‘FROM THE COMMUNITY FOR THE COMMUNITY’
Thank you to all the wonderful people who have supplied content for this website. You are stars! If you have a great idea or a resource we welcome your contributions. Email: megan@liveuptoyou.org for a contributor’s template.
Lucy Hone and Denise Quinlan and the NZIWR Team
NZIWR is dedicated to increasing the wellbeing for communities, schools and organisations in Aoetearoa/New Zealand.
Dr Lucy Hone (NZIWR Director) is a research associate at AUT university. As well as having her scientific research published in leading academic journals internationally, she writes for Sunday Star Times and Psychology Today. Having been trained by the thought-leaders in the field at the University of Pennsylvania, she completed a PhD in public health at AUT. She now assists organisations - from leading law and aviation firms, to schools and health practitioners - to design and implement wellbeing initiatives creating sustained and meaningful change.
Dr Denise Quinlan (NZIWR Director) is acknowledged internationally as an outstanding facilitator and speaker who regularly presents at national and international wellbeing conferences. She has delivered effective and enjoyable programmes to people from primary school students and their teachers, to scientists, engineers and senior corporate executives. Her humour and honesty allow her to create environments where participants fully engage and contribute. NZIWR’s strengths work draws on her validated strengths programme, demonstrated to enhance wellbeing, engagement and relatedness. Her work is published in international academic journals and edited volumes.
Ruth Paul
Ruth Paul is an award-winning writer and illustrator of more than 20 children’s picture books, including Stomp!, Bad Dog Flash and the Little Hector series. Five of her books have received Storylines Notable Book awards and I Am Jellyfish won Best Picture Book at the 2018 New Zealand Book Awards for Children and Young Adults. In August 2019 Ruth received an Arts Foundation of NZ Laureate Award for book illustration. Ruth lives off-grid in a straw-bale house on a farm near Wellington, New Zealand, with her family and her adorable dog, Teddy.
Steffi Post
I am a Physical Education and Health teacher in Christchurch. I love being active, and am currently working through my second ACL rehab. Unfortunately this means I have succumbed to early retirement from Netball. I love to travel!!!... I have been to 38 countries in my 30 years. My top 5 favs: Peru, Vietnam, Iceland, Netherlands and Slovenia.
Nourish (Stacey Harris, Jo Haigh and Sarah Sidey)
As a team we share a united passion & vision to improve people's health & wellbeing. With over 20 years of individual experience as Physiotherapists, Corporate and Private Health and development Specialists we are well qualified to help implement life changing habits to create happy, healthy people. Nourish is built around the Four Pillars of Health - Sleep, Nourishment, Movement and Sacred Space. We strive to provide exciting and innovative classes, workshops and events to enable people to take control of their mind and body and live their best life. At Nourish we believe that small sustainable changes lead to large long term benefits for your health.
www.nourishbodyandmind.co.nz nourishbodyandmindnz@gmail.com
Facebook: @nourishbodymind Instagram: nourishbodyandmind_n
Sarah Chia
I’m only just in my twenties (on the older end) and am living the dream. I have recently got married, moved into a new house and am now in lockdown in our new house and new husband...nothing like marriage prep! I am learning to navigate this life with joy, Christ, and the most amazing man!
George Robinson
George Robinson returned from California State University, Fresno in 2018 where he undertook a Master’s Degree in Sport Psychology with an emphasis in coaching education and talent development. George completed his Master’s research under the supervision of Dr. Wade Gilbert where his research revolved around creating a Well-being Toolkit for High-Performance Coaches to help ensure they can continue to thrive in the profession. George is currently the Development Manager at North Canterbury Basketball, in addition to being an Assistant Coach for the Canterbury Rams, and New Zealand u19 Women. George has prior consulting experience for Paralympics NZ, Netball Mainland, Sport Waikato among others.
development@northcanterbury.basketball
Jayne Ngariki
My name is Jayne Ngariki and I have been a teacher for many years. I graduated teacher’s college in Dunedin then ventured overseas for two and a half years travelling, teaching/nannying and experiencing a variety of cultures, which has shaped my teaching philosophy. I was a Tutor in a polytechnic teaching on a three year Early Childhood diploma programme. Now I work for Kidsfirst Kindergartens and have a position at Shirley. I have witnessed many teaching trends in my career but one thing has always stayed constant in my belief and that is relationships are at the heart of my job. I strive to make positive, honest and trusting relationships and celebrate people’s unique differences.
