MANZ Staff and Council

Cathy Wilson

Chief Executive

Teenā koutou katoa
Ko Tau/hara te mau/nga i kukume mai ai ki tōku ngākau
Ko Waikato te awa i tau mai tōku wairua
E mihi ana ki ngā tohu o nehe, o Mangakino e noho nei au
Nō England, Aotearoa ōku tupuna.
I tipu ake au ki Pōneke.  Por/neke
E noho ana au ki Pōneke a Mangakino.
Ko Cathy Wilson tōku ingoa.
Ko Kaiwhakahaere matua, Montessori Aotearoa NZ
Teenā koutou katoa,

Cathy has been the Chief Executive officer for Montessori Aotearoa New Zealand (MANZ) since 2015. She is from a teaching background and is both State and Associated Montessori Internationale (AMI) teacher trained from 0-18 years. She has worked as a tutor for the Aperfield Montessori Trust and delivered numerous workshops for the Early Childhood Council, Victoria University and Montessori conferences both in New Zealand and overseas.  Cathy represents MANZ on many Ministry of Education, Teaching Council, Education Review Office and New Zealand Qualification Authority governance and advisory groups as well as two global boards.

You can email Cathy on ce@montessori.org.nz

Sinead Clark

Administration and Accounts Officer

Kia ora Ko Sinead taku ingoa
Ko Whakapunake toku māunga
Ko Erepiti toku marae
Ko Wairoa toku awa
Ko Takitimu toku waka
Ko Porangahua toku hapu
Ko Ngati Kahungunu toku iwi
No reira tena koutou katoa

Sinead has recently join the MANZ team as the Accounts and Administration Officer.

If you need to get in contact with her, her email address is admin@montessori.org.nz

Jen Day

Social Media Officer

Jen commenced working for MANZ in 2022 as the Social Media officer. She has been involved in Montessori since 2009, joining Wā Ora Montessori straight from Teachers College. Completing her AMI 3-6 training in Hangzhou, China, she values how Montessori education is not just within the classroom; it is internationally a way of life. Tamariki are raised in different homes, environments and countries, yet all have the same human tendencies and needs. Jen has worked in the Bambini and Casa environments in Wellington, Auckland and now Feilding. She loves parenting her own two young tamariki and guiding children in her class through the outdoors, encouraging curiosity and freedom in the incredibly beautiful natural environments we are so fortunate to have in Aotearoa New Zealand.

You can email Jen on socialmedia@montessori.org.nz

Gillian Somers

MANZ President

Tēnā koutou, tēnā koutou, tēnā tatou katoa
Ko Three Rock te maunga.
Ko Dodder te awa
No Ireland ahau.
Kei Ngāmotu tōku kāinga ināianei
Ko New Plymouth Montessori School tōku kura.
Ko Gerry tōku matua
Ko Valeria tōku whaea
Ngāmotu tōku kāinga ināianei
Ko New Plymouth Montessori School aha e mahi ana
Ko Gillian Somers tōku ingoa.
No reira, tēnā koutou, tēnā koutou, tēnā koutou katoa.

Gillian was co-opted to the MANZ Council in August 2007, and was elected as president of MANZ after the 2014 AGM.

After completing her Association Montessori Internationale (AMI) 3-6 and 6-12 training in her native Ireland, Gillian moved to New Zealand in 1994.  She taught at New Plymouth Montessori School and undertook her Diploma in Teaching Early Childhood Education. In 2005, Gillian took over as principal. The school comprises 100 children from 3 – 6 years old and supports a Montessori primary unit. Gillian was the chair of the original Montessori Journey to Excellence Te ara ki huhuatanga Working Group in 2011/2012.

Michela Homer

MANZ Vice President

Tēnā tatou katoa
Ko Magaliesburg te maunga
Ko Vaal te awa
Ko Cathy Pacific te wakarererangi
No Āwherika ki te Tonga ahau
Kei te noho au Whanganui a Tara
Ko Guido tōku matua
Ko Audrey tōku whaea
Ko Michael tōku  tane
Ko Luke me Georgina tōku tamariki
Kei Busy Bees aha e mahi ana
Ko Michela toku ingoa
No reira, tēnā koutou, tēnā koutou, tēnā tatou katoa

Michela was elected to MANZ Council in 2013 and was re-elected in 2015, 2018 and 2021. She is currently the Regional Manager for Busy Bees.  She completed her Association Montessori Internationale (AMI) 3-6 diploma in London in 1994 and worked in two very diverse Montessori centres in the U.K. When Michela moved to NZ, she was privileged to work as the centre manager for a small Montessori centre in Tauranga for two years and loved seeing Montessori in Aotearoa truly make a difference in children’s lives. Michela chaired the Re-Working Party for Montessori Journey to Excellence Te ara ki huhuatanga: Essential Elements, which was published in 2019.

