Our people

My name is Aavini, and I am a Qualified Teacher at Honeybees.
 
I hail from The Fiji Islands, where I was originally a high school teacher. Upon arrival in New Zealand, I had the opportunity to explore Early Childhood Education. It was a very beautiful and enlightening experience for me hence I have remained with ECE ever since. My parents were both primary school teachers and it was my mother who inspired me to become a teacher myself! I have two wonderful daughters named Shayona and Shikha. 
 
I hold a Bachelor of Education degree from the University of the South Pacific in English Language and Literature. I also have a Graduate Diploma in Early Childhood Education from the University of Auckland, and now I am working towards my Masters!
 
My teaching philosophy is based on building responsive and reciprocal relationships with the children. I am a passionate reader and always try to motivate them in creating a love for reading. I also embrace cultural diversity and feel truly blessed to be a part of such an amazing multi-cultural team at Honeybees.
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“The greatest legacy we can leave our children is happy memories”…

My name is Alana and I am the Office Manager at Honeybees.
 
I grew up on Australia’s Gold Coast, but moved to New Zealand in time for high school.  I’ve also spent three years living in Canada, spending seasons in the mountains and on the west coast, skiing in the winter, and hiking in the summer.
 
My favourite things are backpacking and exploring new countries, diving, camping, music and art – and I’ve been lucky enough to experience these things all over the world, with extended time travelling around Europe, South East Asia, North and Central America, and Australasia!  I especially loved volunteering at a primary school in Cambodia, and swimming with a manatee in the open ocean off Belize!
 
I studied Live Sound and Event Production, and have spent many years working in various administrative and team leader roles in a range of industries, including engineering, insurance and travel and tourism.  Prior to returning to New Zealand I spent six months nannying for a family of five homeschooled children in Canada which was amazing!
 
I have been so lucky to be able to combine my love of projects, policy, and all things organisation with being around children in such a creative environment everyday.  I love seeing others grow, and enjoy challenging myself at work.  I am grateful to be part of such an international team of teachers and families, I think it’s very special!

My name is Karen and I am a Qualified Teacher at Honeybees.

I grew up in China in a city called Chengdu, and I speak both Mandarin and English. I came to New Zealand when I was ten years old; Christchurch was the first city I lived in and then my family decided to move to Auckland where we have made a lot of friends!

In 2019 I graduated from the University of Auckland with a Bachelor of Education. During my studies I relieved at a range of centres and am very proud to say that Honeybees was my favourite preschool! I am learning so much here from the experienced teachers who are mentoring me.

In my spare time I love to play piano, dance and go out with my friends to watch movies and try different kinds of foods. Each evening I enjoying walking my dog Yumi and exploring different parks with her!

I feel so grateful to be a part of the Honeybees teaching team. Everyone is so nice and kind! Every morning when I walk into Honeybees, I love how the children are always energetic and display a passion for learning new things. It always makes my day a happy and positive one with big smiling faces all around. I feel lucky to be part of this loving family!

My name is Lin, and I am a Qualified Teacher at Honeybees.
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Being originally from China I speak Mandarin and Cantonese as well as English. It gives me great joy to be able to communicate with our Chinese parents so they can fully understand how their children are growing and shining at Honeybees!

I hold a Graduate Diploma in Early Childhood Education, and also have 7 years of teaching experience in New Zealand, almost all of them buzzing happily around the hive.

My husband Joe and I have a little girl, Jolin, and we wake up every day absolutely smitten with her! It’s so special to have her with me at Honeybees and see her having so much fun with her little friends. Joe and I are proud of buying our first home together, and since I love keeping busy and having a goal to aspire to, my weekends are filled with DIY projects!  I’ve never done anything like this before but luckily my Kiwi friends have all got lots of advice for me!

At Honeybees you’ll often find me singing and dancing with the children, I love music and encouraging everyone to get involved builds confidence and makes every day a happy day!

My name is Linda, and I am a Teacher at Honeybees.
 
I am a Kiwi, with Cambodian and Chinese heritage and I love to explore different cultures and countries. I hold a Graduate Diploma in Secondary Teaching and have spent the last 11 years teaching in New Zealand, China, Kuwait and Singapore. I have taught across American, British, French and international curriculums. I have also completed my Postgraduate Diploma in Education (Guidance and Counselling).

I am privileged to be a part of the learning journey of young people, both academically and personally, and I am fortunate to play that role at Honeybees!
 
I have a great interest in holistic wellbeing and my other passions are yoga and pilates – I spend my time outside of Honeybees teaching in studios and continue to study both. I have been lucky enough to bring yoga into preschools and primary schools across Auckland over the last two years. I believe that yoga offers young people a toolbox of strategies when faced with a range of situations and how to  respond with compassion and confidence.
 
