Our Team
Meet our warm and experienced team of early childhood educators. Each kaiako brings their own strengths, passions, and caring approach to create a safe, nurturing place where tamariki feel known, supported, and ready to learn.
Sarah – Preschool Teacher
Sarah is a warm, creative early childhood educator with over 20 years’ experience working alongside children. She loves creating engaging, child-centred learning invitations that spark curiosity and follow each child’s interests. A former swim teacher and Playball coach, Sarah enjoys encouraging children’s confidence, movement, and active learning.
Kelly – Preschool Teacher
Kelly brings a strong foundation in primary education, with experience in both New Zealand and London. She supports children as they grow, discover, and prepare for their next steps, nurturing the confidence, skills, and curiosity needed for a smooth transition to school. Kelly also brings creative flair to her teaching, incorporating art, craft, science, and technology into engaging learning experiences. On her weekends, you’ll find Kelly exploring new places with her family in their camper trailer.
Kylie - Preschool Teacher
Kylie is an experienced early childhood educator who builds nurturing relationships with children and whānau. Her thoughtful, caring approach is grounded in fairness, emotional safety, and consistency. A music lover, Kylie can often be found playing her ukulele and singing with the children.
Ashlea – Preschool Teacher
Ashlea is a warm, nurturing educator who brings care, creativity, and connection to her teaching. She loves creating safe, welcoming spaces where tamariki and whānau feel genuinely known and supported. With a relational approach, Ashlea encourages curiosity, independence, and a strong sense of belonging.
Janelle - Teacher
Janelle brings a calm, gentle presence to her work with children, creating a nurturing environment where they feel safe, seen, supported, and have a strong sense of belonging. Janelle follows children’s interests through meaningful invitations to play that encourage curiosity, creativity, and discovery. Janelle is a former chef, and still loves cooking and baking, especially with our tamariki. Outside of teaching, Janelle is a mum of three who you’ll find with sandy feet at the beach with her family – whether it’s Nippers on a Sunday morning, fishing at Pukehina or collecting pipis together.
Claire - Teacher
Claire brings warmth, calm, and genuine care to her role in early childhood education. She enjoys building trusting relationships with tamariki and whānau, while supporting curiosity-led learning and natural development. Outside of work, Claire loves spending quality time with her family, especially tramping, fishing, travelling, and camping together.
Tracey - Teacher
Tracey is a compassionate early childhood educator with extensive practical experience. She brings a calm approach to her teaching, valuing strong relationships, respectful guidance, and play-based learning that follows each child’s interests. Tracey is thoughtful in her communication and passionate about creating a warm, homely space where every child feels safe, supported, and ready to learn - a nurturing approach shaped in part by growing up alongside her brother, who has Down syndrome. Tracey also brings a creative, playful spirit to her teaching and is never afraid to embrace a bit of messy play.
Sam – Infants & Toddlers Teacher
Sam is an early childhood teacher with a warm, relationship-focused approach to learning and care. With experience across early childhood and primary settings, she has a special passion for supporting infants and toddlers. Outside of work, Sam is studying te reo Māori and has started her own sleepwear brand.
Hope - Infants & Toddlers Teacher
Hope is a caring and committed infants and toddlers teacher who sees working with under-two-year-olds as both a privilege and a calling. She believes young children thrive through responsive, emotionally attuned relationships, and values slowing down, being present, and meeting each child’s needs in the moment. Hope brings warmth, reflection, and a gentle child-led approach to her teaching, building strong connections with children, whānau, and colleagues. Hope loves the outdoors. As a South Islander, she’s a firm believer there’s no such thing as bad weather, just bad clothing – you will find her outside no matter the weather!
Kaya - Infants & Toddlers Teacher
Kaya is a caring early childhood educator who places strong relationships and emotional wellbeing at the heart of her practice. She creates a calm, homely environment where tamariki feel safe, confident, and ready to explore. Outside of work, Kaya is a qualified Pilates instructor and enjoys supporting wellbeing through movement and balance.
Kerryn - Infants & Toddlers Teacher
Kerryn is a warm, reflective, and relationship-focused early childhood educator who is passionate about creating nurturing environments where children feel safe, valued, and confident. She values open communication, teamwork, and child-centred practice, supporting each child’s curiosity, confidence, and sense of belonging as they learn and grow.
Ashleigh – Regular Reliever
Ashleigh is a valued teacher who brings a beautiful sense of warmth, gentleness, and calm. She has a nurturing way of connecting with tamariki, taking the time to build trusting relationships so each child feels seen, settled, and truly valued. Ashleigh’s calm presence helps bring out the best in every child, supporting confidence, belonging, and joyful learning throughout the day. Outside of work, Ashleigh is a proud mum of two and loves heading off on adventures with her family, making memories, and spending quality time together.
Cassy – Centre Cook
Cassy is our very own kai creator, bringing warmth, creativity, and a wealth of experience to the centre kitchen. With a background in catering and early childhood food service, she prepares wholesome meals from fresh ingredients that children love. Cassy has a wonderful knack for making food nutritious, appealing, and child-friendly.
Esther – Centre Owner/Manager
Esther brings 20 years of experience in education, spanning primary and ECE teaching, leadership as a Primary School Deputy Principal, and postgraduate study in Educational Psychology. Her career reflects a deep commitment to understanding how children grow, learn, and flourish - a passion that now sits at the heart of Nest & Nurture Early Learning. Her leadership blends innovation with a homely, nurturing feel, ensuring each child’s interests, individuality, and wellbeing remain at the centre of the learning journey. Before entering the education sector, Esther worked as a surgical vet nurse - a reflection of her lifelong love for animals. She is also a proud mum of three, bringing both professional expertise and heartfelt whānau experience to her role as owner of Nest & Nurture.
Where childhood is cherished, curiosity is encouraged and every little person is known.
