Centre Manager 

Ki ora, my name is Kirstie. I was born and bred in Pukekohe and completed my Bachelor of Early Childhood Education in July 2013. I was a nanny for 13 years prior to starting ECE so children and education have always been a passion of mine. I have one boy, Eli who is very much the centre of my life. Eli and I spend a lot of time in Whangamata with my partner and his two girls. We enjoy going to the beach, camping, and spending any time we can as a family. As a manager of Farmhouse Preschool building relationships is a key part of my role, and a big part of my philosophy.

Head Teacher - Patumahoe 

Sian is our HEAD TEACHER at Farmhouse Preschool Patumahoe. She is a fully qualified ECE teacher who moved to the Franklin region from Papamoa Beach. Sian is mum to the gorgeous Ruby. She is enthusiastic about following children’s spontaneous interests with the help of their individual lenses and expertise.

Head Teacher - Karaka 

Jo is a fully qualified teacher, she is HEAD TEACHER at Farmhouse Karaka. Kia Ora, my teaching career started here at Farmhouse Preschool in 2014, this was my first teaching job after graduating with my Bachelor of Education (Teaching) Early Years 0-8 years old. Through this qualification I have the knowledge and ability to teach children in Early Childhood through to 8 years old, meaning I have a great understanding of what children need to be ready for school. I have experience teaching both in a centre environment, as a Home-based educator and Home-based Co-ordinator. I have a son, Jaxon. I am passionate about the outdoors environment as I grew up on a farm in Patumahoe spending my childhood outdoors. Having my own child I have realised the importance of nurturing children to support their development to become resilient, independent explorers who are curious about the world around them.

Administration Manager 

Odette is our ADMINISTRATION MANAGER she handles all our enrolments and accounts enquiries. Odette lives in Waiuku with her husband and has three daughters. Odette works part-time at Farmhouse Preschool and is available - Monday, Wednesday & Thursday 9am-4pm. 

Odette has been a part of the Farmhouse Family since she joined the team in 2013.

I come from Japan and my hometown is Shiga. There is a big lake in Shiga and it is surrounded by nature. I came to New Zealand in 2010, and completed Bachelor of Teaching (Early Childhood Education) in 2015. I am married to Taishi, and moved to Waiuku in 2017. I like to spend spare time going for a walk, taking photographs, playing and listening to music and making crafts. I believe it is important to build respectful, warm and trust relationships with individual child and parents and Whanau.

Kia ora my name is Robyn and I was born and bred in the Franklin area. I now live in Pukekohe with my husband Rangi, our son Nathan and until recently our daughter Isabella who has just headed off to university in Wellington. In our holidays and time off we love to discover more of our beautiful country NZ - whether its jumping in a car and road tripping or planning a trip and flying somewhere around NZ, it's the thing I love to do.

I really love working with young children, where no two days are the same and I have met many wonderful children, families and teachers throughout my time in the Early Childhood Sector. Building relationships with all involved in a child's learning environment is important to me as it provides everyone a great base to support, nurture and let the children blossom and grow. 

Kia-ora Everyone. I have been an early childhood teacher for nearly 30 years now and I live in Ellerslie. I have a strong passion for horses and music. I own two horses which I keep just down the road from Farmhouse. I am a country girl at heart, so the philosophy at Farmhouse really fits with me. I love cooking and entertaining and enjoying life to the fullest. Over the years I have discovered that children’s interests and strengths are really diverse and differ from one child to the next. I believe it is really important to meet the needs and follow the interests of your children. I have found they will gain a passion for learning if it’s something that they love and enjoy doing. It is my job as a teacher to recognise these interests, and offer fun and stimulating learning experiences for your children. In doing this I hope to meet both your learning aspirations for your child and also their needs as an ever evolving learner.

I grew up in Northland and prior to making Franklin my home, spent many years living overseas and travelling as much as I possibly could! I now live in Pukekohe with husband Chris and my children, Kitty and Byron. One of our favourite things to do is to take road-trips together and explore our beautiful country. I adore working with young children and believe that when our youngest people know that they are truly valued and their interests are supported in an encouraging environment, they will thrive.

Kia ora! My name is Lucy. I come from a big family, with 3 brothers and 3 sisters. I am part Cook-Island, French and Kiwi. I grew up in Pokeno where I spent most my time out in paddocks and climbing up trees; this is where my love for outdoor play bloomed. My interest in caring for children developed when I was young, constantly being surrounded by family and growing and playing alongside little curious and creative minds. My family is very important to me, and I believe they have helped shape me into who I am today. Because of this understanding, I highly preach responsive relationships that support children to grow and mature emotionally, intellectually, physically and socially.

Kia ora, my name is Kayla. I have been a fully qualified Early Childhood Educator for over 8 years now. I absolutely love working with and alongside Tamariki and engaging in their play. I believe that children grow to be amazing confident, competent and capable learners where I look forward to seeing them all grow throughout my days working between the two centres. Ever since I was in primary school I knew that working with children is where I wanted to be, so I followed my goal and here I am teaching and I have been given this amazing opportunity to work at Farmhouse Preschool.

This journey began for us in 2008 when we tried but couldn't find a preschool for our children which reflected the rural lifestyle we so loved. We wanted a small family-centred preschool with real grass and lots of space for children to explore. We opened Patumahoe Preschool in 2009 to met that need. 

In 2015, after realising that many other families shared our desire for small preschools,  we opened Farmhouse Preschool Karaka (then called Berwick Preschool). 

In 2019 we moved to Hamilton to follow our children's schooling choices but we are still actively involved in the preschools.