Our People

OUR PEOPLE

Featuring some of our valued tutors
Click on a name to take you to the relevant page or go to COURSES to view the full list of classes

Maria Alvarez

I’m from Mendoza, Argentina and I arrived in New Zealand in 2005 and have been in Whangarei since 2008. I live with my husband (he is from Argentina too) and our son. We speak Spanish at home so our son can keep the language, he is bilingual. I love New Zealand and I always say that I have two homes! I enjoy teaching Spanish, I’ve been doing this around eight years. I love sharing my experience about learning another language, I know it’s not easy, mainly when you are an adult, but it is possible! I love other people to learn Spanish, that’s why I teach. I have a fabulous and positive personality that engages others.

Ken Brain

Ken runs our popular upholstery workshops. Ken ran his own upholstery business in Auckland for 37 years and has spent over 30 years running upholstery workshops in both Auckland and Whangarei, sharing his knowledge and skills. Ken’s workshops are an enjoyable and fun experience with students often returning to complete yet another project. Barb said, "The course lived up to all my expectations and I came away happy with what I had achieved. Ken has a wealth of knowledge and is an excellent tutor."

Shelley Chappory

I have enjoyed working in the digital design industry for over 25 years, including magazines, web design, branding, and my own design studio.
I have also been lucky to introduce design and art to adults for over 20 years. Helping people discover their inner artist or showing them how to create digital designs is hugely rewarding! When not teaching or designing I like to make art (I painted the Chorus Box mural in Onerahi), explore history with genealogy, and potter in my organic garden. You can find out more about me at www.joyfulpeardesign.co.nz

Gayle Forster

Gayle's artistic and educational background have existed side by side since she graduated from Ilam University, did her postgraduate in England and Japan and gained her teaching qualification to take this knowledge into teaching and regularly exhibiting. Her teaching posts included Hagley Community College and Canterbury University and Gayle has run many weekend workshops throughout New Zealand. Gayle has had over 24 solo exhibitions with many group and selected exhibitions. Most importantly Gayle has a love of teaching and delights when she sees students take on new knowledge that enables further development of their work. This is her website www.gayleforster-art-studiospacetuition.nz

Aiko Fukumoto

I am Japanese and lived in Auckland for 30 years before moving to Whangarei in 2020. I am a qualified massage therapist since 2008. I am passionate about holistic ways of treatment with natural resources; I studied herbal medicine, nutrition, acupressure points therapy, qigong and reiki to be able to help people of all ages, from babies to the elderly. I enjoy sharing and passing my knowledge of holistic ways of massage and exercise (qigong). I have also been a Kintsugi artist. I believe arts/crafts are mindfulness meditation. I am very happy to share my experiences of wellbeing with others and encourage people to learn how to look after their health.

Sally McGunnigle

As a former professional photographer I have been involved with photography for well over 20 years. My portfolio includes weddings, family portraits, glamour and events. I enjoy sharing my passion with others and encourage people to learn how to use their camera to its full potential.

Jo Martin

It is my passion to help people gain confidence and learn how to use a computer! My favourite student is the one who knows very little to start and leaves my classes with more confidence and computer skills. I started computer teaching in 2002 and my passion has just grown with time.
I moved myself and my business to Whangarei in 2014 and love living here. Being a life-long learner myself, I enjoy sharing what I know with others! If you need to learn how to use a computer or up-skill, I hope that you will join me in one of my classes and I look forward to meeting you.

Elena Nikolaeva

I was born and grew up in a big city in the middle of Russia. I studied visual arts for five years at the Urals State University and upon completion of my studies received an appointment to teach painting at the same university – a position which I held for many years. In my artistic career I have participated in a number of exhibitions, both in Russia and abroad and my paintings are in private collections in New Zealand and overseas.
I became a full time artist when I moved to New Zealand in 2001. Now living in Mangawhai, I am actively involved in the Northland arts community. I run regular visual arts classes and workshops for adults in both Northland and Auckland. To learn more about my art and teaching you are welcome to visit my website http://art-of-elena-nikolaeva.info/

Helen Rose

Helen is an avid yogi and enjoys empowering people to develop and sustain their own yoga practice. Since 2013 she has explored various styles of yoga, completed a three-year Hatha Yoga apprenticeship (Yoga Being, Whangarei) and attended workshops with Shandor Remete and Emma Balnaves (Shadow Yoga, Auckland & Adelaide).
Helen is committed to creating supportive and inclusive environments for sharing yoga and is also trained as a Trauma Sensitive Yoga Facilitator
(Centre for Trauma and Embodiment, Boston). She has a background in psychology and education and is a registered member with the New Zealand Psychology Board.
Together, this informs her passion and ongoing explorations of the benefits of yoga in supporting mental wellness, rehabilitation and personal development.

Raewyn Rouse

I first started learning skin care formulation about ten years ago. I had decided to plough up our front paddock and plant it in lavender. Of course, then I had to figure out something to do with it all. I learnt to distil the blossom to extract the oil and hydrosol (also known as lavender water). Then, using books from the library and some online sources, I began to teach myself how to make skincare products. In 2014 I started selling products at markets under my brand Summer Scents. This started ten years of product creation and learning. There was a lot of fun and frustration involved. My product range has changed and expanded over the time in response to the market and a bit of inspiration. In 2022 I completed a Diploma in Natural Skincare Formulation from the School of
Natural Skincare in England which finally rounded out the last couple of pieces of the puzzle for me. During this time, I started teaching basic classes on making skincare and discovered that it can be a lot of fun and that I enjoy the interaction with my groups. Recently I developed a more advanced course for those who want to learn just a little more.

Vivienne Shepherd

Hi, I’m Vivienne Shepherd and I tutor The Sewing Bee. I’ve been teaching this night class for at least 16 years. The classes have gone from strength to strength with many returning students, and there are now three classes a week. I attended Kamo High in the seventies, then headed to The School of Physical Education at Otago University, and qualified as a teacher through Christchurch Teachers College. I then taught skiing in New Zealand, Canada and Japan. After many adventures I returned to Whangarei to assist my aging parents. This is when I approached Shona to run a sewing class. My mother sewed, thus I learned. I have honed my skill through trial and error and now have completed a Tailoring course with an Austrian Master Tailor. Teaching garment engineering is a joy for both student and myself. Come along, see what we can do together. No question is out of order. Come experience the joy and develop mastery with thread and fabric. Oh, and I have won various garmentry awards, especially with Steam Punk style!