Belinda Leen
My journey within the photography/design/crafting world started with studying photography at Polytechnic straight out of school, this led to doing the odd portrait and wedding job, but mostly served me well in the processing side of photographic labs for many years, before and after my O.E. (overseas experience). My love of taking photos only grew with having 2 busy boys to document their adventures, and the craft of scrapbooking went hand in hand with saving these precious memories. Fast forward several years, we now have another lad to complete our wee family and I’m embarking on a new creative path which is studying my Diploma of Design and Decorating.
Megan White
Fresh out of school in 2019 I studied a few papers in Health education and Psychology at the University of Canterbury. I am now first year at teachers’ college working towards my dream career as a primary teacher. I keep myself busy working daily as a leader at MASH (My After School Headquarters), embracing my inner child and striving to be a positive role model for our Tamariki. In my spare time I enjoy performing arts both on and off stage. In the future I hope to explore the world and see some shows on the west end.
Wellington Girls’ College Teachers, Gail Ives and Grace Goodall
Gail Ives is a Physical Education/Health/Science teacher at Wellington Girls College.
“To say I’m part of the furniture would be incorrect since I have been there BEFORE most the furniture!!!”
Grace Goodall has been at WGC for 5 years. She introduced and teaches Year 13 Health, as well as a full programme of Physical Education.
Ken Frame
Ken is an Art Teacher at Marian College. He is a talented artist who lives with his family on a lifestyle block in North Canterbury.
Kathryn Stringer
I am an English Teacher at Marian College, a mum to two kids, and an unashamed geek. My favourite genre for reading is Science Fiction, and Michael Crichton is my all time favourite author. I love learning, watching films, playing cooperative board games and occasionally getting outside into nature through tramping. Another current favourite pastime seems to be forwarding humorous Covid-19 memes and videos!
Sophia Bidwell
Sophia Bidwell is an experienced teacher of secondary school music, both in real life, and online, with a background in pop, classical and folk music. She lives in North Canterbury with her teenage children and energetic dog.
Sophia also plays the accordion and frequently performs in folk festivals and clubs around New Zealand with her trio Cafe Operana and five piece band Folkalyptica.
Simone Greenwood
Hello! I am a teacher at Villa Maria College, where I am also a Head of House and Ako Coordinator. My personal wellbeing strategies that make me feel balanced include going to markets, being creative, appreciating art and music, and spending quality time with friends and family. sgr@villa.school.nz
Genevieve Leech
Kia ora!
I am a Geography teacher and I am part of the senior leadership team at Christchurch Girls' High School. I became really invested in positive education after spending a number of years as a Dean and seeing the mental health and anxiety struggles my students faced. I am a huge advocate for spending time in the outdoors as a good way of keeping your mental health in a positive state. For me, feeling good and functioning well and being connected with those around me is key to thriving and doing my best. This is what I aim to help my students with too. Have fun exploring the wonderful resources on these pages.
Kathy Seaward
Hi, I am a retired teacher from Marian College. I taught PE, Health & Science. When I was at school an English teacher told me that I had no imagination (criminal I know!) so I never really pursued my creative side. My passion was for sports of any kind. I picked up skills easily so was never bored as I was always out playing something. Then my sister-in-law introduced me to photography and I discovered that creativity didn’t have to be in writing or drawing. I began to see the world through different eyes. Now I have a passion for the arts and want to share that with you through a simple photography exercise that you can do with your smart-phone.