I also love the arts and spend the rest of my time reading books, watching performances at the theatre, creating yoga flows and enjoying time with my friends and family. I am grateful that I can spend my days doing the things I love!

My name is Marisa, and I am the Manager at Honeybees. 

I am from New Zealand, and half Croatian. I married my husband in Venice a few years ago, after taking him to see Croatia for the first time. Since then we have been busy building our new house, and now we’re getting a delicious fresh vege garden underway!​

I have a Bachelor of Education in Primary Teaching and Early Childhood, both from the University of Auckland. I have been teaching in Reggio inspired preschools for 15 years, and was even lucky enough to attend a conference and study tour in Reggio Emilia, Italy which was an amazing experience!

Being artistic and imaginative I love everything to do with the world of art! I have fun getting hands on with the children, promoting creativity and self-expression. I am also passionate about creating exciting learning environments which spark the childrens imagination and curiosity.

I feel so grateful to have been part of the Honeybees adventure from the beginning, helping to make every little detail as good as it possibly can be!   

My name is Michelle and I am the Assistant Head Teacher at Honeybees.

 
I am originally from the beautiful countryside of Ireland, where I graduated with a Bachelor’s Degree in Early Years and Childhood Studies.
 
After living and working in a preschool just outside of London for three years, my partner and I decided that the busy UK city life wasn’t for us, and a twist of fate and our passion for travel brought us to New Zealand!  I have always loved exploring the world and have had amazing trips to Mexico and France, as well as within Ireland and the UK – so moving to the other side of the world excited my sense of adventure so much!
 
Since moving to New Zealand my interest in the outdoors has blossomed, with such spectacular scenery and adventure right on my doorstep.  I love setting off on road-trips over the weekends to traverse the coastal beaches that this stunning country has to offer.  The nature and landscapes never fail to amaze me.
 
I am absolutely loving my time here at Honeybees – it is great to be a part of such a positive team from all over the world.  I am thoroughly enjoying being taught little phrases and songs from so many languages!  I love having the opportunity to be artistic and use my imagination everyday with our special little bees.  

I am from Ireland, just like our lovely Michelle, but my hometown is Derry. I have spent the last 10 years away from the Emerald Isle travelling and teaching in different places around the world with my partner, Rob, who is also a teacher.

I spent my first 3 years of teaching in London then explored South America for a few months before moving here to Auckland where I taught for a further 3 years. We then moved last year to teach in Japan and although we loved our experience there it made us realise how much we loved our life in New Zealand so decided to make the move back this year.

As you can see I love to travel and meeting new people from different places, learning all about their lives. Teaching is another love of mine as I am passionate about being part of a learner’s life, helping them explore their place in the world.

Finally, I love Harry Potter, one of my favourite places I have visited is Hogwarts Castle in Japan! What is your favourite book or movie?

My name is Natalia, and I am a Teacher at Honeybees.
 
I come from the lively and colourful country of Colombia! Upon discovering my passion for teaching children, I decided to study a Bachelor in Early Childhood Education in my home country. Throughout and since completing my studies I have gained experiencing teaching in different preschools around Colombia. My teaching years have been some of the best experiences of my life!

Another goal in my life was to improve my English skills, and to help this dream come true I chose to move to New Zealand. I arrived in 2016 and I immediately fell in love with the kindness of the New Zealand people and the breath-taking surroundings. Teaching in New Zealand has been an unforgettable experience – how lucky I am to have this opportunity to develop my career away from home!
 
Becoming part of the lovely, caring team at Honeybees has been wonderful for me. My heart fills with joy when I arrive each day because this is a place where I can explore my creativity with children and I can share my Latin culture and Spanish language with everyone!

My name is Olga and I am the Chef at Honeybees.
 
I am originally from Russia but have spent the last nine years living in New Zealand, and I am so happy to call this my new home!
 
I have a lot of experience in hospitality, and I especially love children, so I am thrilled to be able to combine the two here at Honeybees.  In 2012 I welcomed my gorgeous daughter Nicole into the world and she is my absolute delight.
 
I am passionate about children’s developing bodies being nourished with healthy unprocessed food so the Honeybees philosophy is a perfect match with my own. I personally hand pick every ingredient that goes in the pot, and fresh fruit and vegetables form the basis of every meal we create.

Having a little one of my own has reinforced this even more for me, and I’m finding it so rewarding watching her grow into herself.  We love exploring the city together on the weekends, and it’s even better now, since I recently passed my driver’s licence test! 

I’ve certainly become quite the early bird, and it has been a fantastic opportunity for me, as it allows me plenty of time with my daughter in the afternoons!  Family is everything to me, so knowing that Honeybees is family owned and operated is wonderful, and pretty unique!