Role

As a Regional Education Leader - Kaiārahi mātauranga ā-rohe, Manleen is focused on the success of our tauira. Leading and supporting a team of lecturers based in Kirikiriroa. Manleen was previously Kaiārahi for Whakatū takiwā ako. Her focus is on building relationships and to support students with pastoral care and strengthening the relationships with the local ECE sector and community.

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Education Background

Over the years, Manleen has been in key leadership roles in Early Childhood Education, starting her journey as a teacher, then head teacher in both private centres and in kindergartens. She has worked in Australia and in NZ Kindergartens. Worked as a Professional Practice Specialist and then transitioned into the Area Leader role for the Auckland Kindergarten Association. Her role has encompassed strategic, pedagogical, and administrative leadership across multiple sites, kindergartens, and KiNZ centres association wide

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Research Background

Manleen has completed her Masters in Education from Otago University. Her research and thesis was focused on understanding the barriers to attendance and participation for young learners and tamariki in low socio-economic areas. “Covid had added another layer of challenge/complexities for all tamariki, tauira, whānau and kaiako, but more so for our Māori and Pacific families. Over the last few years, I have worked closely alongside our teams with our Māori and Pacific communities to understand and remove barriers to participation.”

Coaching and mentoring is another area Manleen is passionate about. In previous roles she has partnered with students, teachers, and leaders to model and facilitate the use of intentional and reflective teaching practices, that focus on providing best learning outcomes for our tamariki.

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Teaching Interests

Manaakitanga and tangata whenuatanga form the basis of her leadership style. “Respect, care and socio-cultural awareness and knowledge of the whenua or land we come from is highly crucial for leading others and myself. Whether we are in a bi-cultural context or in a multi-cultural context, unity in diversity is what I strive for always. The principle of ako affirms the value of the pair and group learning approaches and is a huge part of my own personal philosophy. For our tamariki, tauira, kaiako and whānau from different parts of the world, knowledge is power, and sharing and speaking their language and getting a common understanding helps achieve multiple objectives.”