Staff

RANUI SCHOOL STAFF 2023

Staff 2023

Ranui Primary Staff are dedicated, passionate and fun loving. They are here to work with you and your child to ensure they reach their fullest potential.
Teachers and senior leaders are always willing to talk about your child’s progress with you and help you with any concerns.
It’s always best to make an appointment if you can to make sure we are available for you.
You can do this through the office or with the staff member directly.

We are committed to productive learning focused partnerships with all.

Our Team

Leadership Team

Leadership Team

Teressa Smith

Principal

About Me

Ko Hineraki te maunga Ko Ngatokimatawhaora te waka Ko Whanagpe te moana Ko Morehu, Ko Ohaki, Ko Taiao nga marae Ko Te Rarawa te iwi Ko Te Uri o Tai te hapu Ko Teressa Smith ahau ​ I am lucky to be Principal at Rānui Primary. I hold close this school to my heart. I was a student here many years ago and my children also came. I am passionate about our children's learning and having positive experiences.

Allisa Holbrow

Deputy Principal

About Me

Whangai ka tupu ka puawai That which is nurtured blossoms then grows. Kia ora, Talofa lava and hello. I am Whaea Allisa, and I feel privileged to be Deputy Principal at Ranui Primary. Ranui Primary is a special place, that is welcoming and really has the learner of the centre of all thinking. I love our Ranui tamariki, they are fun, have character and passion, and make me smile every day! New to Ranui Primary in 2017, I have 16 years prior teaching and leading experience. I have lived in West Auckland all my life, and am proud to be working in this community. I enjoy working with people to create success for all students, and making a difference for every learner. I am passionate about working together in partnership, in order to prepare our tamariki for their future. I am looking forward to getting to know all of you and your whanau, and also look forward to being part of your journey at Ranui. You have brains in your head. You have feet in your shoes. You can steer yourself any direction you choose. ​Dr Seuss

Cindy Pile-Wetere

Deputy Principal

About Me

Tena koutou katoa Ko Pouerua ko Putauaki nga maunga. Ko Ngatokimatawhaorua, ko Mataatua nga waka Ko Waitangi, ko Rangitaiki, Ko Orini, Ko Ohinemataroa nga awa Ko Ngapuhi, ko Ngti Awa nga iwi Ko Ngatikawa, ko Ngaiterangihouhiri nga hapu Ko Cindy Pile-Wetere ahau. No reira, tena koutou, tena koutou, tena tatou katoa. My teaching journey at Rānui Primary School began in Te Whakatipu Kākano during the third term of 2016. Previously, I taught in a variety of schools within Auckland extensively at Richmond Road Primary School with the English medium and Rumaki reo Maori classes. Four years of teaching in Queensland Australia within the Gold Coast and Brisbane regions, reinforced my appreciation of how schools in New Zealand are student driven learning environments. Currently, I'm excited to be part of Rānui School staff and a strong team within Te Whakatipu Kākano as a highly competitive and quality Rumaki reo Maori/bilingual unit for Maori whanau within the community. Maori whanau who strive for quality Maori education, te reo Maori and tikanga Maori as the vehicle for high student achievement and wellbeing. Ma tatou nga kakano e whangai Me tipu nga kakano o Te Whakatipu Kakano.

Learning Support

Learning Support

Shelley Couper

Learning Support Coordinator

About Me

Ko Ngāti Whatua te iwi Ko Māhuhu-ki-te rangi te waka Ko Rāhiri te Marae Ko Wairoa te awa Ko Tu-ta-moe te maunga Kia ora! My name is Shelley Couper and I feel very blessed to be part of Ranui School in the role of Learning Support Coordinator. Most of my teaching has been in London England where I lived for 10 years. After having our first child there we moved back home to raise our growing whanau. Last year I was lucky enough to be appointed in this role at Ranui and so far have loved every minute of it. I am passionate about education and love to see children flourish in a happy, positive environment where we are all learning from each other. The staff, children and their whanau have been fantastic to work with and I look forward to getting to know more of you as time goes on.

