Katherine Andrew has always had an interest in being an ECE teacher; gaining a Diploma back in 1998 was the start of her education within this field. Throughout her time she has had a beautiful family of six children. During some of this time she chose to be a stay at home mum and did home based care for 11 years. In 2012 she decided she wanted her home back and chose to study with New Zealand Tertiary College to gain a Bachelor of Teaching (Early Childhood Education). She is currently very happily employed by a lovely family owned center, Next Generation, based in Birkenhead, Auckland. Her absolute passion is that children have rights and her role is to make sure children are heard; she is their voice. She believes one day she may take this passion further and gain a further qualification to advocate for abused children. fishermanswife06@hotmail.com

Simon Archard lectures in the Department of Professional Studies at the Faculty of Education, The University of Waikato, Hamilton, New Zealand. He lectures in Undergraduate and Graduate Diploma Programmes in early childhood education and has undertaken research on ICT supporting children's inquiry learning democratic teaching and learning. Other areas of interest include inclusive education practices in early childhood education. simona@waikato.ac.nz

Heather Bell is an education facilitator working for Massey University’s Centre for Educational Development. Her work centres around improving school practice in general; her current foci are in supporting schools to develop their concepts of inclusive education, and in helping schools take advantage of eLearning and smart technologies effectively to shift learning. Often these two areas merge as schools are now strongly encouraged to focus on shifting learning outcomes for their at risk students.

Heather’s Masters research investigated effective facilitation strategies for blended learning communities. She uses this in her work with schools now to build collaborative learning communities (using a blend of online and face to face environments) to sustain the professional learning and development. She is equally passionate about using the Web to create permeable classroom walls so students can collaborate with others across the region, country and the world to build their learning. Heather encourages teachers to embrace the technology that is a common part of students' lives to make this happen. h.bell@massey.ac.nz

Danielle Carter works at Auckland Libraries, as a Youth Service Development advisor, working with children’s librarians across the city. She has worked in libraries for 20 years in a range of jobs, including Digital Services roles working on the library website, running training sessions on electronic resources, and evaluating new digital resources for children.
Danielle.Carter@aucklandcouncil.govt.nz

Andrew Gibbons is Associate Professor at Auckland University of Technology’s School of Education, in Auckland, New Zealand. He works in the early childhood teacher education programme and is programme leader for the Master of Education. Andrew’s work in the philosophy of education connects an interest in the works of Foucault, Lyotard, Derrida, Heidegger, Arendt and Camus, including the 2015 publication Education, Ethics and Existence: Camus and the Human Condition, co-authored with Peter Roberts and Richard Heraud. His research focuses on the philosophy and politics of early childhood education with a particular concern for the role of new media in the early childhood curriculum, and for the nature of working conditions for the early childhood teaching profession.
andrew.gibbons@aut.ac.nz

Sujatha Gomathinayagam is a lecturer in NZTC, Auckland. Originally from Mumbai, India, she has a Masters in Commerce and worked in education for 17 years teaching tertiary students. In New Zealand, she qualified in early childhood education and was an early childhood teacher before moving on to teacher education. She is passionate about te reo Māori and supporting the home languages and cultures of children. Her current research interests include looking at the cultural perspectives of parents for supporting effective transition of infants and toddlers from home to the early childhood centre. She lives in Auckland with her husband and two daughters.
Sujatha.Gomathinayagam@nztertiarycollege.ac.nz

Dr Shirley Harris is currently the Curriculum Advisor (Research) at New Zealand Tertiary College. As part of this role she oversees research for the Christchurch campus. Previously she led research and degree content development at the New Zealand College of Early Childhood Education. Shirley has extensive experience working across all sectors in the education system, including working as a private educational consultant and contract researcher in community-based projects at both local and national levels. Her research interests include leadership, mentoring, change management, pedagogy, and research methodologies.
Shirley.Harris@nztertiarycollege.ac.nz

Dr Kathryn MacCallum is a senior lecturer at the School of Computing at Eastern Institute of Technology, New Zealand. Her PhD addressed the adoption of mobile learning by students and teachers in the tertiary sector. Her PhD research proposed and tested a structural model of the adoption of mobile learning in tertiary education. Her current research focus encompasses the use of mobile technology throughout all sectors of education. She has a strong interest in the effective use and adoption of technology in education. kmaccallum@eit.ac.nz