Sue Hope
I have had the last 8 years as a lead consultant, facilitator, coach, and designer of learning and training teams and leaders to be the best they can be. In the last few years, I have been focused and curious on building great teams, mentoring and coaching, with leaders and individuals. My goal is to realise people’s potential to build productive conflict and have meaningful meetings.
My passion is to enable people to explore how they can develop and grow and to share my knowledge, tools and ideas with them widely. I absolutely love to work flexibly and support companies to help staff to work remotely and have great communication. I was so excited to spend the last year working with Lisette Sutherland to implement meaningful meetings at ‘Xero’ a global accounting software company.
suehopeconsult@gmail.com
Shannon Townsend
Shannon is an experienced manager, trainer, swim teacher, consultant and presenter. She has a passion for learning, ability to distill facts and concepts and her open, engaging manner have allowed her to excel in her chosen fields. She has a website called Sionna and it is all about lifestyle. Shannon is also the Manager at the The Glennie School Aquatic and Sport Centre in Toowoomba, Australia.
Trainer: First Aid, CPR, Bronze Medallion, Aquatic Supervisors, Pool Lifeguard, Oxygen Equipment, Teacher of Swimming, Teacher of Competitive Strokes, Teacher of Babies & Toddlers. Presenter/ instructor/ entertainer: Yoga, team building, juggling, ukulele, fun!
Ashleigh Kennedy
I'm an industrial designer with a passion for helping people, and as a creative I'm constantly trying new ways to extend my repertoire and grow my skills. I believe that being curious is the key to understanding, and learning about, the world around us; and I always strive to make it beautiful while filling it with love, kindness and empathy.
To find out more about what I do check out ashleighkdesign.com
Ashleigh is the designer of the ‘Live Up To You’ logo and kindly donated her time and patience in helping her Auntie set up this website. Thanks Ash!
Kelly Shadbolt
Assistant Head of Learning Health and Physical Education – Specializing in the Health curriculum. Otakaro Across Schools Hauora Teacher
I have been teaching Health and Physical Education in Christchurch for 13 years and have a real passion for Health and wellbeing. I enjoy being outdoors and active, walking up the hills and along the beach. I enjoy aviation and flying and I like to try new activities that enhance mental health and to connect with others.
He aha te mea nui o te ao, He tangata, he tangata, he tangata (Māori proverb)
kshadbolt@avonside.school.nz
Russell Grieve
I am a husband, father of three who enjoys living life to the fullest. I am a driven person who prioritises people, relationships and seeing others succeed in life. I am a part of a passionate faith community, teach science within a dedicated educational community and help 8 local school communities improve in their wellbeing.
Lincoln High School, Across School Teacher for Ngā Mātāpuna o Ngā Pakihi Kahui Ako, Living Waters Christian Centre
rgr@lincoln.school.nz
Tiffany Crouch
It all started in our family kitchen in Zimbabwe! I always had a passion for cooking thanks to both my parents. This led me to train as a Cordon Bleu chef in Cape Town. On graduating l travelled to Ireland, the Uk and then on to Australia where l am now an Innovation chef for Woolworths. I spend my time creating new and exciting on trend recipes, concepts and products for the supermarket.The absolute highlight to date for me was being a private chef to Roald Dahl’s widow Liccy Dahl. What a truly amazing lady! She went on to back me in starting my own cafe called ‘cafe twit’ that was linked to the Roald Dahl museum and story centre. Soon after l set up a cake business! I basically lived in a fairy tale for 6 years. Recently I found l missed the cake business and decided to start a side hustle called ‘totally tiffs’ ! It’s all about cakes! The reward is making someone’s day extra special by adding a totally tiffs spin on things!
