Our People

Tena Koe, Having recently moved into the Selwyn District looking for a new adventure in our lives we are very pleased to be owning and managing Ako Rolleston and being part of such a connected community. I have been an Early Childhood kaiako for a number of years now and enjoyed many roles throughout this time, my passion is providing an environment for children where they can succeed and lead their learning journey at their pace, observing what makes them spark and providing opportunities for them to go where ever they choose.

Andrew has been a truck driver for a many years now and has been on the early childhood journey alongside myself over the years. So it makes sense that together we are now providing an environment where tamariki have the best possible opportunities, learn and thrive, develop a passion for learning and are curious about the world around them.

We look forward to including your whanau in our whanau and together giving your child an amazing early childhood experience.

My name is Kara

I am a primary trained teacher and have been working in that area for the last 4 years, however, I am very excited to be making a shift to the early childhood sector.

I live in Coalgate (out between Glentunnel and Hororata), with my husband Blair and son Ben, who is part of the Nursery whanau.  I enjoy being outside in our large garden where I get to enjoy and am also fortunate enough to be able to grow/freeze and preserve most of our fruit and veggies for the year. In my spare time, I also enjoy making good use of the local walks and playing drums.

Kia ora koutou, my name is Emma Marsh and I feel happy and blessed to have joined the teaching team at Ako Rolleston. I was born in Takaka, Golden Bay and have strong connections with this area as my grandparents live there and I visit often. It is my favourite place on Earth because it is lovely, peaceful and reminds me of love and good times since my whānau and I have awesome holidays there. I am fresh out of University where I studied a degree in Teaching and Learning, Early Childhood Education. I have got a lot of experience to gain but feel excited about putting my learning in to my practice and building strong relationships with whānau, tamariki, other kaiako in my team and our community. I am passionate about child-led learning and children experiencing an environment where they feel safe, have a strong sense of belonging and are having lots of fun. A little bit about me is that I love to play touch, go camping and I love my big whanau, which I am the youngest of four in. I look forward to meeting and getting to know all the tangata and tamariki here at Ako! See you around 😊

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