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Senior Leadership Team

Governance
Senior Leadership Team

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Laidlaw College’s Senior Leadership Team guides the College’s daily life and shapes its future direction. Bringing together a breadth of experience and expertise, these leaders are responsible for the day-to-day running of the College and form part of its governance structure. They work alongside staff, students and partner organisations to keep every programme faithful to the Gospel and responsive to Aotearoa New Zealand’s bi-cultural and multi-cultural context. Meet the people who generously serve our community with wisdom, care and integrity.

Dr Roshan Allpress

National Principal/CEO

Dr Roshan Allpress

Roshan has been National Principal/CEO of Laidlaw College since 2017. An historian, whose research focuses on the history of philanthropy, humanitarianism and social reform, he has a background in non-profit leadership. Roshan and his family live in Henderson.

Anna Shaw

Chief Operating Officer

Anna Shaw

Anna took on the role as COO of Laidlaw College in mid 2025. Anna has held leadership roles in both the public and private sectors, in New Zealand and overseas, with substantial experience in finance, environmental stewardship and strategy. She is married with two daughters, lives in Greenlane, and attends Auckland Evangelical Church.

Allan Officer

Chief Financial Officer

Allan Officer

Allan's role is Chief Financial Officer and encompasses HR, Property, Information Technology and many other interesting aspects of Laidlaw College. Allan seeks to ensure Laidlaw College meets its financial responsibilities including statutory financial reporting. He is also kept busy with an array of IT, HR and property related projects.

Rev. Dr Maja Whitaker

Academic Dean | Senior Lecturer (Theology)

Rev. Dr Maja Whitaker

Maja is the Academic Dean at Laidlaw College; she oversees all programme development and delivery and contributes to the development and outworking of College strategy, with a focus on integrated programmes and a strong partner ecosystem. Maja is a senior lecturer in the School of Theology, and has served as Practical Theology Lead and with the School of Theology Leadership team. She teaches into courses on spiritual formation, reflective practice, leadership, and pastoral ministry.

Dr John de Jong

Head of Theology | Senior Lecturer (Biblical Studies) 

Dr John de Jong

John is Senior Lecturer in Biblical Studies and Postgraduate Lead in the School of Theology at Laidlaw College. John teaches Old Testament, Hebrew, and Biblical Interpretation. John has been on the editorial board of the Bible Translator since 2021 and was Māngai Māori (Māori Representative) for the Aotearoa New Zealand Association for Biblical Studies for 2022-2023. Before beginning at Laidlaw in 2018, John taught Old Testament and Hebrew in Yangon at the Myanmar Evangelical Graduate School of Theology from 2005 to 2017. Before that he was Pastor at Lincoln Road Bible Chapel from 1998 to 2002.

Rev. Dr Pennie Vaione Togiatama

Head of School of Education

Rev. Dr Pennie Vaione Togiatama

Pennie joined the Laidlaw College Education team as Head of Education in January 2026. Her background is in education, namely secondary teaching, where she has served across South and West Auckland as well as Dunedin. She is a former Senior Advisor for Sector Enablement and Support at the Ministry of Education, providing advice and guidance for school principals and Boards of Trustees for over 50 schools, mainly in West Auckland, North Shore, and South Auckland. She also delivered the Pasifika Education Plan 2012 - 2018 to schools and communities, encouraging and empowering Pasifika voices.

Jocelyn Weber

Acting Head of Counselling | Lecturer (Counselling)

Jocelyn Weber

Jocelyn holds a Master of Arts in Counselling and a Master of Arts in Practical Ministry (special focus on Family Studies) from Cincinnati Christian University in Cincinnati, Ohio. While in Cincinnati, Jocelyn practised as a counsellor in the community for about 20 years. She primarily focused on working with children and families, but more recently was working with adults with chronic medical issues and mental health issues. She was also an adjunct professor at Cincinnati Christian University and supervised counselling students, and counsellors working toward their independent counselling licence.