Belinda Sutherland
Belinda was appointed as a Board Member (parent) in 2021.
Belinda is a Glendowie College Alumni (1983 – 1987) and has been a part of the Glendowie/St Heliers community for most of her life.
Following gaining a BA (Geography) she held many roles in Customer Services for a homewares and printer importer, Retail of homewares in London, Personal Assistant at a design practice in London, Office Administrator, Event Manager, Business Development & Marketing Manager for an Auckland design practice then Resource Planning Advisor and currently a Finance Coordinator for Jasmax where she has worked for over 16 years. It is interesting to see how each opportunity taken has led to more opportunities that interrelate.
Whilst at GDC with her two siblings, her mother was an active member of the PTA and her father was on the Eastern Schools Board, which covered Selwyn College, Penrose College (now One Tree Hill College), Metropolitan College (closed) and Glendowie College. So she observed and understands the roles of governance vs management – as board members we are there to set clear policy to guide our teaching staff so they can focus on creating the very best learning environment for our children. And she continues to attend NZSTA Professional Development courses to improve her effectiveness in this area.
Belinda has two daughters, the eldest is studying at the University of Auckland Engineering Faculty after graduated from the college, and the younger one is in Year 9 this year. She's currently enjoying a hiatus from the rowing squad and eagerly awaits to see if her younger daughter takes this up, having been a Rower for GDC too and recently restarted with Auckland Rowing Club (ARC) Masters.
Belinda hopes that through her skills of financial acumen, strong organisation and process, HR experience, volunteer management, is a good listener and able to ask good questions, will be strong attributes to assist the Board reach its goals.
Belinda strongly believes in providing a variety of learning opportunities to enable developing well rounded individuals who can find their place in our community and the wider world.
Gordon Robertson
Gordon is a long-serving staff member of Glendowie College and has been appointed as Principal in August 2020.
Gordon started teaching in 1983 at Queen Elizabeth College in Palmerston North. Since arriving at Glendowie College in 1986, he has had a range of responsibilities being a Dean and the Head of Social Sciences Faculty. Gordon has been a member of the Senior Leadership Team at the college since 1997.
Gordon started teaching as a Geography and History teacher. His qualifications include an M.A (Hons) Auckland and a Diploma in School Management. He was fortunate to be awarded the Woolf Fisher Fellowship in 2007 and used the opportunity to study Professional Learning practices in Canada, the United States and Britain.
Gordon is passionate about providing a quality holistic education for the students of Glendowie College. Gordon considers that the college has a responsibility to prepare young people for whatever career or educational direction they want to pursue as well as giving them the skills to be positive, caring and engaged members of society.
Gordon and his partner, Jo, have two adult children, both of whom work in education. As both a parent and teacher, Gordon has been actively coaching, managing, refereeing and scoring a wide range of sports. Occasionally he is able to make it out onto the golf course.
Aaron Wright
Aaron has been appointed as a Board Member (parent) in 2025.
Aaron lives in St Heliers with his wife, Sarah, and their four children, all of whom have attended Glendowie College. Two have graduated and moved on to tertiary study, while the younger two are currently in Year 13 and Year 10 (in 2025). Throughout their time at GDC, each child has built strong friendships, benefited from high-quality learning experiences, and developed valuable skills that will support them well into the future. Aaron chose to stand for Board election in 2025 to give back to the school and help contribute toward continuing its proud legacy.
Raised on a dairy farm in Matamata, Aaron studied Finance and Economics at the University of Waikato before travelling and working abroad. He settled in St Heliers in 2017. A Chartered Accountant (CAANZ), Aaron brings extensive experience in finance, strategy, governance, and transformation, having held senior roles across multiple industries and markets—including several CFO positions.
Currently, Aaron serves as Chief Financial & Operations Officer at FRAMECAD, an international export business headquartered locally. He is part of the leadership team delivering Kiwi innovation to the global construction industry through software, hardware, and component solutions across Australia, the Middle East, and the Americas.
Aaron is a strong advocate for the school and its role in the community. He is grateful to have been elected to the Glendowie College Board and is committed to providing good governance to support the continued delivery of high-quality education and opportunities to its students in collaboration with the community, parents, and staff.
Phoebe Dobson
Phoebe has been appointed as a Board Member (parent) in 2025.
Phoebe has lived in the local area with her husband, Callum Floyd, for the past 20+ years. Their three children have been educated through Churchill Park School and onto Glendowie College. She currently has two children at the school and one now studying at the University of Canterbury. As a family, we appreciate the many opportunities offered to our children at Glendowie College from academic, sporting, arts, and service, with each of our children enjoying taking part in a variety of activities.
Phoebe grew up in North Canterbury and gained a M.Com (Honours) from the University of Canterbury. She lived and worked in Christchurch, Wellington, and London before settling in Auckland.
Phoebe is Head of Delivery at Theta, a NZ-owned 300-person technology consultancy. In this role, she leads the business functions that enable our technology consultants to support our customers. Her team spans project managers, business analysts, testers, service delivery managers, service desk, operations engineers, and the People & Culture function. A key function of this role is providing governance across complex technology projects, with both an internal governance and oversight function, and regularly attending joint governance meetings with our customers to guide and steer the projects through to successful delivery. Phoebe is a member of the Institute of Directors.
Phoebe believes in the value of good governance and the importance of giving back to your local community. She is grateful to have been selected as a parent member for the Glendowie College Board. Overall, she believes Glendowie College is a great school that offers a lot for our children and the local community and wishes to ensure that Glendowie College continues to thrive and improve.
Patrick Poon
Patrick has been appointed as a Board Member (parent) in 2025.
Patrick grew up in St Heliers and lives locally with his wife, Wing Yan, and their two daughters – one currently in Year 9 at Glendowie College and the other due to join in 2026.
Patrick brings over 15 years of professional experience in business, digital transformation, and product management to the Glendowie College Board. His career has spanned education, technology, retail, e-commerce, and business consulting, with a strong focus on supporting organisations and corporations to deliver meaningful outcomes for people and communities.
Patrick recently completed a Master of Business Administration at the University of Otago. He is committed to lifelong learning and brings this mindset to his approach to governance, innovation, and student achievement. Beyond his professional expertise, Patrick is passionate about empowering young people to grow in confidence and thrive in an ever-changing world.
As a Board member, Patrick is dedicated to ensuring that Glendowie College continues to provide an environment where students are supported, challenged, and inspired to reach their full potential. He is particularly focused on strengthening collaboration between the school, families, and the wider community, so that every student benefits from a well-rounded, future-focused education.
Allyn Glaysher
- Biography and photo to follow.
Melanie van Ansem
Pita Alovili
Pita is a Year 11 Student at Glendowie College and has been elected as Student Board Member since September 2025. As the voice of the student body, he is responsible for advocating for the student's needs and concerns as well as delivering the opinions and voices of the students within the college to the Board.
Actively involved in the community, Pita participates heavily in multiple aspects of school life at GDC, including co-curricular activities, sports and refereeing. Outside of school, he enjoys going to church and being a TikTok comedian, he has been committed and involved within the community, participating in Kapa Haka and community gardening.
Pita is committed to serving diligently on the Board. He is looking forward to having the opportunity to make a difference for the student body of GDC and looks forward to seeing what the future holds this year for the college and the Board.
