3 Things About me

A list of 3 things for the Te Matauru Community to get to know the team a little better! You can put faces to the names here.

Chelsea Anderson - Office Manager

1. I am the youngest of four siblings and have nine nieces and nephews and we celebrate all our birthdays together.

2. I have never broken a bone, but have had plenty of other injuries to make up for it!

3. I love stationery - books, pens, to-do lists etc.

Julia Husband - Office Administrator

1. I spend Sunday morning at the beach.

2. My sister lives in Brisbane and I speak to her most days.

3. I love chocolate and coffee.

Bruce Walker - Caretaker

1. I enjoy travelling, good food with a matching beverage

2. I have 2 adult children and have 7 grand children     

3. I  enjoy fishing and  gardening 

Sharon Marsh - Interim Principal

1. I have a sister in Christchurch and a brother in the UK.

2. I have 3 beautiful grandchildren aged 10, 7 and 6.

3. I co-own two young standardbred racehorses being trained at Fernside.

Rachele Poole - Deputy Principal

1. Time with my family makes my heart sing.

2. I have never developed a taste for coffee.

3. Teaching has been my one and only profession and in 2023 it’s 31 years.

Jessica Bergs - Deputy Principal

1. My 3 adventurous boys, 2 antisocial British blue cats, Lovey and Kevin Moon and pup Bill, spin my wheels! 

2. Running & biking hills, hitting the gym, just being active is my perfect cup of tea, keeps me sane! 

3. I come from Pleasant Point, “The Name Says it All”, the original home of the Denheath Custard Square! 

Jen Hodgkinson - Maukatere Centre Lead

1. I live at the beach and am learning to surf!

2. My family is the bestest - my 2 kids who go to TMP, a big kid who is now driving and my husband.

3. I actually grew up here in Rangiora, returning 25 years later!

Danni McCord - Music & Kapahaka Teacher

1. Singing is one of my favourite things to do! I especially love singing waiata in te reo Māori, jazz, blues, and songs by Ella Fitzgerald, Etta James, Eva Cassidy and Aretha Franklin. 

2. I'm an avid rock hound. I collect crystals, gems, stones and fossils. I have been collecting since I was very little, its a hobbie I shared with my late koro. Birdlings Flat, gemstone beach and serpentine beach are my favourite rock hounding spots. 

3. I love swimming and being in or near moving bodies of water. It refreshes, invigorates and grounds me. Beaches, rivers, waterfalls and lakes are where I go to recharge my batteries. 

Ōpuke - Year 0-1 Team

Gemma Stopforth

1. I live in Pegasus with (my soon to be husband) Fraser and our nearly 2 year old (come May) Aria. We love going on coffee/fluffy dates and playing at the park by the lake.

2. Summer is my favourite season, chocolate is my favourite treat and I love getting to the gym or playing sports when I can!

3. Travelling and exploring new places is one of my favourite things to do - Fraser and I spent 5 years living in London and travelling Europe, we look forward to introducing Aria to some gems of the world (starting with beautiful NZ) as she grows. 

Megan Canton

1. I have lived in 5 different countries and visited 27.

2. I recently got a new puppy called Gus.

3. I have once played camel polo.

Brenda Sharpe

1. I have two nearly grown up daughters and a cute little jackapoo dog called Pippi.

2. I love to start my day by going to the gym, having a coffee and watching the sun come up.

3. My favourite place is the beach and I spend a lot of time there over the summer months.

Jacinta Nicholls

1. My favourite thing in the world is being with my family.

2. I have a little dog called Millie and a cat called Jaffa.

3. My favourite places to visit in Christchurch are Margaret Mahy park and Turanga library.

Ōkūkū -Year 2-4 Team

Melissa Burtenshaw

1. I have 2 sisters and they are also teachers. 

2. I love cooking and baking in my spare time. 

3. I lived in a campervan for 3 months while travelling around parts of Europe. 

Rebecca de Waal

1. Family is something we value most highly.

2. We packed up our home in South Africa and moved to beautiful NZ five years ago.

3. Fishing is our family passion, there’s nothing better than being out in nature and feeling a tug on your line!

Andy Richmond

1. I played the violin when I was young.

2. I am the youngest of 5 and 4 of us are teachers. 

3. I have a great uncle who died on Mt Cook in an avalanche and is featured in the Mt Cook village museum. 

Kelly Maude

1. I love the 4 seasons for the uniqueness they each bring… Summer - time outside with friends, listening to live music with an ice cream in hand. Autumn - stunning coloured leaves to crunch through. Winter - snow & skiing. Spring - turning on the green after winter & daffodils.

