To promote, support and advocate for the teaching of English in Aotearoa
Pip Tinning is a DP at Pāpāmoa College in the Bay of Plenty. She has worked in state and integrated schools since she began teaching in 1998. Over her career, Pip has been involved in GATE, literacy, deaning, magazine production as well as coordinating the odd social media campaign outside of school. Her passions are developing meaningful professional learning and empowering teachers to share their knowledge with their colleagues.
Caitlin is 2IC English Learning Area at Selwyn College. She is the across-school literacy initiative lead. Caitlin has been teaching since she arrived from Canada in 2018. She is passionate about authentic social-emotional learning through reading and writing.
Melissa is the Head of English at Mount Maunganui College. Alongside this, she is a voluntary member of the NZATE Resources Committee and has created digital resources for NZATE. These roles have given her the opportunity to support her fellow kaiako in navigating the numerous changes and challenges we have faced in the last few years. She is particularly passionate about using literature to engage with students and exploring ways to incorporate Te Ao Māori authentically in the English classroom. Ehara tāku toa i te toa takitahi engari he toa takitini. Success is not the work of one but the work of many.
Jenny has been teaching English at Fraser High School in Kirikiriroa for the last 11 years. In 2022 and 2023, she has been lead teacher for piloting the new Level One English achievement standards. Jenny is passionate about reading and strives to pass this on to aakonga.
Nicole is originally from Motueka, in the beautiful Tasman region at the top of Te Waipounamu. Currently living in Christchurch with her partner and dog, she teaches at St Andrew’s College after stints at both Ashburton College, and Linwood College (now Te Aratai College). She has been involved in a range of other educational areas, including being a facilitator for Studyit, an NCEA external marker, and consulting on resources for incorporating numeracy into the English classroom. Nicole is both a passionate subject specialist, and a believer in NZATE’s role as a resource for English teachers; one that supports teachers in the never-ending quest to become better practitioners, and that can help to smooth the transitions of the many NCEA changes ahead. Having been in a Literacy pilot school this year, and helping to lead a department approach in equality for mātauranga Māori and Te Ao Māori in the English classroom, she is keen to be of service to NZATE and English teachers in these (somewhat turbulent) times.
Tena ra koutou katoa,
He uri hau no Te Tai Tokerau, erangi i tipu ake hau i Tamaki Makaurau ki te Tonga. Ka hoki hau ki te kainga, noho ai.
Although I am a descendant of NgaPuhi-Nui-Tonu, like Glenn Colquhoun’s poem, I was ‘Bred in South Auckland’. This bred a need to challenge stereotypes, celebrate cultural diversity, and a desire to empower the underdog. I am currently studying towards my Master of Indigenous Studies. I was the former HOD English and Languages at Kamo High School in Whangarei, and I have also been HOD Maori at Pukekohe High School. So therein lies another strong connection to ensuring mātauranga Māori and Te Ao Māori is taught in the English classroom. Being trilingual, having spent a quarter of my life in Quebec, Canada, and having travelled to over 45 countries (some of them 3-4 times each), enable me to have students challenge their status quo. No reira, ‘Kaua e hoki i te waewae tūtuki, ā, āpā anō hei te ūpoko pakaru’. If you are going to be stopped by something, let it be to a lofty mountain. Let’s continue to make what we do count and matter to those we teach.
Talofa Lava and Greetings,
Am a strong advocate and champion of Maori and Pasefika educational achievement and success both in our English subject learning area and in our NZ schools. Being a Pasefika leader in the education space it gives me great pleasure to be part of and to be given a ‘voice’ as representation for our Pasefika learners.
Currently, Associate Principal of Northern Health School, South Auckland. Conjointly appointed as a Professional Practice Evaluator(PPE) for the Teaching Council of NZ.
Highlighted roles that I previously held:
Head of Learning/Department English Y9-13, Specialist Classroom teacher, AIMHI Teaching of Excellence award winner, Vocational Pathways co-lead, past team member of Culturally Responsive and Relational Pedagogy.
I believe English is an important subject to learn about and is the cornerstone and foundation for all to become functional and literate in our society. It is important that we as educators see and ensure that education is made accessible and equitable for all. Am passionate about seeing our learners/akonga achieve their goals and success in the classroom as being who they are as Maori and Pasefika. As a proud Pasefika leader and learner myself this is extremely crucial. This space serves as representation to share and pass on my knowledge and skills to inspire that one Maori and Pasefika learner to believe and excel in our English classrooms and as the Samoan proverb expresses:
Always ‘persevere like a bird in the wind’.
