Keri Tataurangi

Senior manager Hauora and Health and Safety
Lead Teacher Numeracy
Ngati Kahungunu

The absolute joy Keri experiences from teaching still shines through the conversation five years after TeachNZ first interviewed her. 

“The pure delight of achievement and being able to give our students what they need to expand their learning is what drives and motivates me every day.”

Keri’s responsibilities for Hauora and Health and Safety as well as being the school’s lead teacher for numeracy means she works with all the teachers and students at Clendon Park School. She also has the daily joy of teaching a class of “gorgeous New Entrant/Year 1’s.”

“It was a conscious choice that I made to experience where our tamariki start their primary school education,” says Keri. “I love every day with them as the challenges of oracy, literacy and numeracy are constantly changing and allow me to nurture their creativity and learning.”

Keri’s extensive responsibilities have occurred because of her wide-ranging teaching experience going back to 1992.  She has taught from new entrants to year 6, which has enabled her to adapt her teaching to work across all year levels at Clendon Park. “There is so much going on for our tamariki that I need to facilitate their learning and inquiry about the world rather than just tell them what is going on.”

Keri also had time off to have her second child, returned sooner than intended to take up a team leader position at Clendon Park and also completed Reading Recovery training not long after her return.

Keri’s full and engaging life extends to helping run a Study Centre after school, to being a Life Education Trustee for Manukau and South Auckland, and to recently completing four papers towards a postgraduate diploma.

It’s not surprising then to hear her say she doesn’t have enough time in the day to do everything she wants to achieve with her students.

“There is so much to be achieved with these little sponges.  It’s important to get the teaching right as it has such an impact on them for the rest of their lives.”