Student board members
Each year in September boards hold student elections for their board’s student representative.
Boards of state and state-integrated schools with students above Year 9 must have a student representative (unless they have an approved alternative constitution that does not require one).
Student representatives have equal standing, voice, accountabilities and voting rights as any other board member.
To help your board plan for the student representative election, you can enter your preferred election date into our Election Planner tool.
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Any student enrolled full-time in Year 9 and above, and under the age of 20, is eligible to stand for election and vote. There are some exclusions, which you can read here (90 KB, Pdf). Please also be aware that student representatives cannot be appointed as the presiding member (neither can the principal or staff representative). |
Information for students
Standing for election as the student representative on your school board might feel a bit daunting, but there’s plenty of help and support available to you.
As well as having a voice on how your school is governed, being a school board member will provide valuable knowledge and experience for your future – it will look great on your CV!
To find out more about becoming a student representative, talk to your principal and have a look at the Student Representative Handbook (2.1 MB, Pdf) (509 KB, Pdf).
We can help support you to promote the Student Representative Elections at your school. Te Whakarōputanga has created a range of resources to help boards attract great candidates and encourage students to vote. You can access them here.