Heather is an educational leader with a demonstrated history in the successful leadership of educational managers and teaching teams; empowering them to create positive environments for kaiako, tamariki, rangatahi, whānau and their communities across a range of Early Childhood and Primary contexts. Having worked internationally Heather has a strong leadership and teaching background, alongside a Music and Education degree and a Postgraduate Certificate in Education.
She currently works across New Zealand to make strategic and operational change happen; change that is grounded in learner-led methodologies, community needs as well as sector, national and international research. Focused also on maintaining a sustainable financial base from which to work, Heather is driven to work within the Not for Profit sector, where she provides culturally responsive programmes that support the ongoing development and provision of high quality outcomes for all learners through quality teaching practices. As the General Manager of Barnardos Early Learning, Heather is the organisation’s most senior Certificated and Registered teacher, having worked across both Executive and Senior Leadership teams she successfully leads the educational, strategic, financial and operational management of a portfolio of over 40 Early Childhood Education (ECE) services across New Zealand.
