Waitakaruru
Age 0-2
Old MacDonald’s is nestled alongside the Waitakaruru stream, home to the long and short fin eel, torentfish and various other fresh water flora and fauna. We recognise the Waitakaruru to be an important life-force for Ngāti Hauā, the iwi whose whenua we work and play upon every day, and that we have a responsibility to honour the mauri and wairua of what we know is a living entity.
“Attachment does not hinder independence, it fosters it. Cuddle those babies. Carry those babies. Let those babies sleep in your arms and on your chest and be with you all the time. They will start taking steps away from you when they’re ready”
Nicole
Nicole is a newly qualifying kaiako and has found her way to Old MacDonald's, as it encapsulates her two favourite things - young children and animals. Morrinsville born and bred, Nicole grew up on a farm with her parents and her brother. Her experiences with children of all ages, stages and backgrounds has helped develop her philosophy of the culture of kindness and inclusive to all whaanau and their aspirations for their children.
When Nicole isn't running around with children or snuggling up with them on the couch for story time, you will find her climbing mountains, heading across to the closest beach and spending time with her friends. Once you get to know her, you will really appreciate her beautiful manner and warm heart - we have struck gold with this one! She will be working alongside our team in Ruma Waitakaruru and bringing bucket loads of fun times and aroha to the learning space.
Devon
Meet Devon – she is kind, committed, resourceful and loving. Devon has a passion for sewing, embroidery, baking and gardening – how cool is that? The best part is, she intertwines these passions with her teaching.Devon believes in affording infants with the room to move and the time to choose. She values free movement, respect, manaakitanga and allowing children to explore the natural world, in their own space and time. In Devon’s spare time, she enjoys running, dog obedience classes with her fur baby and discovering a life of self sufficiency. Devon and her husband are living off the land on their lifestyle block in rural Morrinsville with their daughter, Elise – ka pai Dev!
Jaimee
Jaimee’s calm and nurturing presence is the perfect fit for our Waitakaruru tamariki. Jaimee is a qualified and experienced infants kaiako who is joining us all the way from Whangaroa (Raglan!) Growing up, Jaimee called Taupō home where she was the eldest of four. Jaimee adores being the fun big sister of the family and treasured her precious memories growing up. Animal-mad Jamiee has two dogs and a cat at home, as well as a loving partner whom she is relocating to the Matamata-Piako region. When you walk into Waitakaruru, you will find Jaimee with a peepi curled up on her lap, engaged in play and storytelling. Jaimee is an advocate for primary care giving and the intimate and special bonds that kaiako create with children in her care. Jaimee believes working in wholehearted partnership with parents and whaanau, ensuring the transition into care is seamless. You will notice that Jaimee loves great comms! She will be your listening ear in the morning and will also give you a fabulous update at the end of the day about all of the little things, that are actually big things.
Tess
Our wonderful Tess grew up in Whangamata and her family also had a house in Tairua where they also spent a lot of their time. When Tess was a bit older, they moved around the country a bit for her mum’s study, before finally settling in Paeroa where she went to college. As a child, Tess loved being outside. Reflecting back on her play as a child, Tess can see that she had strong collecting and transformation urge - she was always making potions and "perfumes" with the materials she had collected. She also enjoyed pretend play as a child, and loved being the mum or the teacher (funny that!). Her favourite childhood memories are the 'full moon walks' she and her family used to go on. Together they would walk down to the beach by the light of the moon and watch the swollen moon tide then walk home and have hot chocolate with marshmallows. Now, Tess’s happy place is her home with her little family, where they have created such sweet memories - curling up with a book in a chair by the fire (especially the first 2 winters before they added insulation!), sitting on the floor of their lounge while they did the formalities of legally becoming married after eloping in Queenstown, bringing their son home to the room we lovingly created for him while he grew in her belly (wow – is somebody cutting onions??). For Tess, her most special people are her husband Glen, and their son, Jude. As a family, they love to be outdoors: walking through the Karangahake gorge, swimming in Raglan, or visiting the wineries on Waiheke.
Gemma
One of our kind-hearted compassionate kaiako nestled down in Ruma Waitakaruru. Gemma’s calm and gentle wairua makes her a fabulous addition to our team where many tamariki will feel safe and nurtured by her warmth.
Gemma has spent many years teaching and dairy farming with her husband Dylan. Gemma is loving being fulltime here at Old MacDonald’s, infact, before we opened, she waited over a year for us to open during covid so she can start this position – how cool is that!
Gemma’s passion for children, nature and animals is so beautifully reflected in her teaching practice, and we know you will feel so at home in her presence.
Gemma joins us with her very special addition, her son, Leo!