Administration Whānau

Administration Whanau

Lesley Mackie

School Administrator / Te Whakatipu Kakano Kaiawhina

About Me

Ko Manaia te maunga Ko Mamari te waka Ko Te Renga Paraoa te moana Te Puke Kauri te awa Ko Takahiwai te marae Ko Rangiora te whare Ko Ngaphui te Iwi Ko Patuharakeke te hapu Ko Lesley Mackie ahau Kia ora. I have worked at Ranui School for 20 years, I have been a volunteer reading person, a teacher aide in the mainstream school and also a cleaner for the school. I am a kaiawhina in Te Whakatipu Kakano, and I absolutely love what I do, all the tamariki in the Maori unit are my children and to them I am Whaea Lesley. I also now work in the School office, which I enjoy as I get to meet a lot of the mainstream parents and children. Both of my children have been through Te Whakatipu Kakano and are now both fluent in the Maori Language. It is a joy to work with the staff at Ranui School, the most caring and loving people you could know, we are all there for one purpose and that is the children of Ranui Primary School.

Tania Vano

Office Administrator

About Me

Ko Taupiri te maunga, Ko Tainui te waka, Ko Waikato te awa, Ko Mangatangi te marae, Ko Waikato te iwi, Ko Ngati Tama Oho te hapu, Ko Tania Vano ahau! Kia Ora/Orana my name is Tania. I work in the school office alongside Whaea Les. I started working here at the beginning of 2021 but with all this covid nonsense going on it feels like I haven't been here long at all. I've really enjoyed my time here so far, meeting the tamariki and whanau who come through the office as well as the staff who are all lovely! I have two children of my own, my eldest goes to Waitakere College but used to come here, and my youngest is here now. Although we have only lived in Ranui for 5 years I love being apart of this community and I am looking forward to many more years here 🙂

Te Whakatipu Kākano Whānau

Te Whakatipu Kākano Whānau

June Paratene

Te Whakatipu Kākano Senior Kaiako
TWK 1

About Me

Te Rarawa te Iwi e tu atu nei Whangatauatia te maunga e tu iho nei Te Tai o Wharo te moana e nei ra te reo karanga i te ao... i te po... Kia ora my name is June Paratene, or around here Whaea June. Born and bred Kelstonian. In our whanau Te Whakatipu Kakano I teach in Waka Tahi Year 0,1 & 2, Matua Ernest Waka Rua Year 3 & 4, Whaea Cindy ​Waka Toru Year 5 & 6. The glue of our unit is Whaea Lesley. I love being able to bring our language to life and to practice our customs in our everyday environment. To prepare our tamariki to be spiritually, mentally, physically ready to learn with our school and whanau partnership to make it happen. Here's some handy tips to help me out communication - from us, with us, with the school, with one another commitment - from us to teach your child from you to help your child on their learning journey connections - are for life, with our learning, with one another, with our community... Nga mihi kia koutou Whaea June

Johlene Gilbert

Te Whakatipu Kākano Kaiako
TWK 2

About Me

Ko Pukekaramea me Panekire nga maunga Ko Waiau me Waikaretaheke nga awa Ko Horouta me Mataatua nga waka Ko Ngai Tuhoe me Ngati Ruapani nga iwi Ko Ngai Taraparoa me Te Whanau Pani nga hapu Ko Pareroa me Waimako nga marae Ko Johlene Gilbert toku ingoa Tena Koutou, My name is Johlene Gilbert and have been the teacher in Kahu 1 for the past 3 years. I have 3 sons that are past pupils of this kura and currently have 1 in Te Whakatipu Kākano. I love teaching and learning along-side our tamariki and I look forward to meeting new and old whanau. I have a huge passion for sports and physical education. This passion stems from seeing our tamariki develop self-confidence in their skills that they did not know they had. In the classroom, I ensure that we have a safe learning environment and that we are trying our best to make sure all needs are met. He aha te mea nui o te ao? (What is the most important thing in the world) He tangata, he tangata, he tangata (It is people, it is people, it is people) No reira,

