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, Wa Ora Montessori School, which spans 18 months to 18 years and is the president of the Montessori Aotearoa New Zealand in her spare time. She has completed her Master's degree in Montessori Integrated Learning and the University of Auckland Excelerator Leadership Programme. Jan has been on the working group for the Montessori Journey to Excellence Te ara ki huhuatanga since 2010.

MANZ Council
CATHY WILSON was elected to MANZ Council in 2011. She worked at Upper Valley Montessori and Mana Montessori before joining Wa Ora Montessori School in Lower Hutt in 1999 , where she is currently the assistant principal. Cathy completed her Aperfield Montessori Diploma in 1998 and has worked as a tutor for Aperfield Montesori since 2008. Cathy travelled to Thailand where she graduated with a Association Montessori Internationale diploma in 2010. She has delivered workshops for the Early Childhood Council on the 'Blue Book' for teacher registration and co-led a professional development workshop for MANZ. Cathy joined the working group of the Montessori Journey to Excellence Te ara ki huhuatanga in 2011.

MANZ Treasurer
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 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
CLAIRE NESDALE has been on the working group for the Montessori Journey to Excellence since 2010. She was elected to MANZ Council at the 2012 AGM. She graduated from AUT University in 2006 and started working for Wee Wisdom Montessori in 2007. She is now the General Manager of Wee Wisdom Montessori; four preschools in Auckland with another preschool under development. Claire is also on the working group for the Montessori Journey to Excellence Te ara ki huhuatanga.

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. Gillian is the chair of the Montessori Journey to Excellence Working Group.

MANZ Council
NIKOLE CAMPBELL was co-opted to MANZ Council in May 2012. She was educated in a Montessori environment from birth to twelve years of age, in St. Louis, USA. In 1997, Nikole received her Montessori degree through the Association Montessori International (AMI) and her BA at Webster University, Missouri with a self-designed interdisciplinary major (being a Montessori child she created her own path) in Education and Global Communication. She has taught in both toddler communities and casa level for 14 years.  Whilst in the USA, she served on the board of the Missouri Montessori Association. Nikole is committed to helping children achieve their fullest potential through the Montessori approach with the hope that Montessori children develop into environmentally conscious, peaceful, educated, loving and responsible world citizens. In 2010, Nikole moved to New Zealand with her family to take up the position of head teacher at the New Plymouth Casa Montessori where she is presently working. 

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 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. In 2010 she started her Master's degree and her thesis will focus on aspects of the Montessori Journey to Excellence.