I have always loved children, from a very young age I have been confident in handling babies and wanting to entertain them. After marriage when contemplating having our own family a family member pointed out an Earn as you Learn scheme with Kindercare Learning Centre and NZ Tertiary College where you do a 40 hour week and night classes. And as the saying goes “the rest is history”

I love spending time with my whanau and our two dogs, watching my son and daughter play football, spending time at the beach which reminds me of my childhood hometown Taupo.

Born and Raised in Fiji I moved to NZ in 1989, met Sujata in 1991 and been together since.  My role is to support to our brilliant team and keep them happy. Apart from this business I run our Bookstore in Onehunga.

I have been working in early childhood since 2016, when I began relieving at my children’s preschool. I hold a Bachelor of Teaching (ECE), as well as a Diploma in Counselling and Psychology. I am passionate about child-led, play-based learning and enjoy playing a role in the development of the tamariki. I believe that learning should be collaborative, based on reciprocal relationships with tamariki and whanau. If the children are getting messy, you will find me right in there with them!

Outside of my role as an ECE teacher, I am a wife and am mum to three permanent foster children. Raising a neurodiverse child has given me a lot of knowledge and experience in the area of children with additional needs, which I am able to draw upon to support children and their families. In my downtime I like to spend time with family and friends or curled up with a good book.

I have been teaching for 9 years, and it is such a passion of mine. I love supporting tamariki to be their unique selves and scaffolding their development to meet their individual potential. I believe building strong reciprocal relationships with tamariki and their whanau is key in supporting tamariki in reaching their highest potential. I believe my strengths are relationship building and communication with whanau to ensure that we build a strong community within our centre. I enjoy playing, having fun, and getting messy with tamariki, and I am passionate about play based learning. In my own time, I enjoy being with my family, tending to our many animals, getting out into nature, enjoying family hikes, and many trips to beach!

I have been teaching ECE for 13+ years. I was previously managing a small centre but decided to return to the classroom where it is way more fun 😊 I believe that every child is unique and special therefore the way I work with every child is different. I hope to develop positive relationships with children and their whanau.

My goal is to build children’s confidence and help guide their learning & development.

I also hope to create a positive learning environment where children feel they can be themselves.

I love spending time with my whanau, husband my son & daughter. We love to travel especially around NZ 😊

Kia Ora, my name is Raneel Kumar. I have been teaching for 23 years   in various primary schools around Fiji teaching levels from 1-8. I arrived in New Zealand in the year 2023. I am looking forward to experiencing the new environment as an ECE teacher at Young Petals. I love teaching Tamariki because it’s a chance to nurture their curiosity, watch them grow, and shape their future. Their enthusiasm and creativity inspire me, and there’s joy in seeing them understand something new or to overcome a challenge. Helping them build confidence and develop a love for learning is incredibly rewarding.

Sat Shri Akal / Kia Ora. My name is Jaspreet kaur. I am originally from Punjab (India) and I have lived in New Zealand since 2018. I love to teach  tamariki  because  it encourages me to be creative and proactive every day. I like to provide them with  playful and engaging learning  in a safe environment.

Seeing children growing and developing cognitive skills, large motor skills like learning to balance, climb, run and gaining more confidence is so satisfying. I am pleased to join the Young Petals team and build connections with  all the Tamariki and Whanau who are part of this amazing centre.