Our People

How long have you been working in this sector?

Twenty-plus years!

What do you love most about what you do?

Every day is different and as early childhood teachers, we are able to play and have fun every day with the children.

What are three things that make your centre special?

Our Christian philosophy, our large playground and lovely natural areas, and our family atmosphere.

What is your favourite time of the year at the centre?

I really enjoy summertime as we are able to be outside enjoying the sunshine and everyone seems so much happier when the sun is shining.

What is your personal ECE philosophy

I believe that children need time to discover, explore and grow. We can do this by being unhurried, respectful and loving to all children. I feel that my main aim as the centre manager is to acknowledge and support the teachers in their roles, so they are able to be peacefully engaged with the children.

What do you like to do in your free time?

I love the beach, trout fishing, gardening and spending time with friends and family.

Bachelor of Teaching – ECE

I’m married with four children and seven grandchildren. My interests include walking in the bush or at the beach and taking photos of God’s creations - like sunsets, flowers, animals, waterfalls and the moon. I have attended Church for most of my life so base my morals on what we find in the Bible. I like to travel too, to see the different cultures and countries around the world.

I have joined up with ‘Break Free Expeditions’ a few times, to help needy people by helping to build their family a home. We take gifts to give out to the children/families or buy supplies from their local market which also helps their community. We are so blessed to be living in New Zealand so it’s great to be able to support others that are less fortunate than ourselves. These people go to extraordinary lengths just to survive and make a living for their families. We also get to see their culture and country.

Certificate in Early Childhood Education and Care, Certificate in Workplace First Aid, Certificate in Child Protection, Certificate in Food Safety

What inspired me to become an ECE teacher?

I enjoyed the experience of dropping off and picking up my oldest daughter from her early education centre. It’s also in the blood with my mother being a Primary school teacher and my Grandmother being the first qualified kindergarten teacher in Rotorua.

How long have I worked in this sector?

I began my training in 2012 and have been working fulltime as a qualified teacher since 2015. In 2022 I also did a stint as an ECE lecturer on a 6 month fixed term contract.

What do I love most about what I do?

I enjoy seeing the joy and innocence in children’s faces.

What are 3 things that make this centre special?

The caring nature of the staff to one another and the children is really special. The shorter operating hours is also great in giving the staff and children more quality time with their families. The large and clean environment is also great in facilitation learning for children.

What is my favourite time of the year at Little Lights?

I haven’t seen all the seasons yet here at Little Lights but any weather that we can take advantage of our great outdoor space is the best time of year for me.

What is my personal ECE philosophy?

I believe in being authentic and making learning fun.

What do I like to do in my spare time?

I am a triathlete so enjoy running, swimming and biking with my training group and my older daughter. I also enjoy mountain biking, camping, doing home improvements and especially spending time making memories with my family.

I have been working in this sector for just over two years.

What I love most about this job is that I can help children in their journey to learn, grow and develop to their best potential.

Three things that makes this centre special is their faith in God, the animal interactions and the great team of teachers that work here.

My favourite time of the year is summer, when the weather is sunny and hot and the time of year when water play activities are out.

My personal ECE philosophy is that I believe learning from and about nature is important for children, to help them to understand the world they live and play in. Along with learning important social skills for their future development, making friends and communicating with others. Lastly having a sense of belonging, where children feel comfortable, confident and happy as the grow and develop in a supportive environment.

In my free time I like going for walks, reading articles and watching movies.

Hi, my name is Judy Ma. I am married to Dean and together we have three amazing young vaine [women], also I'm a Nana to seven beautiful mokopuna, and I have a dog named Rasta.

I began my Early Childhood Education journey in 2004. In 2008 I became qualified with a Diploma in Teaching, in 2013, I completed my Bachelor of Teaching (ECE), fully registered and certified, including holding a current first aid certificate.

I have held the Head Teacher position, in the Kereru classroom (2 1/2 yrs - 5 yr olds) here at Little Lights Early Learning Centre, since 2019.

