Our Trustees

Dan McGregor is a senior advisor at Fletcher Building and has a legal background with a focus on resource management, public policy and strategy development.  He is a member of the Resource Management Law Association of NZ and lives in Titirangi with his wife, two daughters and an assortment of cats and dogs.

“Bridging the digital divide grows ever more relevant as society becomes ever more dependent on technology and those with the skills to use them.  All New Zealand kids need fair access to the digital tools they’ll need to build a prosperous future.  I’m proud to be part of making that access happen.”

Jenny Merrington was a teacher for many years. While studying towards a Diploma in Educational Technology, she moved to Unitec where she initiated online collaborative programmes between eleven schools. Most recently she was employed by the University of Auckland as an e-learning and literacy facilitator working in a number of schools across Auckland. Now retired, she volunteers at the Mount Roskill Citizens Advice Bureau and enjoys spending time with family.

“Since the early days of floppy disks, I observed the power of technology to enable children to create, communicate and learn. It is a privilege to be part of the Ako Hiko Trust enabling all children in our area to have those experiences.”

Sandy is a Deputy Principal at Lynfield College and has been a teacher for over 30 years. She taught English for most of that time at a decile 1 school in South Auckland. She has had significant experience as a school trustee and for many years has done volunteer work in the Mount Roskill electorate. Sandy joined the Ako Hiko Trust in mid-2018 because she sees technology as a powerful tool for improving student engagement and achievement and was impressed with the work the Trust was doing in Mount Roskill.

 “As a teacher I was always looking for ways to improve educational outcomes for my students and remove barriers to their learning. Ako Hiko is doing that by levelling the playing field so all young people can access technology and see success. Having a device of their own supports student learning and collaboration. It also opens up whole new worlds for them.”

Originally from Kerikeri, over the last 38 years, Gavin has lived mainly in Auckland with a few extended periods in the UK. He is married to Vicki, and they have 4 children.

An electronic engineer with a passion for technology and learning; he has helped establish and grow a number of successful technology companies.

He joined Ako Hiko Education Trust in 2019 after being invited to attend a trustee meeting and seeing the impressive results the students in their cluster achieved as the result of the trust's work.

Having seen first-hand the benefits technology provides to 2 of my children who are dyslexic, I understand the importance of its availability in schools. One of the UK schools had an excellent programme to enable all pupils of the school to have access to technology and this was incredibly successful – evidenced by their GCSE results, some of the highest in the country for a state school.

Darby Healey is a partner at KPMG and lives in Mount Albert. She is married to a secondary school principal and has 3 daughters who all attend local schools. Darby has lived in the area since 2002, and in her free time can be found watching her kids play a multitude of sports, or walking up Owairaka with her husband.  Darby also volunteers with Springboard Trust, which provides coaching to principals and senior leadership teams of low decile schools.

“As a parent of a child who needs technology support to learn, I know first-hand how critical this can be to children’s achievement. We live in an age where we know many children learn differently, and not everyone has access to the tools they need. I am so proud to be part of Ako Hiko Trust who are working to make learning equitable.  The work they do is not limited to a session in a classroom, it encompasses children being engaged and involved in their learning, developing themselves, building their own confidence and feeling competent in a digital world.  You can’t underestimate the outcomes and the impact they have to our society.”

Moumita Das Roy is a cross-industry marketer with experience in Nonprofit, Media, Advertising, and Telecom. Her core expertise lies in Brand & Product Management and Digital Marketing. In her current role, she manages the B2B marketing communications for DuluxGroup. She is also a tertiary educator and a workplace trainer. She speaks English, Hindi, Bengali and German. She is a passionate traveller, and has been to all seven continents, immersing herself in cultures around the world. 

"This is my first volunteering governance role, where I can combine my skills from the corporate and academia.

Having anchored The MoE, Government of New Zealand led initiative at work, to provide free broadband to close New Zealand's digital divide for school students, this association is personally, one more step towards it."

Priya is a Real Estate agent that comes with a skilled background in school administration. She has worked closely within a school that is part of the Ako Hiko cluster. She is a mother of two boys who are currently attending Intermediate and High School.  Having lived all her life in Auckland, she is proud to be part of an organisation that is dedicated to helping students in Central Auckland be better prepared for the technological world we now live in.

Lou is the Principal of Wesley Primary School. He is also the convener of the Principals group and as such is the principals’ representative to the Ako Hiko Education Trust. 

Kaaren Holland-Kara holds a Bachelor of Commerce from Auckland University. Originally a founding Trustee of Ako Hiko Education trust, was then appointed as the Executive Officer in April 2015, and while no longer in the position of Executive Officer, has retained the role of Trust Accountant.