MANZ President
JAN GAFFNEY has been president of MANZ since 2007.  She was a 3-6 teacher for a number of years before teaching in the Montessori primary classes at Arthur St School, Dunedin, and Berhampore School, Wellington.  Today Jan is the principal of New Zealand's largest Montessori school and is the president of the Montessori Association of NZ in her spare time. She has completed her Masters degree in Montessori Integrated Learning and the University of Auckland Excelerator Leadership Programme. All three of her children have attended Montessori through to 12 years old.

MANZ Treasurer
KAREN RAITT was elected to the MANZ council in April 2008. Karen has two children in the junior school at Wa Ora Montessori in Lower Hutt and is currently working part time on consultancy projects.  Karen has a background in Communication, Strategic Planning and Project Management. She has worked as a senior manager in the public and private sectors, most recently in the UK, having spent nine years living there.  It was during her time in the UK that Karen discovered Montessori, and she and her family are excited about being part of the Montessori community in New Zealand.

MANZ Council
SHUBHA NARAYAN was re-elected to MANZ Council in April 2009. She trained as a Montessori teacher 14 years ago in India. She is from a family of Montessorians and moved to New Zealand in 1998.   Shubha has worked with children 3-6 and children 6-9. She has also worked with adult students in the Montessori training courses in India, in the Aperfield Montessori Course in New Zealand, and with adult students from Rangi Ruru Early Childhood College in Christchurch. Currently she is the Co-head of Nova Montessori School, and is the directress in the Nova Montessori Children’s House. 
Shubha is also the trustee of the Nova Charitable Trust. Shubha is committed to the Montessori philosophy and principles and firmly believes that Montessori is a way of life, it is a way of being with the children.

MANZ Council
ROSE PHILLIPS was elected to MANZ Council in April 2009.  Rose began her teaching career with Eastern Suburbs Montessori Primary in Auckland  and is currently the senior teacher of the Montessori Unit.  Rose completed her Montessori training at Toronto Montessori Teacher Training Institute, Canada.  She holds a teaching diploma from North Shore Teachers College and a BEd (Tchg) from the University of Auckland.  She completed her MEd (Literacy) from the University of Auckland in 2001 focusing her research on comparing reading achievement in Montessori and New Zealand state schools. Rose has also supported MANZ for many years with her contribution to the AUT Primary Consultative Committee.

MANZ Council
VICKI ROWE was re-elected to MANZ Council in April 2009. Vicki has three children at Montessori preschool and primary school in Wellington.
She runs a business, Montessori Shop, that supplies centres, schools and families in NZ with Montessori equipment. Vicki has worked as a production manager and event manager and brings great skills to the projects being undertaken by MANZ.

MANZ Council
GILLIAN SOMERS was co-opted to MANZ Council in August 2007 and elected in April 2008. She is principal of New Zealand's oldest Montessori School. Gillian completed her Montessori 3 - 6 and 6 -12 training in her native Ireland and then moved to New Zealand in the early 1990's. She taught at New Plymouth Montessori School and undertook her Diploma in Teaching Early Childhood Education. In 2005, Gillian took over as principal .The school comprises of 100 children from 3 - 6 year olds as well as supporting a Montessori primary unit of 30 children.

MANZ Staff

MANZ Executive Officer
ANA PICKERING believes she has the best job in the world; telling people about the Montessori approach to living and learning. She gets to visit Montessori centres and schools, talk to Montessori professionals, organise conferences and professional development for Montessori teachers and to put together Montessori Voices for the reading pleasure of thousands of Montessori parents.  She is the parent of two teenagers and was a Montessori teacher before getting distracted by her current job as Executive Officer of Montessori Aotearoa NZ and editor of Montessori Voices. Ana has been Executive Officer of MANZ since 2002.

MANZ Administration Officer
KATE WYLES joined MANZ in 2008 and she has taken on the responsibility of the MANZ finances and administration.  Her part-time job is fitted around the needs of her two young children. Kate has a degree in civil engineering and post graduate qualifications in international banking and finance.