What inspired me to become a teacher was when I did a practicum, at Deanwell primary school, (new entrance room). The experience made me realise the importance of children ages 0 -5 yrs capacity and ability to learn and develop through shared guidance and support, was not just from Kaiako alone, but holistically, from all persons +

who are part of their lives. Three things that makes Little Lights special; is the loving and caring centre atmosphere, When a child has a ‘WOW or I did it !’ moment sealing it a proud smile, and the staff comradeship. My favourite times at the centre, is the winter season and celebrating children’s birthdays.
As part of my personal/professional philosophy “I believe the children are our future, teach them well and let them lead the way…” (inspired from the lyrics - Greatest Love of All, sung by George Benson in 1977). I use to be a hairdresser, and cutting children’s hair was not an easy area for my staff , so I would do it and thoroughly enjoyed it. When I became a teacher I recognised similar behaviours when working with toddlers and then I developed a passion to work with tamariki who needed extra support and guidance with emotional/negative behaviour; and communication development, teaching language and literacy through musical experiences, I also believe and value working alongside our whānau and our local community as been a crucial component for providing quality care and positive learning experience, for our tamariki. In short: Tamariki need love, care, educational support and guidance, to become great citizens, of the future.
When caring for my own well-being, I like to; spend quality family/friend time, read a good book, watch a good movie, go swimming, biking, and going on holidays once or twice a year. So that’s me…

Meitaki / Nga mihi nui, Judy

“Alone we do so little, but together we can do so much”
Helen Keller

How long have you been working in this sector?
I started working as an early childhood educator when I was 17, covering non-contact time as an after school job. When I finished high school I moved to Wellington and began a bachelor of arts. Halfway through I took a gap year and began working as a reliever at Little Lights. This time renewed the passion I have for teaching and inspired me to change my degree to a Bachelor of Early Childhood Education. I worked at Little Lights and studied at the same time, becoming qualified in 2014. I have worked at Little Lights in multiple capacities ever since.

What do you love most about what you do?
I love that no two days are the same here. The tamariki are growing and changing everyday which means that ‘meeting them where they are’ looks different each day. Watching the children develop strong reciprocal relationships with the Kaiako which enables them to reach their full potential is a really fulfilling part of my job.

What are three things that make your centre special?
The teachers- He aha te mea nui o te ao? He tangata he tangata he tangata! Our kaiako are the backbone of our centre, and ensure they create an environment that’s warm and welcoming. The Tamariki thrive because of their love and care.
The environment- We are based in a semi-rural setting which means we have paddocks and animals surrounding us. The Tamariki take part in caring for our animals and they also get to explore large outdoor play spaces.
The philosophy- We have a Christian based philosophy that underpins our teaching practices and priorities for learning. This unique philosophy allows us to create learning experiences and moments that influence the wairua of this place and it’s people.
What is your favourite time of the year at the centre?
Christmas has to be my favourite part of the year. We decorate the centre and embrace the Christmas spirit in order to create magical moments for the Tamariki. As we have a Christian based philosophy we teach that Jesus is the reason for the season, which means that we get to have some very special, meaningful conversations around that.

What is your personal ECE philosophy?
I am very passionate about inclusive practice and working alongside children who have additional needs. I believe that each child is a confident and capable learner who with love and support will flourish in their own understandings and ability to be independent. I believe that consistency is they key to shaping behaviour and always following through with what you’ve said is important.

What do you like to do in your free time?
Making time to spend with my family and friends is very important to me. My partner and I enjoy hanging out at the beach and heading out of town on adventures, overseas travel is becoming more of an interest of ours too. I love going to the gym most days and I find it therapeutic for my mind, body and soul.

How long have you been working in this sector?
I started when I was 17 years of age

What do you love most about what you do?
Seeing children develop into who they are and seeing there happy smiles when they have achieved what they are doing. I enjoy meeting our new families and helping them to settle into Little Lights.

What are three things that make your centre special?
-Being a faith base centre.
-Animals we have.
-The amount of space we have for all the children to play and explore in.

What is your favourite time of the year at the centre?
The month of December, I LOVE CHRISTMAS and everything about CHRISTMAS.

What is your personal ECE philosophy?
I feel my personal ECE philosophy is about guiding children throughout their day and valuing their learning. I build strong meaningful relationships with the children and the families so that the children can be happy and settled while they are at Little Lights.

What do you like to do in your free time?
Spending time with my family at home and I love to shop.

What inspired you to become an early childhood teacher?
I have completed my study in the field of economics (MSc hons Eco) and got an excellent experience in the field of teaching. I want to continue my career in the same field here, so I’m planning to pursue my study in ECE to better understand the New Zealand education curriculum. I know three languages Punjabi, Hindi and English.

What do you love most about what you do?
It was my heartly desire to become a teacher that’s why I started my job as a reliever with Evolve Education Group in April this year. I love to keep the children busy whether they are inside or outside because I enjoy working with them.

What are three things that make your centre special?
Experienced teachers, lush greenery around the kindy and fantastic resources make this centre more special.

What do you like to do in your free time?
I like to do cooking and stitching in my free time.