Dr. Christopher Naughton is a Senior Lecturer (Research) at New Zealand Tertiary College. This follows twelve years as an early childhood teacher in London and appointments at the University of Exeter (UK) and the University of Auckland (NZ), where he lectured on education, music and philosophy of education. Chris is member of the Australian Association for Research in Education (AARE) and many other international research organizations. Chris was a Principal Researcher in the TLRI Move, Act. Play, Sing (MAPS) project. Chris.Naughton@nztertiarycollege.ac.nz

Nicky O’Brien graduated with a Graduate Diploma in Teaching (Early Childhood Education) in 2015. Studying with New Zealand Tertiary College enriched the knowledge she'd gained working in ECE in previous years. Before this she completed a BSc in Statistics. Raising her own family reminded her of children's joy in making discoveries and inspired her to train. mnobrien2010@xtra.co.nz

Filipe Prieto is an early childhood teacher at New Shoots Children Centre in Papamoa. Filipe has been a teacher for ten years and has been with New Shoots for the last two and a half years. Filipe is studying towards a Master’s Degree in Education through Waikato University with a focus in how technology can change and enhance children’s learning. Filipe is interested in researching the impact of technology in the early years and how it can be positively implemented into a preschool programme.
filipeprieto@hotmail.com

Ko Putauaki te maunga
Ko Rangitaiki te awa
Ko Kokohinau te marae
Ko Pahipoto te hapū
Ko Ngāti Awa te iwi
Ko Roimata Rokx tōku ingoa
Ngā mihi nui ki a tātou katoa

Roimata Rokx is a lecturer at New Zealand Tertiary College, Auckland. Growing up, Roimata was nurtured within a strong Māori context, whereby whānau played a significant role in shaping who she is today as a Māori women. Since completing her studies in early childhood education, Roimata has continued to develop her passion towards embracing kaupapa Māori in early childhood education, whilst supporting early childhood teachers and their journey towards promoting te reo Māori in practice. roimata.rokx@nztertiarycollege.ac.nz

Danielle Smith, née Bull, began her Early Childhood journey after a huge shift in career from the fashion industry in Auckland. After a year working in a beautiful centre in Rotorua, enriched in culture, Danielle knew that working with children was her true calling. She continued gaining experience in a centre for another year, and then her and her husband’s first child arrived. After spending two and a half precious years with her son, she started her training through New Zealand Tertiary College. Her passion for children and their holistic development was inspired by her son and the respectful, nurturing relationship they shared. This kind of care was what Danielle believed children in centres should experience, and through her studies she was able to gain a deeper understanding of the importance of this. A move back to Auckland and the birth of their second child saw Danielle having two special years off with her daughter. This time allowed her to understand even more what care truly meant for infants and toddlers. Upon returning back to work at a centre in Auckland she successfully completed her Bachelor of Teaching (ECE) through New Zealand Tertiary College. Along with her interest in respectful care, Danielle also has a passion for the importance of children’s environments and the need for these to be natural and inspiring, supporting children’s natural movement and inquisitiveness. Danielle continues to work at a wonderful centre in Auckland and is constantly searching for new and interesting information to enhance her learning and understanding of these areas.
philanddanielle@ihug.co.nz

Shanali Vindya de Rose is a senior lecturer at Whitirea New Zealand. She has a Master of Education degree from Victoria University, Wellington. She is a qualified Montessori teacher from Sri Lanka. Her interest in early childhood education eventuated observing her own children grow and learn. Recently Shanali presented a session on ways to introduce ICT as a teaching and learning tool to student teachers, at the Early Childhood Forum in Puerto Rico. Her research interests include how hands on ICT learning influences one’s attitude towards utilising ICT as a learning and teaching tool and the learning patterns of children from disaster zones.
Shanali.derose@whitireia.ac.nz

Peng Zou completed her Graduate Diploma in Teaching at New Zealand Tertiary College in March 2015, and is now teaching at Toybox on Rawhiti near her home in One Tree Hill, Auckland. Prior to coming to New Zealand, she spent many years teaching in the education sector in China, Australia and the UK. She has a BA in English Language and Translation from University of Warwick and an MSc in Media and Communications from the London School of Economics and Political Science, where she developed many life-long research interests including gender and sexuality studies, diaspora, postcolonialist theories, and children and the media, all of which offer different perspectives for reflecting upon the role of an educator. Peng is also a co-founder of the Chinese Association of Early Childhood Education, which aims to support the professional development and cultural engagement of Chinese-speaking teachers, and foster positive communication between early childhood education in Aotearoa New Zealand and Chinese speaking cultures. zoupeng1984@gmail.com