Ernest Harris

Te Whakatipu Kākano Senior Kaiako
TWK 3

About Me

Ko Rakau Tapu te maunga, Ko Tapuwae te awa Ko Hokianga te moana Ko Ngatokimatawhaorua te waka Ko Te Rarawa te iwi Ko Ngai Tupoto te hapu Ko Ngai Tupoto te marae Ko Ngahuia te tupuna whare Ko Ernest Harris ahau Tihei mauri ora! I am in my second year of teaching at primary school level, having graduated with excellence from Te Wananga Takiura o Nga Kura Kaupapa Maori o Aotearoa with a bachelor degree in teaching in kura kaupapa Maori. After two decades in the construction industry and having reached the highest levels of management within my organisation, I decided to set our on a new career path that would enable me to combine my love of reo Maori with my passion for developing the potential of rangatahi. I have enjoyed my experience at Ranui Primary School and have learnt a lot during my time here and I believe I have a lot of skills to contribute to our kura and I am looking forward to continuing to develop my teaching skills within Te Whakatipu Kakano. I believe my work throughout this year has demonstrated that I am reliable, resourceful and inventive kaiako, who is committed to providing tamariki with a kaupapa Maori educational environment that supports them to become creative and critical thinkers. My goal is to use my knowledge of te reo Maori and tikanga to benefit our tamariki in Te Whakatipu Kakano. "Ko te manu e kai ana i te miro, nona te ngahere, ko te manu e kai ana i te matauranga, nona te ao". "The bird that consumes the miro berry navigates the forest, the bird that consumes knowledge navigates the world".

Monica Pile-Marsters

Te Whakatipu Kākano Kaiako
TWK 4

About Me

Kia ora e te whānau o Rānui. Ko Pūtauaki te maunga Ko Mataatua te waka Ko Rangitaiki te awa Ko Ngāti Awa te iwi Ko Te Rangihouhiri II te hapu Ko Monica Pile-Marsters taku ingoa. I am excited to be part of the Te Whakatipu Kākano whānau 2023. We have such a ray of sunshine from each corner of our rooms. When the time is right. Pop in and see us. We love to display your children’s work in class. If you have a Facebook Profile connect with our class. It’s under Whaea Monica Pile-Marsters.

Katene Howe

Te Whakatipu Kākano Kaiako
TWK 6

About Me

Tēnā tātou katoa ko Katene Howe tōku ingoa and I descend from Ngāti Porou, Ngāti Wai, me Te Whānau-ā-Apanui. I am extremely excited to be a part of Rānui Primary School. I believe that understanding and embracing Māori culture is crucial for our tamariki in their learning and I am honored to have the opportunity to help shape the next generation of young Māori leaders. In addition to my role as a kaiako, I am deeply invested in the areas of health and fitness and I make it a priority to maintain an active and healthy lifestyle. I believe that staying active and healthy is essential for both physical and mental well-being, and I enjoy incorporating this into my teaching regimes. I also have a strong interest in Māori performing arts, such as kapa haka and mau rākau and I firmly believe that these forms of expression not only provide an outlet for creativity but also help to maintain and strengthen cultural traditions. I subscribe to the philosophy that education is a lifelong pursuit, and as a teacher, I make it my personal mission to continuously strive for excellence. I am constantly seeking opportunities to further my own education and professional development, both within and outside of the classroom, in order to ensure that I am providing the best possible support for our tamariki to succeed. “Poipoia te kākano, kia puāwai”- “Nurture the seed and it will blossom”.

Kāhu Whānau

Kāhu Whānau

Caryn Daly

Senior Teacher
Kāhu 1

About Me

"Whaea Caryn has been a teacher at Ranui Primary for 3 and a half years. She started teaching juniors in Kereru but has made the big leap to the Kāhu seniors and she loves it! Whaea Caryn loves sports and is very competitive, so Kāhu 2 has been under a lot of pressure to win (and we have). She has high expectations of her learners. She believes that each student has unlimited potential. Whaea Caryn encourages us to do our best. She is firm but fair and we like her Canadian accent". Kuara and Mema

