Student Well-Being Team

Sharon Fini - Student Counselling Support 
KingsGate School is pleased to partner with Freedom Counselling Ministries to provide professional counselling support for our students and families. Sharon Fini visits the school each Friday and offers a safe, caring, and confidential space where students can talk through challenges, concerns, or difficulties they may be experiencing.
Sharon holds a Bachelor of Health Science in Counselling from AUT and brings extensive experience working with children and young people in health and community settings. As a Christian counsellor, she is passionate about supporting students' emotional wellbeing and helping them develop healthy relationships, resilience, and positive strategies for navigating life's challenges.
If you believe your child would benefit from meeting with Sharon, or if your child would like to speak with her, please contact Mrs Kerry Ackerman, our Student Wellbeing Lead, to arrange a complimentary appointment.

Jayne Woodham - School Chaplaincy
At KingsGate School, we recognise that students sometimes need someone outside of their classroom environment to listen, encourage, and support them. Our School Chaplain, Mrs Jayne Woodham, is available each Friday to provide pastoral and spiritual care to students.
Jayne has served as a qualified chaplain for more than 14 years and has been an active member of her local Waiuku church community for over 30 years. She brings a wealth of experience, wisdom, and compassion to her role, offering students a safe and supportive space to talk through the opportunities and challenges they may be facing.
Students may be referred to Jayne by a teacher who has identified a pastoral need, or they may choose to speak with her themselves. As part of her chaplaincy role, Jayne provides Christ-centred encouragement and guidance, supports students' spiritual and emotional wellbeing, facilitates conversations about faith, beliefs, and values, and serves as a caring, non-judgemental listener.
Conversations with the School Chaplain are treated with sensitivity and confidentiality. However, where there are concerns regarding the safety or well-being of a student or another person, appropriate steps will be taken in accordance with the school's duty of care and safeguarding responsibilities.

Student Well-Being Lead
At KingsGate School, we are committed to supporting the wellbeing of every student from Years 1–13. Mrs Kerry Ackerman serves as our Student Wellbeing Lead, working alongside students, families, teachers, and support staff to help create a school environment where every learner feels safe, valued, connected, and supported.
Kerry provides early guidance and pastoral support, conducts student wellbeing check-ins, monitors schoolwide wellbeing trends, and helps identify students who may benefit from additional support. Working closely with our School Counsellor, Chaplain, SENCO, and teaching staff, she helps coordinate appropriate care and support pathways for students and their families.
This role focuses on promoting student wellbeing and early intervention rather than providing clinical counselling. Through strong relationships and effective home-school partnerships, Kerry helps ensure that every student is supported to flourish academically, socially, emotionally, and spiritually.