Our People

Andrea Louw , Centre Manager

What inspires you about working within the ECE profession?

Nurturing, guiding, and supporting children has always been a natural passion of mine from a very young age. Growing up, travelling as a young person, volunteering, or within my profession, I have always been drawn to wanting to make a difference in the lives of children.  My passion led me to gain a degree in Psychology with recent study towards a Master’s in Educational and Developmental Psychology which has only reinforced my desire to want to positively influence children’s education during the most critical years of their growth and development.

What do you love most about what you do?

I am a strong advocate for providing opportunity for all children to thrive at each stage of their development to foster lifelong learners.  I just love seeing children’s potential unfold as they are encouraged to recognise their strengths and learn skills to problem solve and build relationships with others.

Liu , Assistant Manager/Head Teacher - Manuka Room

Ni Hao/Kia ora/Hello whanau,

My name is Renee Liu and I am originally from China. I moved to Auckland New Zealand in 2006 where I studied early childhood. I am a fully registered teacher with a Graduate Diploma in teaching (ECE).

I live with my large and sweet whanau which contains three generations and three immediate families. I love to dance, hike, and travel with my whanau and hoa (friends) in my spare time.

Tanya , Administrator

Rachel , Centre Cook

Hello/ Nihao

I am Rachel the Centre cook, I come from Guangdong China and have been living in New Zealand since 2006. I have more than 10 years working experience in the hospitality industry. I am so grateful to be a part of such a good team and to work with the lovely teachers and smiley kids. My philosophy is to provide children with healthy nutritious tasty food, which is the essential energy to assist kids to play and grow.

Cara , Teacher (Registered) - Pohutukawa Room

Kia ora, Annyeonghaseyo, 

I am originally from South Korea, but I came to live in New Zealand in 2001 with my family. My previous degree was in Bachelor of Arts and my major was Japanese and minor was Chinese. I hold a teaching degree from the University of Auckland with Graduate Diploma in Teaching (Early Childhood Education).

Tiana , Teacher (Registered) - Kowhai Room

Nga mihi nui (greetings to all),  

I am Tiana, I am a kiwi and love our beautiful country. I have grown up in a family of six and I love having a big whānau. I enjoy running, cooking and op shopping, and I'm currently learning how to snowboard. I like to keep active and catch up with friends on the regular!  

I have a Bachelor of (Primary) Education degree which I graduated in 2022. While studying I was working part time in Early Childhood and found myself enjoying work much more than I expected! I was so delighted in the joys and curiosity of young children. I was fortunate to find a beautiful centre with an aligning philosophy to join.  

Lina, Teacher (Registered) - Kowhai Room

Kia ora, 안녕하세요 (Annyeonghaseyo),  

I am Lina Park. Originally from South Korea, I moved to New Zealand in 2002. I feel very privileged to live in such a beautiful country and work with such lovely children. I am a NZ-trained and fully qualified teacher and have joined an amazing teaching team at Active Explorers Glenfield Rimu since beginning of 2021. 

What I love about teaching is that every day is different and that each child is unique with different abilities and potential. Therefore, I believe my job as a teacher is to nurture and encourage their inborn abilities and strengths. I also believe the importance of the environment as the third teacher. I believe children thrive in environments that are suited to their interests and developmental stages. 

Reilly, Teacher in Training-3rd year - Manuka Room

Kia Ora koutou, 

I am Reilly Puohotaua. I am about to enter my final year of ECE studies at Massey University. I have worked at Active Explorers Glenfield Rimu for a little over a year now and have had so much fun interacting with the tamariki, watching them learn, explore and grow together. Seeing their smiley faces every day is what brings me joy  

“For babies to thrive, they need a calm, nurturing environment where they can establish strong connections and build loving, trusting relationships.” My values when working with infants are to ensure they feel a sense of belonging, sense of respect and to feel like their environment is calm and nurturing to build trust and respect between their teachers and friends. 

Sherry, Teacher (Registered) - Manuka Room

Kia ora, 

I am Sherry. I am a fully registered teacher with more than 15 years working experience. I originally come from China, and I am a mother of two teenage boys. I enjoy working with children. I strongly believe that when children feel secure, loved, and respected, they have confidence to reach their full potential. Having a good relationship with children and families is an important part of my teaching practice, enabling me to effectively support children in their learning and development. 
I am looking forward to being part of your child’s learning journey and getting to know you, your child and whānau. 

Lakshmi, Teacher - Manuka Room

Namasthe/Kia ora whanau,

My name is Lakshmi. I am from India where I studied engineering as my major. I came to New Zealand 9 years ago. I have two kids, My daughter is 8 years old and my son is 5 years old. I am passionate about working with children and helping them to reach their full potential. I believe children's early stage of life is so crucial to the adult they will become, every child has unique characteristics, and my role is to provide a safe and enriching environment for them to learn and grow.

Kayla, Teacher in Training

Kia Ora everyone,

My name is Kayla. I am from New Zealand and love spending time with family, going to the beach, and cooking. At the moment I am currently studying a bachelor of education in primary alongside being a student teacher at AEC. I enjoy working with children and being able to see the progress and development they make over a period of time. I believe having a good relationship with the children and their parents is vital. This enables me to effectively communicate and support the children’s learning and their development.