MANZ Conference 2025 Speakers

22 February 2023 - MANZ

Keynote Speakers


Anaru Kapa

Anaru Kapa hails from the northern tip of New Zealand, belonging to the small iwi of Te Aupouri, with Mediterranean influences from his Dalmatian heritage and French and English roots from his mother. He is fortunate to share his life with a supportive whanau, including two beautiful daughters and his cheerleader wife, Marie. As the son of an Anglican Māori missionary and educated in both Aotearoa and Australia, Anaru has had the privilege of serving diverse communities, often focused on education and social justice. A trained teacher and passionate educationalist, he has been honored to support Montessori Aotearoa/New Zealand in navigating bicultural practices and deepening the understanding of the connections between Te Ao Māori and Montessori philosophy, intent, spirit, and practice. Anaru values the opportunity to contribute to the Montessori journey in Aotearoa/New Zealand, recognizing the profound mission of Maria Montessori to unleash the potential of each child, empowering them to create a better world—a mission that is deeply imbued with mana.


Leena Savolainen

My name is Leena Savolainen. I became an AMI trained 0-3 Montessori guide because I was (and continue to be) passionate about supporting children, their parents, and caregivers in creating safe learning environments in these key foundational years. 

I have a particular interest in social-emotional development and communication. I am keen to support any adult who cares for children as I understand how challenging it can be to navigate relationships with immature humans. In my role as an educator, I have run workshops for parents and educators who wanted developmentally appropriate ways to communicate and connect with children even in the most challenging situations.  

Currently I am a practicing Gestalt Therapist and am supporting individuals and groups of adults in recovery from childhood trauma, addictions, and mental health. My role as a therapist is to support and guide these adults to raise their self-awareness so they can better meet their needs and live fulfilling lives. 

I have an AMI 0-3 Diploma and have completed the AMI Orientation training in 3-6 and 6-12 and a short AMI course on the Introduction to the Adolescent. I am a practicing trauma-informed Gestalt Therapist and am on the faculty of the Relational Institute Australia.  I have a background in counselling, communication, childhood development and public health and have worked in educational and health service settings in a variety of contexts for over 25 years.  In addition to my formal training, I am a mother of four children: two daughters and two sons from 14 to 24 years of age.


Tiffany Liddell

Tiffany Liddell is an AMI 3-6 Trainer with Southwest Institute of Montessori Studies where she has conducted training both in the USA and in other countries.  She has lived in Mesa, Arizona for 20 years, ever since she took her AMI 3-6 training.  Tiffany has been a Montessori guide in a variety of settings including public charter and private schools and continues her work with children in different capacities. With a master’s in education specialized in Early Childhood Education, she also collaborates with the local community college district in their Educator Preparation Programs and develops partnerships with the Early Childhood Community and Montessori education.  Tiffany is a presenter, lecturer, course developer, and instructor and contributes to both the early childhood and Montessori communities locally and abroad.  Tiffany’s practical and technological expertise and work experiences at the college prepared her to be instrumental to AMI’s development and implementation of blended AMI training.  Tiffany was born and raised in Oregon and is married with four children.  As an Oregonian and athlete, Tiffany spent much of her childhood outside and among nature and carries those benefits into her current lifestyle. She also owns a Montessori school in Mesa, Arizona where she prioritizes outdoor spaces dedicated to connecting children with the outdoor environment to offer a variety of activities.  She recognizes the value of nature for children and adults and continues to connect to the outdoors whenever possible.


Prabha Narayanan

Prabha Narayanan is an AMI Elementary Trainer based in Chennai, India. She is currently the Director of Training at Vivek High Montessori Institute, Chandigarh, and is part of the pedagogical team on the blended 6 -12 year course run by Alison Awes in Montessori Institute Bangalore. She completed the AMI 6 – 12 and 3 – 6 courses in Navadisha Montessori Foundation, India. She worked in Navadisha as part of the training team under Ann Dunne, from 2012 to 2021. 

She has been a National Examiner on AMI Elementary courses, and conducted many Orientation courses, both online and in-person, in India and abroad. She was a part of the training team to conduct the first ever Montessori Core Principles course in India. She consults with Montessori schools supporting elementary teachers in their practice. She conducts workshops for parents and teachers, and is especially interested in the area of supporting children’s language and emotional development during the elementary years. 


Penny Neilson

Penny Neilson is an experienced Professional Practice Leader at BestStart, where she leads initiatives that support the professional growth and development of early childhood educators. With a passion for cultural competency, Penny has worked extensively to integrate Pasifika values and practices into educational settings, helping to create inclusive and culturally responsive learning environments.

As a strong advocate for Tapasā, Penny’s work focuses on empowering educators to engage more effectively with Pacific learners and their families. Her approach emphasizes the importance of self-reflection, cultural understanding, and the transformative power of exploring cultural differences and similarities, both for educators and learners. Having spent her own childhood in the Pacific, she is deeply committed to giving back to the community that played a key role in shaping her values and identity.


Workshop Speakers


Michela Homer

Michela was elected to MANZ Council in 2013 and was re-elected in 2015, 2018 and 2021. She is currently the Regional Manager for Busy Bees.  She completed her Association Montessori International (AMI) 3-6 diploma in London in 1994 and worked in two very diverse Montessori centres in the U.K. When Michela moved to NZ, she was privileged to work as the centre manager for a small Montessori centre in Tauranga for two years and loved seeing Montessori in Aotearoa truly make a difference in children’s lives. Michela chaired the Re-Working Party for Montessori Journey to Excellence Te ara ki huhuatanga: Essential Elements, which was published in 2019.

Lesley Hoskin

As Chief Executive at the Teaching Council of Aotearoa New Zealand, Lesley Hoskin is responsible for providing strong leadership, influence and the drive to strengthen the mana of teaching, so teachers can change lives.  

Lesley’s career began in a large IT company before leaving to run an e-learning and change management business for 15 years while raising her family. In the ten years before coming to the Teaching Council, Lesley held senior roles within the education sector: leading policy conversations and large implementation teams with a focus to lift student achievement as Associate Deputy Secretary Student Achievement at the Ministry of Education and leading the teacher payroll recovery project as Associate Deputy Secretary Novopay. Lesley combines her strategic thinking ability with her passion for bringing solutions that deliver.   

Lesley has a Diploma in Te Reo Māori, a Masters in Public Sector Management, and a Postgraduate Diploma in Management & Leadership from Oxford University. 


Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

By leaving a comment you agree with the storage and handling of your data by this website. You can learn more about how we handle you comment information in our Privacy Policy. We are using Akismet to reduce comment spam. Learn how they process your comment data.