Tribal Affiliation: Te Ātiawa, Ngāti Te Whiti
Born and raised on the Kapiti Coast, Philippa is the daughter of Ralphe and Nui Biss. She attended Wellington Teachers College before moving to Taranaki to begin her teaching career in Ngāmotu. She has lived in the shadow of Taranaki for 37 years with her husband Graeme. They have two tamariki and four mokopuna. Whānau is the foundation of her life.
Her whānau, parents and grandparents provided her with strong values of manaakitanga and aroha, along with respect for all and working hard in all you do.
Growing up, Philippa spent a lot of time at her grandparents (Ralph and Flora Love) and saw first hand his constant work on land issues, helping others and consistently working to improve conditions/situation for all Māori.
Philippa is passionate about education and has spent her career in teaching and leadership roles. Her key focus is on improving educational opportunities and outcomes for tamariki, rangatahi and their whānau.
She has been staff representative on the school Board of Trustees overseeing property maintenance and finances. As a board member on the Ngāti Te Whiti Hapū Society Board she implemented financial processes and set up administrative systems.
Philippa’s interests include raranga, running, kororā monitoring and spending time with her whānau.
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