My Account
The two new primary schools being built in Milldale and Ōrewa have both appointed their foundation tumaki principals, even though neither will open its doors to students until early 2023.
Wendy Sandifer will take charge at Milldale Primary, while Steve Mouldey will be at the helm of Ōrewa North West School.
Ms Sandifer has been in NZ education for 35 years and a school principal for 15 of those, most recently on the North Shore at Takapuna Normal Intermediate and Torbay Schools.
She said she was excited at the prospect of leading the new venture and working with the growing Milldale development to build a new school community.
“It will be particularly exciting to develop a modern learning, high tech school that has sustainability at the forefront of its design,” she said.
Ms Sandifer said was also passionate about developing wellbeing and resilience, not just for students, but for staff and the wider school community as well.
“I believe this is extremely important for the success of learners and their whānau and crucial in these current times,” she said.
Mr Mouldey is another North Shore local and comes to the role after heading up the Takapuna fee-paying AGE School, which he said had developed a curriculum that gave equal weight to both wellbeing and academic progress.
He said he was excited to meet the community over the coming months as the new school took shape.
“I am a principal that is open, enthusiastic, future-focused and keeps learners at the centre of all that I do and will operate with that in mind at all times,” he said.
He and his family live at Hillcrest and are regulars at the Red Beach Surf Club, where his children are members.
Milldale Primary School is being built with $20m of government funding and will be in Argent Road. It will initially cater for 370 students, but will have the capacity for almost double that in future. The site will also host satellite centres for Wairau Valley Special School and the Northern Health School.
Ōrewa North West School is being built in Sunnyheights Road with a budget of just over $25 million. It will initially cater for up to 420 students, and eventually up to 700.
Info: www.milldaleschool.nz/ and www.onws.school.nz/