Fa’afetai lava,
Thank you
Vaaiga Ah Mau
Kia ora koutou,
Ko Ngati Aotearoa te iwi
Nō Kōtirana āhau,
engari i tipu ake āhau ki Whakatū,
ā e noho ana āhau ki Ōtautahi ināianei
He kaiako āhau ke Te Kura Kohine o Ōtākaro
Ko Chris Rayward tōku ingoa.
I’m Head of English at Avonside Girls’ in Ōtautahi Christchurch, with a broad range of experience (having taught in international, single sex, co-ed, IB and NCEA schools). I couldn’t think of any other job I’d rather do, being an English teacher, as we can have such a positive and empowering relationship with our young people. One of my key passions is supporting my colleagues, especially in terms of creating and sharing resources and strategies to help strengthen our practice.
These past two years, I’ve been fortunate to be part of NZATE’s PLD committee, and have been closely involved in the planning and presenting of this year’s “The Write Stuff” workshop. It has been both fun and a privilege meeting English teachers from around the motu, sharing ideas, strategies and resources which will hopefully further enhance people’s writing programmes. I would like to be a member of NZATE’s council in order to continue supporting – and advocating for – English teachers.
Melanie is the Head of English at Glendowie College in Auckland. She is also a contract worker for NZQA, a committee member for AATEL and has held a range of roles including Kāhui Ako teacher, PST liaison, editor of the school magazine, and part of the timetabling team. Melanie is passionate about designing curriculum that is literature-rich, reasoned, relevant and engaging. She is a professional development enthusiast and has strengths in resource creation, curriculum and content knowledge, and working collaboratively. After being on the steering committee for the Auckland NZATE Conference in 2021, Melanie became a voluntary member of the Communications Committee. As a dedicated English teacher, Melanie cares about the future of our subject and is excited to bring her professional experience, values and passion to serve on the NZATE Council.
“Literature adds to reality, it does not simply describe it. It enriches the necessary competencies that daily life requires and provides; and in this respect, it irrigates the deserts that our lives have already become.” – C.S Lewis
I love these words by C S Lewis as they capture the English classroom, and the joy of teaching language and literature so well. For me, English teaching is about connecting with other people’s perspectives and experiencing life through an alternative lens, both from the literature, and from our students.Over the course of my career, I have taught in Hamilton and in Auckland. I have served as a Junior Curriculum Leader, Year 11 Curriculum Leader, WSL, ENL Curriculum Leader and Head of Faculty. Now, as Curriculum Leader of NCEA and Year 11 English at Kristin school on Auckland’s North Shore, I enjoy collaboration with colleagues through creating interesting, rigorous and enjoyable courses in NCEA, IB and throughout our bespoke Year 11 course. Our community of English teachers is important to me because we are a diverse group with rich ideas and so much passion. Subject English can be as contentious as it is delightful and I love being part of the eternal discussion. I look forward to contributing, and giving back, through my role as committee member.
Beyond the classroom, I am a mother of four children, one dog and three cats. My theory is you can never have too many books, pets or shoes though my husband may disagree. If I am not wrangling children in and out of the classroom, marking, or resource creating, you will find me living in a fantasy world from Bridgerton to Narnia.
Tēnā koutou katoa
Ko Ingarangi te whakapaparanga mai
Engari, ko Pukekohe te whenua tupu
Kei Pōkeno au e noho ana
He kaiako Ingarihi au i Saint Ignatius of Loyola Catholic College
Ko Stephanie Tupaea au
Nō reira, tēnā koutou, tēnā koutou, tēnā koutou katoa
I’m currently working at Saint Ignatius of Loyola Catholic College, which just opened this year (2024), and previously, I have tutored and worked at Tuakau College. My passions are culturally responsive pedagogy, structured literacy, and effective practices for the teaching of reading and writing. I’m dedicated to supporting students where they’re at, helping them to overcome barriers to achieve literacy and access the personal expression English affords. I’m excited to be on the NZATE council, so that I can contribute to and serve the excellent group that is New Zealand English teachers!
Sam has taught English for several years at schools in Tāmaki Makaurau and the Bay of Plenty. He currently teaches at Mount Maunganui College, where he also supports across-school literacy. Sam has an academic background, earning his PhD in Education from the University of Melbourne with research interests in curriculum, neoliberalism, teacher education, and unions. He is passionate about a wide range of literature and believes in socially-engaged English teaching.
Whitney is the TIC Level 1 English and Specialist Classroom Teacher at Mount Roskill Grammar School. She has been teaching English since 2015 and reading obsessively since long before that. As a teacher, she loves demystifying the English curriculum, and as a leader, she’s passionate about empowering Kaiako to make their classrooms more accessible and equitable.