Chris Kell

Kāhu Whānau Teacher
Kāhu 3

About Me

Ko Emi Emi te maunga, Ko Mangāiti te awa Ko Matātua te waka Ko Ngā Puhi te iwi Ko Mangāiti te marae Ko Chris Kell ahau Tihei mauri ora! Kia ora, Mr Kell here, teaching Kāhu 4, a Year 4-5 class in the Senior School… Wow, can you believe that I am now in my 17th year of teaching at Rānui School and still love teaching our wonderful Rānui Tamariki. Throughout my time here I have been involved in ICT which led me to coaching our Robocup (computer programmed robotics) team who did amazingly well representing the school. We were even in Christchurch for the nationals when the first earthquake struck in 2010 and our team was seen on CNN worldwide TV. I have also been involved in coaching numerous sports teams that have done well winning trophies in our Henderson Sports Cluster. Some of these teams have gone on to play in the Auckland Championship, playing curtain raisers for the Auckland Blues, with our rippa rugby girls winning the Auckland Championship in 2019 at Eden Park! In the classroom I am passionate about building relationships and developing students' intelligence through learning. I love teaching math and exploring how best our tamariki learn. This is what one of my students once wrote about me. “Mr Kell is a kind, jolly teacher, just like Santa. He cares for others and is one of the best teachers ever at teaching difficult math strategies including how to understand and solve decimals, fractions and percentages. Also he is an awesome sports teacher. Having him for the last 2 years has helped make me become smarter and the happy person I am today and I will miss him when I leave Ranui at the end of the year. But it was fun while it lasted, Mr Kell would win the Number 1 teacher in my book.”

Kererū Whānau

Kererū Whānau

Laura Puru

Kererū Whānau Teacher
Kererū 1

About Me

​Ko Maungataniwha, ko Tongariro nga maunga Ko Hokianga Whakapau Karakia, ko Taupo-nui-a-Tia nga moana Ko Ngapuhi, ko Ngati Kahungunu, ko Ngati Tuwharetoa nga iwi Ko Nukutawhiti, ko Korohe nga marae Ko Ngatokimatawhaorua, ko Takitimu, ko Te Arawa nga waka Ko Laura Puru ahau Born in Whakatane, raised in Turangi, married in Rotorua and part of the Ranui community now for 23 years, I am thrilled to make the move to Ranui School this year. My own children were educated through Te Whakatipu Kakano and I am privileged to reconnect with the kaiako and whanau. Kia kaha, kia maia, kia tutuki pai ai o koutou mahi katoa. I am teaching the Tui 4 students this year and the door is always open for whanau. Nau mai, haere mai, welcome.

Sheree Hodge

Kererū Whānau Leader
Kererū 2

About Me

Hello my name is Sheree Hodge. I have taught at Ranui School since 1996. I have seen a lot of children go through the school. Ranui is a fantastic place to work, hence why I have been here for so long.

Lisa Milner

Kererū Whānau Teacher
Kererū 4

About Me

Coming Soon

Amanda Marsden

Kererū Whānau Teacher
Kēreru 5

About Me

Kia ora everyone! My name is Amanda Marsden and I am excited to be teaching within the Kererū whānau this year. I developed a passion for teaching when I became a teacher aide in 2011. I then moved into ESOL where I worked with children who had English as their second language. This motivated me to become a teacher. I love a classroom to be filled with respect, laughter, learning and discovery, and I enjoy watching students develop and grow. I believe every student is unique and has something special to offer.

Tūī Whānau

Tūī Whānau

Courtney Soole

Tūī Whānau Senior Teacher
Tūī 2

About Me

Tena koutou katoa Ko Tongariro te maunga Ko Te Arawa te waka Ko Taupo-nui-a-Tia te roto Ko Ngati Tuwharetoa te iwi Ko Kauriki te marae Ko Ngati Hinemihi te hapu Ko Courtney Soole taku ingoa Kia ora whānau, Some of you may recognise me while I worked with the amazing Tūī Whānau. I spent three years working in this fantastic team and now I have made the jump into Kāhu where I am excited for new learning, opportunities, and challenges. Since joining our community, I have been blessed to meet so many talented and awesome tamariki. I love hearing them have their “a-ha” moments and discover new things about themselves and their world. My students know that I have high expectations as I push them to achieve to the best of their abilities. In our class, we like to look at how we can become responsible and respectful problem solvers, so we can always help and support others. My door is always open, so feel free to pop into Kahu 3!

