Executive Committee

Nadia Sole
Coordinator
Canterbury/Waitaha
Unschooling approach
Nadia lives with her husband Gavin and their three teen boys in Christchurch. She was always aware that they would probably home educate as she watched her sister’s children grow up being homeschooled. Meeting regularly with other unschoolers to create a community of like-minded people has been the most important aspect of the family’s home education journey. With her oldest now 18 and determined to study engineering, Nadia has been assisting him with a tailored approach for University Entrance. 

CJ Govan
Membership Secretary
Auckland/Taamaki-makau-rau
Eclectic approach
CJ has always been passionate about education and became a registered teacher with qualifications in Special Education many years ago. She started to home educate when she found the needs of one of her children could not be met in the mainstream school system. Now, CJ and her partner have a blended family with five children ranging from 2 to 25 years old. She says their house is “full of disability and neurodiversity” – Autism, ADHD, tourettes, ID, dyslexia, dyscalculia, hearing loss, SPD, and speech language delay. They are constantly adapting their approach and also use NZ Sign Language.

Cynthia Hancox
National Government Liaison
Manawatu-Wanganui/Manawatuu-Whanganui
Eclectic approach
Cynthia home educated her five children for over 20 years. She has been involved in supporting home educators with their exemption applications for the last 14 years, and is passionate about encouraging home educators and protecting their rights. Cynthia has a broad knowledge of home education in NZ. The Hancox family live on a small lifestyle block in the Horowhenua, and enjoy growing as much of their own food as possible. Cynthia also writes for her various blogs when she has time.

Sheena Harris
Regional Government Liaisons Faciliator
Waikato
Eclectic approach
Sheena lives west of Hamilton with her husband Nathan and their three sons. She has woven Charlotte Mason, Classical and unschooling into the tapestry of learning for her children. Sheena has launched many new home educators off the starting blocks by hosting information evenings and assisting with exemption applications. She comes to the NCHENZ committee with a passion to help and support any family who wishes to provide a tailored education in their home and community, ensuring that they enjoy the journey along the way.

SandRa Timmins
Government Liaison (Unschooling)
Manawatu-Wanganui/Manawatuu-Whanganui
Unschooling approach
SandRa and her family live with a menagerie of animals in rural Eketahuna. They’ve lived in various parts of Aotearoa and have been homeschooling for ten years, nine and a half of which have been unschooling. Like an extension of Playcentre, the three kids (16, 13 and 8) have had the freedom to lead their life learning in three very different directions.

Chris Hadley
Government Liaison (Policy/Research)
Auckland/Taamaki-makau-rau
Unschooling approach
Chris lives on the Pohutukawa Coast in Auckland with her partner and two primary-school aged children. A former Playcentre mum, Chris believes strongly in self-directed learning, through doing things the children enjoy. They are currently engaged in a long-term project visiting the 53 volcanoes in the Auckland Volcanic Field! The family spend their time meeting up with friends, attending sports and activities, and pursuing their own interests at home. Chris is a lawyer in the field of intellectual property. 

Kirsty Prewer
Future Pathways Advisor
Waikato
Eclectic approach
Kirsty lives rurally with her husband and two teenage sons. Her passion for education began 29 years ago as a Playcentre mum (of her now adult son), and supervisor; then teacher aiding in a primary school, followed by instructing outdoor pursuits. Her two sons have been home educated from the beginning – one has completed his homeschool journey and is working full-time, with his eye on university next year. Kirsty loves helping home educating families find pathways that will support their children and teens in their unique context. We know kids are not, ‘one size fits all’ and this needs to be taken into consideration when looking to their futures.

Gin Taylor
Member Offers Coordinator
Waikato
Unschooling approach
Gin has two teenagers and has always unschooled them. Her eldest teen is starting University this year in a Bachelor in Education, which no one ever saw coming! Her youngest remains at home and is still unschooling, whilst also finding her way around the world of part time work and planning for her future. Gin passionately advocates for her as she has dyslexia, OCD and social anxiety, so this year has been a huge leap for the family as real paid work begins to be part of her experience and preparation for life.

Jess Corbett
Treasurer
Otago/Ootaakou
Eclectic approach
Jess lives in Dunedin and has been homeschooling her neurodiverse son since December 2019 due to increasing issues within the mainstream school system. With a passion for self-sufficiency and living a car-free lifestyle, Jess spends her time birdwatching, gardening and keeping her three Pekin bantams in line. Focusing on the importance of positive mental health has been a key feature in decisions around homeschooling for Jess and her family.

Maharookh Sidhwa
ID Cards Coordinator
Auckland/Taamaki-makau-rau
Eclectic approach
Maharookh is a qualified child psychologist and teacher, with degrees in both. She is currently homeschooling her two youngest children. Maharookh is also on the Auckland Home Educators Committee, where she helps with exemptions and meets regularly with the local Ministry of Education staff.

Kylie Marshall
Meetings Secretary
Manawatu-Wanganui/Manawatuu-Whanganui
Eclectic approach
Kylie began home educating to support her autistic children whose learning and support needs weren’t being met in the mainstream school environment. Due to this she has experience in modifying curriculum and learning opportunities to meet the diverse needs of her children. She has been homeschooling for four years. She mainly uses free curriculum and occasionally stays up until the early hours to create her own unit studies.

Vicki Wolfe
Social Media Officer
Wellington/Te Whanga-nui-a-Tara
Eclectic approach
Vicki lives in Wellington and has been homeschooling her children from the beginning. The family have an eclectic approach to education, with a strong focus on STEM subjects. Vicki uses a combination of online teaching programmes and play-based activities to educate her children. They enjoy the flexibility of homeschooling and the ability to tailor the education to the individual child’s needs.

Kylie McDonagh
Correspondence Secretary
Taranaki
Eclectic approach
After many years working in early childhood education and completing a degree in social work, Kylie knew for certain that home education was the path she wished to take in the future. She has now been doing so for three years with her son who has ID, ADHD and Anxiety. As a kinesthetic learner herself, Kylie loves learning alongside her son and is passionate about providing plentiful real world experiences as she tailors his education directly to his needs.

Emily Foden
Website Administrator
Northland/Te Tai Tokerau
Unschooling approach
Emily is a former primary school teacher with 10 years experience who now works part-time as a session facilitator at her local Playcentre. She and her partner Chris live in the Hokianga with their little boy Alfie. Emily is embracing an unschooling learning-through-play approach for Alfie, although he is not yet old enough to be ‘officially’ homeschooled. The family enjoys spending time outdoors and at the local beach.