The role of the student representative

All state and state-integrated schools with full-time students above year 9 must have a student representative on their board.

The only exception is when a board has an approved alternative constitution not requiring one.

We will unpack the role of the student representative in this article.

What is the student representative’s role?

A student representative is a student enrolled at your school who has been elected by the student body to your school board.

They are a full member of your school board.

That is, they have the same standing, voice, vote, and accountability as any other member.

The student representative's role is to bring a student perspective to your board's discussions and decision-making, much like how a parent representative brings a parent/community view.

Like any other board member, they are not an advocate for those who elected them.

They should focus on and vote for what is in the best interests of the school, its students, and its staff.

Like the staff representative and principal, the student representative cannot be the presiding member of the board.

How can your board support the student representative in their role?

First and foremost, all board members need to value the role and the perspective the student brings to discussions.

Ensuring all board members include and empower them to take part in board discussions as an equal is the best way to support your student representative.

Genuinely listen to their opinions and insights on how decisions and initiatives may potentially affect any students at your school.

It is helpful to have an effective induction process for onboarding all your board members that recognises the value of student voice.

Identifying a “buddy” for the student during their induction, can help ensure the student understands the role of the board quickly.

Some boards have found it useful to co-opt the outgoing student onto the board for the remainder of the year to support the handover process.

Others have found co-opting another student onto the board to sit alongside the elected member supports greater representation of student voice in discussions.

Does your student representative need to provide a report to the board?

Your student representative is not required to present a student report.

Your principal's report should contain all student matters your board needs to know.

However, your board may ask the student to provide an informal or formal update on agenda items in order to make sure there is a space for their opinions to be heard.

The risk of having a separate student report is that the student may raise issues that your principal is unaware of, and the board gets involved in these issues unnecessarily.

Should your student representative bring concerns and complaints to your board?

No, not directly, unless it is a personal complaint against the board or another board member in their role as a board representative.

All board members must use the school's internal processes and tikanga if they have any concerns or complaints.

Parent representatives cannot bring a complaint from their community to your board, nor can a student or staff representative.

Advocacy groups, such as the student council, kapa haka, or LGBTQ+ groups, along with regular feedback opportunities, can provide appropriate forums for students to raise their concerns about school-wide operations directly to school management.

Can you exclude your student representative from dealing with certain matters?

The student representative has the same standing as any other board member. However, being a student and a young person creates the need for special consideration and care.

Therefore, each school and kura should ensure that their culture and values are exemplified in care for their student representative.

Student representatives are entitled to attend any public-excluded discussions, even those that relate to student matters, such as a student suspension meeting.

They cannot, by law, attend if your board will discuss any matter relating to them as an individual student or if they have a conflict of interest.

What is a student representative's relationship with the principal, staff, and other students?

As a board member, a student representative is a member of the employing body of the school and has all the associated responsibilities of being a good employer.

So, when they have their "board hat" on, they act as the employer of the staff.

For the rest of the time they are a student, under the direction of your school staff.

They have no authority to act as the board unless this is delegated to them.

All parties (including school staff) need to recognise the two roles of a student rep and when they have delegated authority to act as a board member rather than a student.

One way to avoid tension and clarify the role of the student rep is to have a robust discussion at the board table based on the information covered in this article, the board member code of conduct, and legislation.

We recommend documenting agreed expectations in a student representative role description.

Who can be a student representative?

The requirements are set out in Schedule 22 of the Education and Training Act 2020open_in_new, but the key points are:

Your school's students elect the student representative.
On the day the election roll closes, the voters and the nominees must be enrolled full-time in year nine or above.
Neither the voters nor the nominees can be adult students as defined in Section 10 of the Education and Training Act 2020open_in_new.
Like any potential candidate, they must also meet the eligibility criteriaopen_in_new for becoming a board member (when they sign the nomination form, they need to confirm that they are eligible).

How is a student representative elected?

Your student body elects a student representative every September.

Your board should make sure the student election date is included in your board and school workplans, and there is provision made to cover its cost in your annual budget during your yearly planning process.

The role is to ensure students’ voice is at the table. Therefore, your board cannot simply choose someone for the position.

The board must appoint a returning officer to manage the election process at least four weeks before the September election day.

The student election runs in a similar way to the parent elections but has a shorter 31-day timetable.

Check out the School Board Electionsopen_in_new website for everything you need to know about student board members.

Questions your board could ask

Do we understand the role of our student representative?
Do our students, principal, and staff understand the role of our student representative?
Do we have adequate support systems in place to look after our student representative?
Does our student representative know what resources and supports are available to them?
Do we have a student representative role description?
If we already have a student representative role description, do we review it annually?
Do we resource and promote the student elections process adequately?

Templates, resources, and references

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Links from us

School board elections website

Education and Training Act 2020