Our people.

Marcus joined St. Peter’s, Cambridge in January 2023 from St Peter’s College in Adelaide, one of Australia’s leading independent schools, where he was Deputy Headmaster and Head of Senior School.

Marcus’ vision and priorities have consistently centred on delivering outstanding learning experiences for young people, strengthening the vital partnership between home and school, and nurturing an enduring and energising sense of belonging within school communities.

Marcus has broad international leadership experience as an academic faculty leader, boarding housemaster, co-curricular leader and, away from the school setting, is a former international rugby sevens coach and published author in this field.

Marcus has a proven track record in optimising academic progress and outcomes, and a strong working knowledge of the complexity of large boarding schools. Marcus has a particular passion for the holistic education of every child through the integration of academic and co-curricular programs to achieve personal wellbeing and growth.

Marcus’ experience in some of the world’s leading schools – including King’s College School in Wimbledon, Raffles Institution in Singapore, The Scots College in Sydney, and Bradfield College in the UK – positions him well to articulate and amplify the distinctive offer of St. Peter’s School, Cambridge.

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Since joining St. Peter’s eight years ago, Julie has used her skills and knowledge in both pastoral care and curriculum of New Zealand secondary schools, to assist students during their time at St. Peter’s.

Beginning her educational journey at Waikato Diocesan, Julie has strengthened her passion for helping students open their hearts and minds to the many opportunities available to them. Her deep sense of care for all learners, both students and adults alike, has led her to lead with grit and compassion. 

During her career, Julie has led numerous impactful initiatives including curriculum design, system developments, data-driven practices, and creating programmes for diverse learners across several schools. Student and staff leadership development is a real passion for Julie, as a fundamental belief of hers is that all people can grow and learn new skills and knowledge. 

As an avid learner herself, Julie has gained an International Coaching qualification and, more recently, has attended an Advanced Learning programme at Reading University at the Henley Business School in the UK. 

From heading a number of schools across New Zealand to her time at St. Peter’s, Julie relishes the challenge and direction ahead for our leading school and firmly believes that great teaching results in great people.

Brenton is a long-serving St. Peter’s staff member who remains passionate and excited about serving the needs of the students at St. Peter’s. 

Brenton has an extensive background in pastoral systems, with some of his previous roles including School Counsellor, Teacher, Sports Coach and Manager, Dean and Boarding House Director, all leading to his current position as Deputy Principal. In 2013, Brenton was a recipient of an Honours Award from the Independent Schools of New Zealand (ISNZ) for his service to the St. Peter’s School community.

In his current role, Brenton is focused on leading the pastoral care framework through his support of the Heads of Year (Years 11 - 13), Heads of Houses, and School Prefects. In addition to this, Brenton is responsible for overseeing the School Counsellors and Nurses who provide wellbeing support to our students. 

In alignment with his passion for ensuring child protection, Brenton is the Designated Person for Child Protection at St. Peter’s and ensures that child protection remains a key focus within St. Peter’s through everything we do. 

Outside of his roles and responsibilities, Brenton enjoys connecting with Alumni. He finds it rewarding to hear individual stories and to consider the impact St. Peter’s has made on the numerous lives that have passed through our gates.

Gerard joined the St. Peter’s team originally in 2001 as a House Assistant in Riddet House, one of our boarding houses, while completing a degree in Law at the University of Waikato. 

After spending 13 years away from the Cambridge area and St. Peter’s practicing Law and having various teaching roles, Gerard returned to our school as the Head of the Mathematics faculty for a few years before moving into other areas of the school. As a passionate teacher, Gerard enjoys encouraging students and helping them develop a love of the beauty that is mathematics.

Outside of the classroom, Gerard is very active in our sports community and is currently coaching netball, finding joy in the positive interactions he has with students away from the classroom. Gerard values seeing the students demonstrate their skills and strengths in a range of different environments from academics to sports and beyond. 

With 20 years of teaching experience across a range of private and state schools in New Zealand and the United Kingdom, Gerard brings with him a wealth of experience to St. Peter’s. In his current role, Gerard is focused on the operational running of the school, including calendar management, timetabling, and education outside the classroom. 

Amy joined the St. Peter’s teaching staff in 2017 as the Head of English and has since moved into the role of Deputy Principal. 

A Massey University alumna, Amy has a Bachelor of Arts in French and English. After realising that teaching was her true calling, Amy has gone on to complete a Graduate Diploma in Secondary Teaching and a Postgraduate Certificate in Education. 

Over the last 16 years, Amy has predominantly taught English across all year levels for both the NCEA and International Baccalaureate academic pathways. Before joining St. Peter’s, Amy taught in the state sector for eight years in Cambridge and Palmerston North. 

With a passion for teaching, learning, curriculum, and ensuring that all students have a pathway, Amy has been instrumental in the success of many current and ex-students. This passion is not just during her time on campus, as Amy uses her summer breaks to challenge herself by writing a new version of a national textbook to support not only St. Peter’s students but students across the country as well.

Initially joining St. Peter’s in the Social Sciences faculty, Sean has moved around the school into various roles including Year 9 Dean, Boardhurst Boarding House Director, and Head of Faculty; Social Sciences. This broad leadership experience has given Sean an excellent understanding of school systems from a variety of perspectives and enabled him to establish and maintain positive collaborative relationships across multiple areas in the school.

A former professional rugby player, Sean has been involved with the rugby programme throughout his time at St. Peter's. Sean’s philosophy on sport and education, in general, is that young men and women thrive under high expectations and being coached to new levels of skill, effort, and commitment.

As part of the Aspiring National Leadership Programme in 2021, a programme designed to help develop the personal leadership capabilities of leaders within the education sector, Sean has learned valuable skills which he has brought into his role as Deputy Principal. Sean was also selected for the Sir John Graham Emerging Leaders Forum in 2023. 