Anne-Marie Love

MANZ Treasurer

Tēnā koutou tatoa,
Ko Takiana tõku maunga
Ko Mata-au tõku awa
Ko Wanaka tõku Roto
Ko Montessori Children’s House Wanaka tõku kura
Ko Michall Hasler take tāne
Ko Finn tõku tama
Ko Josh tõku tama
Ko Anne-Marie Love tõku ingoa
Nõ reira,
Tēnā outou, Tēnā  kouou, Tēnā koutou katoa

Anne-Marie was elected onto MANZ Council in 2014 and to the Treasurer position in 2016. She is the managing teacher at the Montessori Children’s House in Wanaka. Anne-Marie has been teaching in a Montessori early childhood environment for 25 years. After completing her Montessori diploma and working for a year in London, she returned to Dunedin. In 1998 the opportunity arose for her to take up the role as head teacher in Wanaka, and she now leads a staff of 10. Anne-Marie has been a participant in the Montessori Journey to Excellence Pilot Programme (2013-14), and Montessori Children’s House was a finalist in the inaugural Dr Nicola Chisnall Memorial Award in 2014. Anne-Marie completed her Association Montessori Internationale (AMI) 3-6 training in Auckland in 2017.

Krista Kerr

Council Member

Tēnā koutou, tēnā koutou, tēnā tatou katoa
Ko Allan Phillips rāua ko Suzanne Hopkins ōku mātua
Ko Dannielle tōku tuakana
Ko Tamara tāku teina
Ko David Kerr tāku tane
Ko Brian rāua ko James āku tamariki
Ko Krista Kerr tōku ignoa
Kei Te Awakairangi āhau e noho ana
Kei Wā Ora Montessori School āhau e mahi ana
No reira, tēnā koutou, tēnā koutou, tēnā koutou katoa.

Krista has been involved in Montessori since starting as a parent in 2005 at Wā Ora Montessori in Te Awakairangi (Lower Hutt). Discovering that Montessori was something that she wanted for herself as well as her children, she moved with her family to London to do the AMI 3-6 Diploma, followed by the Post Diploma Observation Course, returning in 2012 to take up her current position as a Head Teacher.

After being involved in various experiences such as running Observation Workshops, Conference speaking and being part of the Reworking Party for MJ2Ex, Krista is now excited to be part of MANZ Council since 2019 and continued her journey in Montessori in Aotearoa. 

Mamira Ali

Council Member

Ko K2  tōku māunga
Ko Indus tōku awa
Nō Pakistan ahau
Kei Kirikiriroa tōku kāinga ināianei
Ko Ali tōku Matua
Ko Atia  tōku Whaea
Ko Mamira tōku ingoa

Mamira Ali owns Montessori House of Children Hamilton. She trained as a Montessori Teacher in Pakistan in 1998, has a bachelor’s in Education and over 20 years of experience in Montessori teaching. She has established two Montessori pre-schools which has included environments for under 2s. Mamira attended a Montessori preschool as a child, and her three tamariki have all been Montessori educated. A passionate advocate for Montessori education, Mamira was co-opted for MANZ Council in 2014 and re-elected since. Mamira believes that MANZ has plays a key role in promoting Montessori education in Aotearoa, supporting Montessori kaiako and giving our Montessori community a voice on a National level. She is proud to be a part of an organisation that is making a positive impact for Montessori in Aotearoa context.

Victoria Denyer

Council Member

Ko Manawatū tōku awa
No Papaioea ahau
Kei te noho au Katikati
Ko Adrian rāua ko Jane ōku mātua
Ko James tōku  tane
Ko Caspar me Felix tōku tamariki
Ko Victoria toku ingoa

Victoria was elected to MANZ Council in 2018 and is currently Curriculum Leader for BestStart Montessori Bethlehem in Tauranga, a community catering for 90 tamariki aged 6 months to 6 years. Coming to Montessori education via her two children over a decade ago, Victoria has a 3-6 Montessori teaching qualification via Aperfield Montessori Trust as well as a BA in French, an MSc in Global Politics and in 2018 completed a Graduate Diploma in Teaching (ECE).

Steven Arnold

Council Member

Ko Aoraki te Maunga, Ko Waimakariri te awa, noreira ko Otahtahi ahau.
Ka noho ahau ki Tamaki Makaurau
Ko Ted and Margaret toku papa me toku whaea
No Peter me Richard nga tuakana, no Jan me Lynne nga taina.
No Mallika taku wahine
No Sashi me Oscar taku tamaiti, no Olive taku Mokopuna.
Ko Arnold te Whanau
Ko Steven taku ingoa
Ko Montessori te waka.
Kia tatou e tau nei, ka nui taki mihi
No reira tena koutou, tena koutou, tena koutou katoa

Steven is the founding principal of Peace Experiment, a Montessori Secondary Education programme in Auckland. He also lectures on TIES – an online Masters in Montessori Education, and is currently studying for his own doctorate in “Education as a Peace Process”. Steven is active within the United Nations Association. Steven lectured in Montessori Education at AUT until that programme was closed down. Steven continues being a passionate Montessori educator, a career spanning over 25 years.