Meet our teachers
We are a passionate and stable team of teachers, dedicated to knowing and nurturing each child, and providing emotional security for all our children.
Rose Swindells (she/her)
Principal
BA hons. (History and English Lit)
Grad Dip (Teaching ECE)
He uri ahau ki Airani, Ingarangi hoki.
I whānau mai ahau ki Kirikiriroa, engari i tipu ake ahau ki Ahuriri.
My ancestors are from England and Ireland, I was born in Hamilton and bought up in Hawkes' Bay.
My children and I have been members of Houghton Valley Playcentre for 10 years - this is where I developed my real passion for early childhood and it’s wonderful to continue this at Moriah. At Playcentre I was involved in our Huihuinga Reorua/Bilingual session - building on skills in Te Reo Māori that I have built since being a young person. Kei te ako tonu au, no reira, me korero tātou! I'm still learning - so please lets speak together!
As well as Playcentre my other paid work has families as the focus. For seven years I have been an antenatal educator for Birthwise. I am also a facilitator of Incredible Years Parenting Programme and worked for RespectEd Aotearoa.
I love to see our little 2-year-olds "graduate" as confident, happy learners when they go to school. I am especially interested in ways we can support our tamariki to develop social and emotional competence - to notice how their feelings feel and then talk about them. A true skill for life!
Chandra Littlewood (she/her)
Assistant Principal
BSc, Grad Dip. (ECE & Secondary) Grad Cert. (Antarctic Studies
Recipient of the National Excellence in ECE Award 2021
No Ingarangi ōku tīpuna. Kei te Tāmaki Makaurau tōku papa tipu. Kei te Turangarere ahau e noho ana.
My ancestors are from England. I grew up in Auckland and now live in Brooklyn.
I came to work at Moriah after being a parent here with my 3 boys. During that time, I was involved on the parent committee as Treasurer for 6 years and I grew to love this special place and its people.
I enjoy working with children and love the enthusiasm and surprises they bring to the world.
I have a background in Environmental Education and Conservation. I started work as Secondary School teacher in Environmental Education for the Department of Conservation. Ever since then I have been passionate about education and sustainability. This led me to bring Moriah on a journey to becoming an Envirokindy.
The Envirokindy programme supports children and young people to plan, design and implement sustainability actions that are important to them and their communities. It means connected communities, in which people care for each other and the environment. For me, this means regular trips to Central Park forest, ensuring our centre and our tamariki are conscious about waste, energy and transport and that we nurture kaitiakitanga and love for our environment in all our whānau.
Anna Matheson (she/her)
Teacher
BA (Creative Writing) Grad. Dip (Teaching ECE)
He uri ahau ki Kotirana, i whānau i tupu hoki ahau i Hunua.
I’m from a small rural town in Auckland called Hunua and my ancestors are from Scotland. I moved to Wellington in 2022. I choose to become an Early Childhood teacher because I want to have a small part in shaping Aotearoa’s future generation.
My Mum jokes that I have been an early childhood teacher since the age of two. During our lunch breaks, I would sit all the children down and pretend to be the teacher. My evolution into childcare began when I turned fourteen and looked after three children plus a twelve-month-old baby. Since then, I have been an afterschool care teacher, a nanny, a teacher aide, and a part-time kindergarten teacher.
In 2019, I completed my Bachelor’s Degree in Creative Writing, so I am a big advocate for creativity as well as holistic learning. When I was studying for my Diploma in teaching I came for a placement here at Moriah. It felt so right to be here! I love the ethos of inclusion and sustainability, the mixed age sessions and of course the lovely children.
In my free time I enjoy songwriting, reading playing the guitar, singing, painting, reading, swimming in the ocean, and walks around the Botanical Gardens.
Madeline Harris (she/her)
Teacher
BEd (Teaching ECE)
No Ingarangi tōku whaea, i whānau tōku matua i Awa Kairangi. I whānau mai ahau i Te Whanganui a Tara, i tipu ake au i Te Horo, Brunei hoki.
My Mum is from England and my Dad is from Lower Hutt! I was born in Wellington and grew up in Te Horo and Brunei.
The close-knit communities of my childhood developed a love of family in me from a young age. Both my parents are teachers and seeing their passion made ECE teaching an exciting career path for me.
During my studies at Victoria University, I was lucky enough to find myself on placement at Moriah Kindergarten and couldn’t help but fall in love with the centre. Walking into Moriah Kindergarten felt like walking into a safe-haven, filled with incredible staff, and a welcoming community that valued and loved all children who entered. When I finished my placement I couldn’t let go of Moriah Kindergarten and spent my time relieving whilst studying.
I think all children bring with them unique theories and knowledge of the world around them and an ever-growing passion to learn more. Being surrounded by quality care and knowing that they always have a place at Moriah, will help the children to grow up as confident and competent learners, ready to explore.
I live in Te Horo with my husband Nick and our dog Sadie.
Malka Benita (she/her)
Teacher
I whānau mai ahau ki Netanya, no Iharaira ahau.
I was born in Netanya in Israel. I visited New Zealand on my honeymoon and we loved it so much that we returned in 2020 with our three sons. In Israel I worked as a Baby Development Instructor and Lactation Counsellor. I was particularly interested in helping babies and parents who were struggling.
I have always loved working with children because they are honest. Most of all though children make me laugh and I have fun with them.
When we moved to Wellington two of my sons joined the Moriah whānau and I felt so happy to see them nurtured and challenged here. In fact, I fell in love again with Moriah! I feel so lucky to get to play all day with the children and get paid for it.