The Adventure Team
This is our team of teachers and staff at Educare Adventure. Scroll through to find out more about our teaching team.
Aroha Te Rangi
Centre Manager
Tena Koutou Katoa, I’m Aroha, I have spent most of my life in Porirua and currently live in Whitby with my husband and our 3 teenagers. I have a bachelor of Teaching (ECE) and have been working in the education sector for several years now.
My teaching practice is underpinned by attachment theory, neuroscience and the RIE philosophy, which is based on respect in every sense of the word. I am passionate about my work with infants and toddlers, creating a calm and welcoming environment for them to build confidence and further develop their intrinsic motivation. I look forward to building a relationship with you and your family here at Educare Adventure.
Sarah Buttar
Assistant Manager, Registered Teacher
Kia Ora!
My name is Sarah Buttar and I am so excited to be joining your Educare Adventure whānau. I have a bachelors in ECE, I am fully qualified and registered, and have been teaching for over 6 years now.
I have a passion for building strong relationships with tamariki, as I believe this is the best way to teach and understand their needs. I am also passionate about building strong bonds between myself and the whānau.
I am so looking forward to getting to know everybody at this centre and begin my journey with you all!
Cecilia Aitogi
Team Leader, Registered Teacher
Talofa Lava Educare Adventure, o lo'u igoa o Cecilia Aitogi, I began relieving in 2012, which lead me to study. I was born and raised in Porirua and I come from a family of 6. In my spare time, I love to hangout with family and friends and love playing sports, especially volleyball.
I believe our Tamariki are our future and that building relationships with the tamariki and their whanau is important, because they are their first teachers. Being culturally responsive and inclusive are my key components to my teaching as well as nurturing and fostering the needs to the tamariki. Faafetai ma ia manuia.
Kirsten Sharp
Registered Teacher
Kia Ora, my name is Kirsten and I am a qualified Early Childhood Teacher. I live locally in Whitby with my partner and our young daughter. I returned to New Zealand last year after spending most of my 20's and 30's travelling and working overseas. I have worked in a wide variety of educational settings in Japan, Thailand, England, Ireland and most recently Australia. I am excited to be part of the Educare Adventure team, and look forward to getting to know the tamariki and their whanau.
Julie Hill
Registered Teacher
Hi, my name is Julie, I am a qualified and fully registered early childhood teacher. I have a lot of experience in working with toddlers and am looking forward to working with older children and expanding my field of knowledge.
I live locally in Whitby with my husband and daughter Amelia. I have a passion for young children and so it has been amazing to watch Amelia learn and grow so far. I am now looking forward to getting to know all the wonderful tamariki and their whānau at Adventure Educare.
Vivien Geraghty
Registered Teacher
My name is Vivien. I have been teaching early childhood for 8 years now. I earned my degree with Victoria University and have an interest in music and movement with Children. I have two Children of my own, Josh and Lucas. I work part time to balance my family needs and my personal interests. I love to dance (Latin and Ballroom) although no longer compete. I enjoy sailing and am looking at trying rum races in 2020, as well as continuing the hunt for pirates and mermaids in the Wellington Harbour.
Louis Liu
Registered Teacher
I am Louis Liu, a registered teacher with a Graduate Diploma in Early Childhood Education and a Bachelors Degree in Pharmaceutical Preparation. I have previously worked for Pfizer and AstraZeneca happily. In addition, I am a CELTA Cambridge certified teacher. Now I am pursuing and developing my new passion in teaching. I enjoy contributing to children developing confidence and giving them good experiences as a male role model. I firmly believe that more male educators would benefit young children, contribute to gender equality, improve staff dynamics in the early childhood sector, and encourage fathers to become more involved with their children’s education. I am looking forward to contributing my knowledge to Educare and to getting to know all of you.
Parimala Karanam
Registered Teacher
Kia Ora and Namaskaram,
My name is Parimala Karanam. I'm from South India. I'm happily married to my husband Prasanth, and we are blessed with two children Sourya and Sarayu.
I completed my Graduate diploma in teaching for early childhood education from Victoria University. I am excited to be a part of such a great team.
I believe that every child needs the opportunity to develop socially through peer interactions, developing problem solving skills, social skills, creativity and boosting their self esteem. I believe that children learn through their playful environment. I enjoy cooking, baking, gardening and spending time with my family
Danielle Edser
Registered Teacher
Hi my name is Danielle. I have recently completed my Degree in Early Childhood Education and I am now a Provisionally Registered Teacher. I love incorporating messy play and art in my teaching and I have a passion working along side all ages to create new experiences. I am excited to be part of the Adventure Team and I look forward to meeting you all.
Avasa Finau
Registered Teacher
My name is Avasa Finau. I am a proud mother of three, two boys and one girl. I am of Samoan, Tuvaluan and German descent and brought up locally in Porirua. I have an appreciation of the diversity of the many cultures. I know and enjoy interacting with children and people from different ethnic groups, age groups and social backgrounds.
