, I remind myself to take heart. Failures are ingredients to success. (Kaiako say this all day to their ākonga!) Making mistakes is essential but it doesn’t have to stop there. You have to learn from them. Eventually, after all the problems you face, you’ll definitely see the rainbow at the end of the day.

My name is Michelle Mitchell, and together with my husband Glen, we farm our Sheep and Beef farm at Lumsden. I am a trained teacher, and am still very active in our local school, teaching on a regular basis. We have three teenage children – Fynn who is at Southland Boy’s High School, boarding at Coldstream; and Maise and Tilly who are both at Southland Girls; boarding at Enwood House.

Today’s students are tomorrow’s future, and it is paramount that every student at SGHS receives the best education possible. It is a challenging world we live in, and we must equip our students with all the skills they need to succeed in it!

It is an honour and a privilege to represent the parent community. I am very committed to supporting both staff and students in the development of our tamariki, ensuring they become strong, confident young people; keen and eager to learn, and ready to face an ever-changing world.

My name is Trudy Slee, and I am married to Richard. We own a farm near Blackmount and I am also involved in event coordination.

Our daughter Sarah currently attends SGHS as Year 10 student and boards during the week at Enwood House.

I am a strong supporter of SGHS being able to provide the best education possible to all the girls that walk through our red doors, through quality teaching and quality learning. 

We also need to ensure the girls’ have access to the best opportunities and experiences to help them grow and develop, so that they are ready for the next stage in their lives while making good friends for life.

The school is proud of the quality and caring boarding house environment offered, a home away from home, for Southland farming families to send their daughters. 

In my spare time I enjoy staying active with box fit and love being in the outdoors.

Marama Davis

Ebony Stevenson