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!
Yuko Takeda (she/her)
Assistant Principal
BA (Psych), Grad Dip. Arts, Grad Dip. ECE.
I whanau ahau ki Tōkio, Hapani, engari e noho ano ahau ki Te Whanganui a Tara, Aotearoa.
I was born in Japan but have lived in this stunning country for 19 years now.
I have qualifications from the University of Otago and a Graduate
Diploma of Teaching (ECE) from Victoria University of Wellington.
After completing my degrees in Economics, I began working as an Investment Portfolio Banker. However, I soon realized that the job did not bring me the happiness or fulfilment that I was hoping for. I evaluated my life and realized that education was something that I valued deeply. As a result, I decided to become a teacher, and I never looked back! Thirteen years later, I am still teaching ECE and findgreat joy and fulfilment in my work.
I am passionate about working with children and providing a caring, warm, and safe environment where tamariki have autonomy and support to grow, learn and become confident and competent individuals. I regard each tamaiti as a mine rich in gems of inestimable value: education is the key to fulfilling his/her full potential; healthy in body, mind and spirit.
In my free time, I am involved in the Wellington interfaith council and community-
building activities as a Baha’i. I enjoy cooking, especially baking, trying new cafes and
restaurants, catching up with friends and finding time to
connect with nature.
Dunja Shiri (she/her)
Teacher
Bachelor in Early Childhood, Talpiyot Academy)
I whānau mai ahau ki Amsterdam, no Hōrana ahau.
I was born in Amsterdam, Netherlands. When I was 25, I moved to Israel, got married and had three children: Keshet, Noy and Tal. My children now live in South Korea and Wellington. We moved to New Zealand two years ago because we wanted to have some adventure in our lives.
I have always loved working with children. When I lived in Israel, I ran a kindergarten in Israel with 30 kids near the beach. I am very environmentally orientated and am always looking for new ways to promote sustainability. Therefore, I'm excited to contribute to the Enviroschool program.
I also taught at primary schools and other ECE centers. I enjoy working at Moriah as I deeply value the Jewish philosophy as it feels like home and is close to my beliefs.
I enjoy gardening, hiking, camping, going for walks and figure skating. I also love reading books and spending time with my family.
Malka Benita (she/her)
Kaiawhina
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.
Nancy Gamliel (she/her)
Administrator and Kaiawhina
I whānau mai ahau ki Aketina engari, i tipu ake au ki Iharaira.
I was born in Argentina and grew up in Israel. I have lived in Aotearoa for 6 years and have three children. Two of them were students at Moriah.
After I completed by Science degree I worked with computers. I like working with children so much more! At Kindy I love watching the children – seeing the way they behave and their different personalities. Moriah is a place full of love and the children make me feel very important! I love to teach them new things.