Amy Nafo’i-Lauaki
Amy holds a Bachelor’s degree in ECE teaching and is fully registered. She has been part of Piwaka for 11 years and is an expert teacher for two-year-olds, having gained extensive experience working with them. She is passionate about celebrating the uniqueness and identity of each child and learning alongside them about the richness and beauty of different cultures. Amy knows how important exploration is for our tamariki, sensory play and music is a must as a two-year-old. She loves hearing the tamariki engage with each other and seeing their big smiles as they share their taste of music from their whare/homes. She quotes “I love hearing the tamariki’s playlist from home it makes them so happy know they can share this with their friends”
Amy's interests include playing piano for her church choir, spending quality time with Aiga/family, relaxing and having a good dessert. Amy is a New Zealand born Samoan and is very proud of her culture & heritage.
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Selena Newman
Selena holds a Graduate Diploma in Teaching (Early Childhood) and is a fully registered teacher with extensive experience in the early childhood sector since 2000. She took a brief hiatus to raise her two boys, but her passion for early childhood education has always been at the core of her career. Selena is dedicated to fostering developmental growth and providing quality learning experiences for young children. Outside of work, she enjoys spending quality time with her family, including her husband, two boys, and twin sister.
Selena oversees the curriculum at Pīwaka supporting the Team Leaders and spends 3 days a week in Kakamatua room.
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Rinosa Saleem
Rinosa moved to New Zealand from Sri Lanka around a year ago. Rinosa lives with her teenage children and husband. In her spare time she enjoy watching movies, cooking and spending time with her family. Rinosa was a teacher aid back home in Sri Lanka helping 4-5 year old children.
Rinosa is excited to be part of the Kakamatua teaching team and the Piwaka whanau. She is hoping to help your tamariki developing their language skills and being able to work with one another.
This is the first time she has worked with this age group and is willing to build on her confidence skills, being able to communicate and getting to know your children.
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Liz Schmidt
Liz holds a B Ed Early Education and is a fully registered kaiako with over 7 years experience in ECE. Liz is passionate about fostering a learning environment where each child is seen as a unique driver of their own learning. Liz believes that all tamariki are born with a natural curiosity and fascination with the world around them. As a kaiako, my role is to support and guide them, ensuring they learn at their own pace within a warm, secure, and welcoming environment that encourages exploration and growth. Liz strives to create opportunities that help our tamariki to thrive and engage with the world in ways that are meaningful to them. In her downtime, Liz loves spending time with her aiga and friends, going for walks, hikes, brunching, and simply relaxing.
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Van Singh
Amy holds Bachelor’s degree in ECE teaching and is fully registered. She has been part of Piwaka for 11 years and is an expert teacher for two-year-olds and has gained a lot of experience working with them. She is passionate about celebrating the uniqueness and identity of each child and learning alongside them about the richness and beauty of different cultures. Amy knows how important exploration is for our tamariki, sensory play and music is a must as a two-year-old. She loves hearing the tamariki engage with each other and seeing their big smiles as they share their taste of music from their whare/homes. She quotes “I love hearing the tamariki’s playlist from home it makes them so happy know they can share this with their friends”
Amy's interests include playing piano for her church choir, spending quality time with Aiga/family, relaxing and having a good dessert. Amy is a New Zealand born Samoan and is very proud of her culture & heritage.
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Jing Wen
Jing holds a Graduate Diploma ECE and is provisionally registered. Jing has a deep love for tamariki because each one is like an angel, unique and different. Respect and trust are at the core of her philosophy.
Jing has an eight-year-old daughter, and has been living in New Zealand for five years. They love this country—the scenery is beautiful, and the people are incredibly kind and friendly.
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