2. I’m never too far away from chocolate!

3. I have an artificial eye from having a very rare disease when I was 5.

Suzanne Little

1. My babies are my two dogs who are named Jethro and Piper.

2. I am a qualified health coach.

3. I have a love of books, I have 170 books waiting to be read.

Ōkūkū -Year 5-6 Team

Bridgid Fowler

1. I love anything to do with the visual arts and love to be creative

2. I am married to Mike and I am mum to Angus who is 10 yrs and Mae who is 6yrs 

3. Very close and spend a lot of time with friends and Whānau 

Nathan Buller

1. I love nature! The natural world absolutely intrigues me. Anything that slithers, slimes, creeps, hops and stalks, I want to know more!

2. This year I will hopefully catch my first koura with my new dive gear! Does anyone know of any good spots?

3. I have now been teaching for 14 years. 

Ōkūkū -Year 7-8 Team

Sophie Page

1. I have 2 beautiful boys, Ollie is 3 and Charlie is 1. They keep me busy and provide lots of love and laughter.

2. I love summer and enjoy spending time outdoors soaking up the sunshine.

3. I was the first baby born in 1993

Nick Foxley

1. I have 3 children, Sophia 9, Adeline 2 and Alby 2 months.

2. I play rugby on my weekends.

3. I am originally from the UK, where my parents and extended family live.

Maukatere Team

Sarah Lafleur

1. I moved out to Oxford after the earthquake and have spent the better part of the last 10 years being a lifestyle blocker with my husband Steve and our 4 children before moving into town and teaching at TMP/Maukatere.

2. I used to own an antique/collectables/junk shop in Stanmore Road called ‘The Parrot in the Peace Lily’.

3. I love all things gardeny, arty and antiquey, especially 1950’-70’s bathing suits of which I collect and have 32 pairs, NZ artists and Wearable Arts. I love spending time in my garden.

Katherine Hanna

1. 2022 - My 19th year teaching. I have taught, in a variety of roles, at 10 schools in our COL

2. 2021 - A year spent celebrating! Awesome new job and 40ths

3. I value quality time

Mat Jenkins

Haidee Cartwright

1. I have lived in 22 different addresses in 12 different cities/towns. 

2. My favourite holiday is camping.

3. I never ate vegetables until I was hypnotised as an adult. 

Shevaun Walsh

1. I grew up in North Canterbury and currently live a 30-second walk away from New Brighton Beach.

2. Tending to my indoor and outdoor plants is my happy place.

3. I love creativity! Sometimes I renovate furniture, paint or draw artworks, or simply enjoy listening to music!

Learning Assistants

Vicki Edwards

1. I have travelled to 21 different countries.

2. I am a citizen of Australia and lived there and in the UK for 14 years, before returning to NZ in 2013.

3. I set up and ran a very successful medical recruitment company for locum doctors in Sydney for 6 years before I trained to become a Learning Assistant in 2017.

Olivia Gardener

1. I worked in travel and tourism for 10 years. I have worked at a backpackers, a campervan company, a Franz Joseph guided tour company and also Scenic Hotels.

2. I play a little bit of guitar and come from a musical family.

3. I love to spend time with my husband and 2 children. We love camping, swimming, walks and just simply being together.

Jeanette Phillips

1. I am the youngest of 3 and my older brother is blind (he was born without eyes).

2. I was a Cub leader for 27 years and love being outdoors.

3. I spent 10 years in the Navy Reserve as a cook and apart from the sea sickness I enjoyed every moment of it. 

Nikki Halliwell

1. I have 2 cats and 5 chickens.

2. I went to the UK when I was 24 to travel for a year. I actually stayed 24 years, married an Englishman and had two children, returning Jan 2021.

3. My garden is my happy place.

Marianne van de Bank

1. Spending time with my 2 boys, hubby and our pup makes my heart happy.

2. We moved from South Africa to beautiful NZ in 2019 and haven’t looked back.

3. I have a child psychology degree and loved my time as a special needs teacher. 

Kristi Van der Zwet

Kaitlin Mee

1. One of my passions is animals,I have grown up around horses, cows and sheep.  I currently have one cat and one dog.

2. I love playing and watching netball.

3. I love getting outdoors and trying new things.