In his current role as Deputy Principal, Sean is responsible for Year 7 - 10 Pastoral Care and Sport.

With more than 20 years of experience working in the St. Peter’s community, Sara has built a reputation for dedication, kindness, and service of the highest quality. 

Beginning in the Science faculty in 2001, Sara was involved in implementing the current NCEA and International Baccalaureate Biology courses that are currently on offer to St. Peter’s students. 

During her time with St. Peter’s, Sara has held a variety of leadership roles in both the pastoral care space and different curriculum-related teams. 

In 2018 she was the recipient of the Kudos Secondary Science Educator award in recognition of the quality of her teaching and service to the science teaching community in the Waikato region. Her work in school shows has also been acknowledged with a Zony award for best props in the St Peter’s production of Chitty Chitty Bang Bang.

Originally having joined St. Peter’s in 2017, Greg returned to our school in 2022 bringing with him his extensive experience as a senior leader from his previous roles as Director of Teacher and Learning prior to becoming the Deputy Principal of Operations and Curriculum at St Paul’s Collegiate. 

In addition to the above roles, Greg has also previously held leadership positions at Saint Kentigern College in Auckland as the Assistant Principal of Teaching and Learning, as well as Boarding Duty Master for three years. With experience overseas as a House Master in the United Kingdom, as well as Master in Charge of Cricket, Greg has the experience for our boarding students, many of whom are from overseas. 

Greg is well known for placing a strong emphasis on promoting a supportive environment for staff, students, and their families as well as creating a space for personal growth and independence in the boarding environment. During his time at St. Peter’s, Greg has been instrumental in implementing innovative teaching strategies and fostering a collaborative culture among educators, further enhancing the overall educational experience for our students.

John joined the board in 2020 and has been Chair since 2021. John has a background in the health sector and is currently the CEO of Spark Health, but has experience across New Zealand, Australia, USA, UK and the Middle East with start-ups, NGOs, private and public health organisations and in advisory and governance roles. John is an alumni of the University of Waikato, Harvard University and Henley Business School.

John is married to Kerry a local GP and they have 3 children - 2 current St. Peter’s students and one recently graduated.  John is passionate about seeing St. Peter’s continuing to develop as an independent school, producing critical thinking leaders of tomorrow, equipped to make a difference.

Gina is a lawyer with a Bachelor of Laws and a Bachelor of Arts (Political Studies) from the University of Otago.  

Gina has over twenty five years of experience in the legal field, currently specialising in providing strategic legal counsel and management support to an NZ based global business. She has had experience providing both operational and strategic advice through employment in corporate law firms in Auckland and the Waikato, and now plays a role in developing and implementing legal and compliance strategies across diverse global operations. Her expertise spans corporate governance, risk management, regulatory compliance, employment relations and negotiation.  She also has a Diploma in Management of Not-for Profits and has spent time working in the not for profit sector and in politics.

She is passionate about the education sector and the opportunity for young people to explore and step into their potential.  Gina has four children, and is involved in various local community and sporting organisations.

Monique is a Solicitor and is currently the Special Counsel at Hamilton Legal, the office of the Crown Solicitor. Having previously been a Partner in a mid-size firm Monique brings a wide range of commercial experience to the Board.

Monique holds a Bachelor of Law and a Bachelor of Social Sciences from the University of Waikato and in addition to her Board role at St. Peters, holds governance positions on the Resthaven Community Trust Board and the Cambridge Business Chamber Board.

Manuel joined the board in 2022 after relocating to New Zealand from Hong Kong. He has strong background in Technology and has held multiple C level positions where he has built and integrated organisations across Asia, the Americas and Europe.

He has been responsible for large operational and capital expenditure budgets, held multiple board positions and worked as a strategic advisor to global companies. Manuel holds a Bsc. (Hon’s) from the University of the West of England, Bristol and is currently an Executive Advisor to PricewaterhouseCoopers Consulting Hong Kong and an Advisory Board Member to Bric LLC.

Manuel’s two children are current students at St. Peter’s.

Julia has a distinguished executive career in marketing and business management, having worked extensively in New Zealand, Australia, and Canada. Over the past five years, she has leveraged her strategic expertise in governance, serving on various boards in the agricultural, horticultural, non-profit, and financial sectors. Julia has been part of the St. Peter's board for 2 years, sharing her business expertise and knowledge to move the school forward into its next stage

As a St. Peter's Alumni, Julia has a long history with the St. Peter's and helping it continue to provide an excellent educational experience for current and future students. Julia currently resides in the Bay of Plenty with her husband, Roger, and their three children.

Matt has held leadership roles across the New Zealand financial markets. He is currently Head of Wealth Management Research and a member of the senior management team at Forsyth Barr, one of New Zealand’s largest and fastest growing investment management firms. Matt is Chair of Forsyth Barr’s Investment Committee. Matt has a B.Com and B.A. from the University of Canterbury, and an MBA from the University of Oxford.

Matt is married with three children – two are currently students at St. Peter’s.

Graeme, an accomplished sports management professional, is deeply interested in holistic education's positive impact. He holds degrees from Loughborough and Wollongong Universities and has led renowned sports and coaching programs across three continents. Formerly Director of Sport at England's Millfield School, his association with the Home of Cycling Charitable Trust, the Apex Foundation and other youth charities underscores his alignment with St. Peter’s School's holistic approach.

A member since 2016, Graeme chairs the Education, People and Culture Committee and steered the 7-Year Journey Project. Graeme spends his daytimes supporting New Zealand’s Olympic and Paralympic swimming teams, and growing a regional rugby league pathway in association with the One NZ Warriors.