Janelle Buchanan

Tūī Whānau Teacher
Tūī 3

About Me

Tēnā koutou katoa Ko tēnei taku pepeha ki te taha o tōku Pāpā Nō Ingarangi ōku tūpuna Kei Tāmaki Makaurau ahau e noho ana Kei Te Kura o Rānui ahau e mahi ana Ko Buchanan tōku ingoa whānau Ko Paul taku whaiāipo Ko Freya Aubrey taku Tamāhine Ko Janelle tōku ingoa. Kia ora! My name is Mrs B, and I am so excited to be joining the Rānui School kaiako this year. I believe in using students' strengths and interests to enhance their learning, and having a foundational basis of respect and honesty within the classroom. I look forward to working with you to achieve success for your tamariki, however that might look.

Karen Hammond

Tūī Whānau Teacher
Tūī 4

About Me

Ko Te Aroha te maunga Ko te kei o waka o Hauraki Ko Waihou te awa Ko Tikapa te moana Ko Tama a Ariki te Tupuna Whare He mokopuna a Ngati Rahiri Tumutumu ahau Ko Karen Hammond ahau Kia ora, my name is Karen I started at Ranui Primary this year and am in my second year of teaching. I grew up out West and love teaching here. Our kids are so special and I feel so privileged to teach them. ​As a teacher I try to provide opportunities to foster their unique talents, of which they have so many. And to ensure they have high expectations of themselves, the same way that I do.

Toloa Ao'ao'ina Whānau

Toloa Ao'ao'ina Whānau

Chantal Arona

Toloa Ao'ao'ina Teacher
Toloa Ao'ao'ina 1

About Me

Kia Ora everyone! My name is Chantal, I am currently in my first year of teaching and have been blessed to be working in Ranui Primary School with great support and learning. I have a strong interest in education because it allows me to connect with young learners, whanau, and coworkers. I believe that making a difference in the lives of students entails valuing their learning ability, sharing life experiences, excellent communication about their learning, and remaining optimistic. Looking forward to what this year has installed for our tamariki! Fa’afetai Lava.

Brenna Lambert

Toloa Ao'ao'ina Senior Teacher
Toloa Ao'ao'ina 2

About Me

Talofa Everyone. My name is Brenna Vaiula and I am a new teacher here at Ranui School. Two of my children attend the school and I am a former student myself. I have taught English in Japan for many years and have returned to the area to live with my father. I'm so happy to have the opportunity to teach in a community I grew up in. I look forward to getting to know you and your children this year. Fa'afetai lava.

Support Staff

Support Staff

Elizabeth Wharetohunga

Teacher Aide

About Me

My name is Elizabeth Wharetohunga, I have worked at Ranui primary for a little over a year. Both my daughter's attend Ranui primary and are in the Tui classes. My role here at Ranui is a teacher aide mainly looking after a young man with physical needs. You may also see me in different classes around the school helping different children. I love working here at Ranui the staff and children ROCK!!

Louise Henry

Teacher Aide/Librarian
Library

About Me

Kia ora koutou, Ko Louise Henry ahau, I am a teacher aide and I have worked at Ranui School for over twenty years. My sons,Jason and Dale were students in Whakatipu Kakano. I work with the senior children helping with reading, writing, sports lunches, Kids Can jackets and shoes. Through my years at Ranui School I have been privileged to work with amazing people. We have had many changes through the years but as a community we have stayed strong and I believe the school has had a big part to play in that and the whanau have always come to support us,I thank you for taking the time to read about me.

Verlene Ruru

Teacher Aide

About Me

Kia ora. My name is Verlene Ruru. I have been working at Ranui Primary School for many years. I am part of the S.L.S team supporting students that need extra help. I am also an English Language Assistant(ELA) working with students from different cultures adding to their 1st language. I am committed to provide and support my students to be confident learners. Both my children came to Ranui Primary. This school has a awesome working environment and amazing staff and students.