Instagram - totallytiffs
Facebook - Totallytiffs
Amanda Hardy
Hey there. I'm a Health/PE and Science Teacher at St Margaret's College in Christchurch and a proud Mum to my 3 teenagers, Georgia, Tayla and Josh.I love being active and everyday is a new adventure for me. The one thing that I absolutely love about teaching, is that no day is ever the same and I get to work alongside amazing people while helping girls thrive in their learning environment. Being a positive part of their learning journey is a real privilege and one that I don't take lightly. Being part of a team, being active and involved with others has been a huge part of my life, both on and off the sports field. I am so grateful for the many connections and relationships that I have formed throughout my journey and I will be forever thankful to my parents for the upbringing I was lucky to have which fostered this. I will never take for granted the opportunities I have been given that has helped me be who I am today. I still love playing my sport and I juggle it around watching and supporting my kids in their sporting endeavours. The cool thing is now that they come and support me when they can and I have also had the privilege of playing Korfball alongside Tayla which was super cool.
After having children I took up running and it has become my 'happy place' and my 'me time' over the years. Recently I participated in Challenge Wanaka where I completed my 18th Half Marathon. Not only do I love the sense of accomplishment I always feel when crossing the finish line but I relish the new friendships I make and the time spent with friends whilst training and competing. Hands down experiences such as this are ones that I treasure and gain so much from. One foot in front of the other is my philosophy not only when I run but also in daily life. We are always going to face roadblocks and they can either get us down or we work our way through them the best we can. We get one life so it is so important to live it to the fullest, taking every opportunity with both hands that comes your way! Live with no regrets.
In a nutshell, 'Be Kind, Be Grateful, Be Humble and put one foot in front of the other every day........
Debbie Jones
Part time Health & Physical Education teacher & Assistant HOLA of Health & Physical Education, Lincoln High School. Within School Teacher Role of Wellbeing. Kaiarahi for NZHEA.
I am originally from Scotland but have lived here in Christchurch with my husband Frank since 2002. Our two boys keep us busy, active and amused! I like to exercise and to be outside when I can. I enjoy the change of seasons and am currently loving the sunny afternoons and chilly evenings!
Ara Simmons
Ara set up a wellbeing community newsletter Flourishing Post in her spare time four years ago to fill a need. Ara is a Facilitator, Positive Psychology practitioner and certified coach who received her training via the States and under the expert guidance of Emiliya Zhivotosskaya who is a leader in the field. To date, her weekly publication of aroha circulates across Aotearoa. In her day Job Ara works part time as a facilitator for the wonderful Core Educations where she supports Kāhui ako and schools around the country in whole system wellbeing using Appreciative Inquiry.
email ara.simmons@core-ed.ac.nz
https://www.core-ed.org/about-core/our-team/professional-learning-solutions/Ara-Simmons
Carolyn Leeson
Hi I am Carolyn and I am a kaiako at Haeata community campus. My passions lie in Health and Physical Education and for nearly 20 years I was teaching Pilates as well as teaching PE in New Zealand and Ireland. Life is busy with three very active kids and my time is often spent on the sidelines watching basketball, netball, korfball, rugby, touch and swimming. My happy places are walking my dogs, spending time down at Lake Benmore with my whanau and hanging out in my pilates room which has become my personal sanctuary during lockdown.
Joseph Houghton
Joseph is a teacher at Shirley Boys High School for the last 10 years and has been involved in supporting cultural development at the school. He is currently an across school teacher for the Ōtākaro Kāhui Ako. When not working, he is spending time with his family, supporting a variety of community boards and committees, and working on his PhD at the University of Canterbury.
Peter Beswick
This is my third year being the Ōtakaro Kahui Ako within school wellbeing coordinator at Shirley Boys’ High School in Christchurch. I have been learning about and practicing positive psychology and wellbeing strategies for over three years and am just about to complete a Diploma in Positive Psychology and Wellbeing (slightly held up due to Covid-19).
I am passionate about bringing the science and skills of living a good life to people in an approachable, practical way. I am, also a keen runner, cook and coffee drinker who looks for joy in the little things.
Email: peb@shirley.school.nz
Emma Lumb
Thanks to Emma who contributed the Rāhui Reflection Post.