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.

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. 

We can help support you to promote the Student Representative Elections at your school. NZSTA has created a range of resources to help boards attract great candidates and encourage students to vote. You can access them here.