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.  

jane hamilton | CHAIR

Hi. My name is Jane Hamilton. My involvement with Shotover Primary has grown over the 6 years since my daughter Charlotte started as a Foundation Learner, and Greta and Tilly started as new entrants. I’ve loved being parent help on excursions, nature play, school skiing, and sports events. Being part of the Friends of School (FoS) for 3-4 years has given me insight into the inner workings of the school and has also connected me with some fantastic parents and families within our Shotover community.

I have a corporate marketing and business background, and have held senior management roles in marketing and financial management. I’ve worked across a variety of industries and am currently the Business Development Manager for Cookie Time and co-owner of two small businesses. These positions have given me depth and breadth of experience, working at a strategic level but also being able to quickly move into detail and ask questions where necessary.  Throughout my career I’ve had the opportunity to work with, and learn from some extraordinary people, and have developed strong relationships that I can draw from.

I’m excited to chair the Shotover Board of Trustees, and contributing in a meaningful manner. Having sat at board tables in both a work and volunteer capacity, I have insight into the importance of good governance and having a balance of views around the table. In addition, my position as Chair of the Wakatipu Plunket Trust has given me first-hand experience in navigating the boundaries between governance and management / operations. 

emma black

My husband Mark and I have two girls at Shotover, currently in Waipuna and Rees.

We moved here in 2014 when our eldest was five weeks old and the area is very much home to us.

My background is in HR and Health and Safety and we own two businesses, HR and Health and Safety software for NZ ECE centres and the other for businesses large and small in NZ.

Throughout my career I have had the opportunity to be involved across a number of sectors, including local government, education, financial, dairy and transport.

It is a wonderful opportunity to be a part of the Board of Trustees at Shotover Primary to support the school and community, as we believe our children are extremely lucky to have the opportunities the school (and the wider area) have to offer.

Anna mccarthy

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

Jose Llodra

My family and I are well and truly a part of the Shotover Primary community, my children as students and my wife as a mentor. 

My background is in economics, business operation and HR. My current role as general manager at Gems (ECE) has opened my eyes to the wonderful world of education and given me invaluable insight into the education sector and our community needs.

 I truly believe that we have something special here at Shotover Primary School. I feel blessed to be a small part of it with my whānau.

Samantha (Sam) kirk

Kia ora. My name is Samantha and I am privileged to be a Trustee 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. 

emma watts

Kia Ora! Ko Emma Watts tōrku 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.