Our Facilitators
Taimarino consists of a team of teaching professionals, who provide a wide scope of knowledge and understanding.
Raiha Johnson
PLD Facilitator
Ko Panguru te maunga,
Ko Whakarapa te awa,
Ko Hokianga te moana,
Ko Ngātokimatawhaorua te waka,
Ko Ngāti Manawa te marae,
Ko Te Rarawa te iwi.
I am passionate and dedicated to actualising equity and excellence for ākonga Māori schooling. I have a background in teaching in primary schools, working alongside tumuaki, kaiako, tamariki and whānau to improve educational outcomes for Māori tamariki. My specialist areas of expertise encompass qualities, skills and knowledge relevant to leading and making change in mainstream schooling for Māori tamariki and whānau.
I trained at Dunedin College of Education in Invercargill in Te Pokai Matauranga o te Ao Rua - Bilingual Teacher Education. I have been at Waverley Park School in Invercargill for 13 years - as a classroom teacher and as Teacher in charge of Māori.
I am currently still at Waverley Park working 0.2 doing a specialist Māori role within the school- including internal Māori PLD with the teaching staff, management and BOT; working alongside the Māori whanau and community to create educationally powerful partnerships; working with Māori tamariki in a specialist enrichment programme designed and developed within our school to cater to the aspirations of our tamariki and whanau ; as well as continuing to lead the kapa haka team of teachers to best support the 250 tamariki from our school that take part in three different kapa haka roopu.
I lecture at the Otago University College of Education - Southland Campus, one day a week, delivering the Māori Studies paper to first and second year students, the Pasifika paper for second year students and the socio cultural paper to third year students. This is a role I thoroughly enjoy and find very rewarding.
My PLD Facilitation role involves delivering specialist programmes that are responsive to the needs of the school; to offer new places to look for answers, effective ways to collect and evaluate information, classroom practice and , leadership, and system practices; to help schools identify what works and why; based on the research that supports improved outcomes for Māori.
For Te Reo Māori, my role focuses on building teacher capability to plan, implement and assess te reo Māori programmes to improve capacity building and sustainable changes, so that all ākonga and especially Māori, benefit from access to quality teaching of Te Reo Māori.
I support schools to identify whānau engagement priorities and next steps/actions in order to achieve significant impact by focusing on the student and whānau voice as a lever for supporting improved outcomes for Māori learners.
I have a passion and commitment to realising the potential of all Māori learners, and ensuring that learning and teaching in Te Reo Māori and from a Te Ao Māori perspective are valid and proven pathways to ensure cultural identity and language is developed and nurtured for ākonga and their whanau.
My various roles in schools allows me to pursue my passion:
to make a personal and professional contribution to the revitalisation of te reo Māori.
to ensure Māori tamariki have a strong sense of pride in their identity, in order to stand strong in whatever they wish to pursue in their lives
to create an Aotearoa for future generations where Māori and non-Māori can construct a shared understanding and appreciation of the unique cultural and national identity we have as New Zealanders. Allowing everyone to celebrate and value their own cultural identity, while at the same time acknowledging and celebrating a shared identity
Mauri ora ki a tātou katoa!
Contact Information
Raiha Johnson - Accredited PLD Facilitator - English-medium (ACC#855) raihajohnson@gmail.com
Bruce Moody
Maths Teacher
I have worked in Primary Schools since 2001, which means that I have a lot of experience in the teaching of maths with students from Years 1 to 8 My background is in Secondary Maths, which means I know how maths develops in the schooling system.
I get in the classroom and work with students as an essential part of how I operate in schools. If I can’t demonstrate it, why should anyone listen to my advice? I have found that teachers respond well to someone who can ‘show’, and not simply ‘tell’. So many things make more sense viewed in real situations in real time.
Teachers appreciate help with planning logical learning sequences and systems to gauge and record student progress. I have developed resources for all areas of maths to fill the gap between broad objectives and individual lessons. This also helps schools with overall planning and assessment schedules.
Observations and co-teaching iterations serve to apply these learning progressions and address pedagogical issues of how students can be more effective in learning maths. My M.Ed. in Maths and continuing academic reading keep adding to my kete of knowledge. The learning from my Te Ara Reo Māori Diploma helps too.
I am self-employed, currently working in schools in the Bay of Plenty, Waikato, and Gisborne areas but will travel as needed.
Contact Information
Website: seedlearning.co.nz
Wiki Burdon
PLD Facilitator
Ko Hinerakei te Maunga Ko Taupiri te Maunga
Ko Ngātokimatawhaorua te Waka Ko Tainui te Waka
Ko Te Awaiti te Awa Ko Waikare te Roto
Ko Ōhaki te Marae Ko Waikare te Marae
Ko Te Uri o Tai te Hapū Ko Ngāti Hine te Hapū
Ko Te Rarawa te Iwi Ko Tainui te Iwi
Ko Wikitoria Burdon ahau.
Kia ora, as an experienced teacher, I and passionate about PLD opportunities that connect our education providers with mātauranga Māori. I work with schools to develop relationships with whānau, mana whenua and communities for responsive pedagogy. Our outcomes are based on building, strengthening and growing cultural capabilities to deliver rich localised history in a respectful and appropriate manner.
I enjoy working alongside teachers and leaders to plan for quality education experiences that honour the mana of all leaders. In sharing localised histories through storytelling and games, our teachers and tamariki learn how these narratives have shaped the current landscape we live in. Students are engaged and can connect local areas of significance with their own experiences, identity and culture. Localised histories provide the waka to transfer learning through new contexts that are relevant and meaningful.
“Kia whakatōmuri te haere whakamua”
I walk backwards into the future with eyes fixed on my past.
Let us learn from our history and let it guide our future.
Contact Information
Wiki Burdon
0273768551
wikiburdon@gmail.com