Tēnā koutou katoa
I tae mai ōku tīpuna ki Aotearoa I te tau 1950 o te waka ko Tangaroa.
Ko Waikato te awa e mahea nei oku māharahara.
Ko Hakarimata te maunga nāna ahau I whakaruruhau
No Ingarangi ōku tīpuna.
Ko tēnei tau mihi ki Tainui, ko ngā tangata whenua o te rohe nei.
Ko Kingston te ingoa whānau.
Ko Ella, ko Jamie, ko Corey āku tamariki.
No reira tēnā koutou katoa

My journey in education started over 22 years ago studying psychology and then teaching at the University of Waikato. Following this I secured my first job as an Intermediate School teacher in South Auckland. This was where I soon discovered my desire even as a Beginning Teacher to lead others and bring heart and soul into teaching and education. Here my love for diversity and working through adversity was planted. A couple of years later I moved back to Waikato and worked in a Decile 1 Primary school for 5 years, followed by a big change with a move to a Decile 10 school until the birth of my second child.

Having my three children prompted me to look outside the box for early childcare and then later schooling. Discovering Waldorf Education 14 years ago opened a whole new world to me. I began serving on the Childcare Trust Board and then was encouraged into leading the Waldorf Childcare Centres (and for a year the Kindergarten and Play Circles also) which I have done for six years in the last 13. I have studied Waldorf Education and found how beauty, truth and goodness should be the centre of every child’s educational journey. As well as love, warmth and understanding. During this time I also mentored Early Childhood Teachers on their Provisional Registration, which is what sparked the deep desire in me to become a Life Coach. For the past 7 years I have been running my side business, coaching and serving people from all walks of life to develop their identity and become confident and content in who they are and with their lives.

Growing up in and working in South Auckland, and also having children who are of Māori descent has impressed a deep compassion and empathy for others within me. I have a strong desire to make this world a better place; where children and adults can stand strong in who they are, where we are all loved and accepted and where mercy and forgiveness flow, with grace and tenderness a part of all interactions.

I am passionate about empowering adults to do what they do well and be the best that they can be whether as parents or kaiako, or any other role they may have. Empowered adults are powerful guides for mokopuna. Trusting ourselves is a big challenge for many, so I build teachers up to know and trust their inner wisdom. Once they are confident in their decisions and actions, the children respond differently.

I encourage kaiako to look at the whole child. Looking at all that the child comes with each day. Every mokopuna is worthy of the fullness of life with kind and accepting hands showing them the way. I always look at each child as if they were my own flesh and ask the kaiako to try that too.

I am excited to combine my mentoring and coaching and my experiences leading in Early Childhood as I begin working with Educational Leadership Project.

 

Itiiti rearea, teitei kahikatea ka taea 
Although the rearea is small it can ascend the lofty heights of the Kahikatea tree
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