As part of my life experience, I have also lived overseas for a number of years. This has benefited me as an individual and reinforced the need to respect peoples’ many cultures. I have previous experience in working alongside parents and children transitioning into Primary school. I am excited to be a part of the team and am looking forward to getting to know the children and their aiga (families).
Nilini Devi
Registered Teacher
Kia Ora, my name is Nilini Devi. I am a fully registered early childhood teacher with over 11 years of teaching experience.
I believe it is important to develop trusting relationships with tamariki in order to understand their needs and provide support. Tamariki need to be respected, valued, nurtured and cared for, all the while providing a fun loving environment with free play and lots of opportunities to explore. I believe through group play, tamariki learn a range of skills including consideration and fair play and developing a sense of responsibility towards themselves and others to carry them through into their adult life. I look forward to working with the Educare Adventure team and meeting our whānau.
Meleka Tuiai
Registered Teacher
Talofa lava, o lo’u igoa o (my name is) Meleka. I completed my Bachelor of Teaching ECE in 2013 at Whitireia Community Polytechnic and have loved working in early childhood education since. I was born in Samoa but I’ve lived in Porirua for over 30 years and love our multi cultural community. I’m excited to be a part of the Educare team and look forward to sharing my Pacifica knowledge and values with tamaiti and their aiga. I have four children, one boy and three girls; and their experiences inspire me to create a nurturing and supportive learning environment for all.
Melanie Pei
Registered Teacher
Kia Ora, ko Mel tōku ingoa. I’m a registered teacher and I gained my graduate diploma in ECE from Victoria University in 2022 and I view myself as a life-long learner. I also have a bachelor’s degree majoring in psychology in China and I am eager to explore the psychological development of children of different ages. I have been working with young children learning a second language in China for a decade before settling in Aotearoa. I live in Aotea, Porirua with my partner John and my son Rulin. My passion is always for the well-being of the children, giving them the agency to become confident and competent learners. I believe that it is important to enrich the children’s learning experiences holistically, based on knowing their needs and interests.
Hariata Haenga
Teacher in Training
Nei rā te ākau o mihi e rerere ana ki a koutou te whānau o Educare Adventure.
My name is Hari and i am blessed to be joining you this year. I'm currently working towards my degree but I have a lifetime of experience in the education sector. I come with a background in Kura Kaupapa, Special Needs Education and mainstream education. Through each of the paths i've taken they continue to reaffirm my passion for teaching and my desire to better understand meeting the needs of our tamariki while creating spaces that foster an enriching, confidence building, environment for all.
Grateful for the opportunity to join you all and i'm excited to be apart of your community.
Tial Din Thang
Teacher
Kia Ora, Mingalabar. My name is Tial and I am a mother of three children (two boys and one girl). I currently live in Porirua and arrived in New Zealand 13 years as a refugee from Myanmer. When I was in Myenmar I was a qualified teacher at a local middle school for 10 years. I have also worked within ECE centres within New Zealand. I have always been passionate about teaching. I am very happy to be working with all the children at Educare Adventure. I look forward to meeting and getting to know the know the team and all the Whanau.
Mya Booth
Teacher
Kia Ora! My name is Mya and I'm so thrilled to be working with your Tamariki as well as creating wondering relationships with whānau. I have studied Early Childhood level 3 & 4, which took me to nannying, relief work and now here, which I am so privileged to be able to do. In my free time I love to enjoy art and spending time with my family and friends, as well as relaxing! I believe that ensuring children have a safe and playful environment creates amazing skills and opportunities for them to grow into.
Emelyn Cabaron
Teacher
Kia Ora, my name is Emelyn. I am from the Philippines and I have just moved to New Zealand with my Husband. I was a primary school teacher back in the Philippines for 10 years and I have always been passionate about teaching, as it was my childhood dream.
I love teaching young children and being around them as it fills me with joy and adventure. I am thrilled to be a part of the Educare Adventure team, and I look forward to getting to know the tamariki and their whānau.
Nick von der Brelie
Nutritionist
Hi, my name is Nick. I am a proud father of 2 children (one girl and one boy). I moved to New Zealand 13 years ago and I have spent time in various parts of the country before settling in Whitby. In my spare time I enjoy outdoor activities with my family. We love the beach, bike riding and everything else the beautiful region has to offer. I have been cooking in various commercial environments for about 25 years and love being able to use my experience to provide healthy and nutritious food to our tamariki.
Wendy McLoughlin
Administration
Hi, my name is Wendy and I live locally with my lovely family, which includes 2 lively girls, who keep my husband and I very busy. Since becoming a mother myself, I wanted to tie my previous administration skills in with my love of being around children.
I am excited to work with all the families in helping to create a loving, supportive and safe environment for the children.
I look forward to meeting you and your little ones and helping you with any enquiries and generally making your life easier where I can.
