Meet Our Tutors

Bea Lorimer is the artist and creator behind Heke design – an upcycled fashion brand. Originally from Australia, raised in Canada, she is a long-term Waiheke Island resident.

She is an avid recycler and considers upcycling the perfect challenge and combination of creativity with a real purpose.

She also spent many years in the music industry, and had the privilege of travelling around the world looking after wardrobe for the likes of k.d lang, Diana Krall and Leonard Cohen and the Tragically Hip.

Charli Crocker is passionate about providing quality education and has been training Waiheke’s First Responders for over 10 years.

Charli has extensive experience facilitating Health and Safety, First Aid and professional development to many sectors including  industry organisations, health, schools and community groups

Charli’s teaching style caters to all learning styles and includes plenty of hands-on learning. She is an energetic, interactive teacher who makes learning fun!

She has a family connection to Waiheke and enjoys spending time on the island when she visits as a trainer.

South African-born artist Daisy Saaiman is a talented graduate from the Technicon of the OrangeFreeState, holding a National Diploma in Fine Art. Her artistic journey has been marked by notable achievements, including being honoured with the Zinny Douglas Merit Award at the prestigiousWalker and Hall National Art Awards. Additionally, she was recognized as a finalist for the Tasman National Art Awards, showcasing her exceptional talent and dedication to her craft. Beyond her own artistic pursuits, Daisy is passionate about teaching and has spent 4 years on the Educational Committee for the Waiheke Community Art Gallery, ensuring education and art are prevalent throughout the exhibitions. She has also conducted numerous art classes encompassing various mediums and skill levels.
Daisy currently works out of her studio called Daisylandnz, here on Waiheke Island, where she continues to create captivating works of art.

Donna Kerridge (Ngāti Tahinga, Ngāti Mahuta) is the founder and director of Ora New Zealand. She is a rongoā Māori practitioner, trainer and advisor of 20+years to a number of NZ Universities, research, professional and private training organizations and has served on a number of health authority expert advisory groups representing the practice of rongoa. 

Donna enjoys inspiring others to learn and put into practice the simple yet profound healing wisdom of our ancestors in a way that is respectful, authentic and mindful of the needs of all peoples and the land itself.

Jamie Stone is a local musician and songwriter. He has played in bands most of his life and has taught private music lessons. He has played guitar as his main instrument since he was a teen. He developed a love for ukulele whilst recording primary school students with the Jam Bus Mobile Recording Studio project and now writes his own songs on the instrument.

Chikaa is the moniker of Jodine Stodart. Since starting out as a Radio DJ for a world music show at Melbourne’s PBS FM in 2007, Chikaa has continued her love of world music and electronic fusion, following the emerging South American new wave scene of folktronica and ethnic downtempo music.

CHIKAA is one of NZ”s regular festival contributors, DJing at Splore, Shipwrecked, Luminate, NZ Spirit’s Resolution, and sometimes abroad in Bali’s Spirit Festival, and Burning Man.

Jenny Lee is a Waiheke based artist, specialising in botanical art but who is also interested in portrait
and landscape painting. She prefers working in watercolours (botanic) and oils (portraits and
landscapes).
Jenny is a Fellow of the Society of Botanical Art (London) graduating with distinction with an SBA
Distance Diploma, with the qualification of DipSBA (Dist). Jenny participates in local, national and international exhibitions and competitions, and has won numerous awards and has a number of collectors in New Zealand and overseas. Her paintings have been featured in several international publications – and the local Gulf News.
Jenny and her husband live at Onetangi, where she finds serenity and inspiration in her studio, amidst
bird song, flowers and music, cherishing the blessings of each day.

Marco’s career as a Chef began in his homeland of northern Bavaria at Laudensack’s Parkhotel & Beauty Spa, a boutique luxury hotel with a Michelin starred restaurant. He’s set the bar high for himself ever since. After many years of training, working, and traveling, New Zealand claimed his heart. Firstly, via his love for his kiwi wife, but also via the quality of locally sourced ingredients on offer.

Today, Chef Marco is leading an amazing kitchen team as Head Chef at Casita Miro on Waiheke Island. Casita Miro specialises in the cuisine of Spain and the wider Mediterranean Rim and takes enormous pleasure in sharing the love for fine food, wine, and sherry.

Monica has been creating handmade books for over 25 years, mostly from whatever materials available at the time, and often while traveling. As a bona-fide bibliophile, she will show you a range of her own books: travel diaries, botanical forays, and artist’s books, a plethora of slim volumes filled with writing, poetry, photos, printed ephemera, drawings both abstract and realistic.

Nat Primak is an Astrophysicist who worked in various optical observatories around the world before finding home on Waiheke Island.

After achieving PhD in Physics and Radio-astronomy, Nat works with Kim Wesney and Sarah Morrison Nat at “NightShift – Stargazing Waiheke”, a boutique company providing a range of stargazing experiences on the island together with educational services and one-on-one tutoring.

Nat has experience in teaching Astronomy, Physics, and Mathematics for students of various backgrounds and walks of life. The teaching style includes theoretical explanations with demonstrations followed by hands-on practice. 

Roger Mason is a professional storyboard artist and graphic novelist, and has taught drawing for many years at universities both in the UK and Auckland. www.rogermason.co.nz

E mihi ana ki ā koutou i tō koutou hiahia ki te ako me te whakaoho i tāu Reo Rangatira. Ko Te Uri Karaka tōku hapū matua o te iwi o Ngāti Paoa. Ko Ngāti Pikiao tōku iwi o Te Arawa. Ko Te Rarawa tōku iwi o Te Hokianga. Ko te Kāhui o Taranaki hoki ōku iwi. He kaiako ahau o Te Reo Tūpuna ki ngā tamariki me ngā pakeke. Kua roa ahau e whakaako ana, e ako ana i Aotearoa me tāwāhi. Nōku te whiwhi ki te hoki mai ki Te Motu Arairoa nei arā ko tōku ūkaipō.

Katie was born in New York in 1965. She graduated with honours from the University of the Arts in Philadelphia in 1988. While in University she was able to explore many mediums with a focus on painting. She has taught for many years at the Artists Association of Nantucket and enjoys encouraging anyone with creative energy. 

Currently her studio is in Surfdale on Waiheke. She exhibits her work in The USA and New Zealand. She is also part of the Oneroa Artists collective Space Gallery.

With a degree in agricultural sciences Kim went on to complete a post graduate qualification in adult education. He has had many years of experience involved in a wide variety of adult education initiatives all over the world. For over thirty years he worked in international aid and development particularly related to training in project management and monitoring and evaluation. He also holds qualifications in TESOL and NCALNE and has taught English as a second language.

Other ‘professional’ side tracks have also included sheep shearing, cellar door work and diamond prospecting. A Waiheke resident for over twenty years Kim has been involved  in various island charities including Jassy Dean, Waiheke Cinema and Whittakers Music Museum and has ‘trod the boards’ at Artworks Theatre in a wide range of productions.

Michelle is a qualified language teacher who has taught English and Italian on Waiheke for over 10 years. Her classes are highly interactive, with plenty of opportunities to practice your skills in different scenarios and parla italiano!

Pete Ibbertson is the Director of Beyond the Books…Accountants Ltd. Pete is a Chartered Accountant and holds a Public Practice Certificate. Pete’s experience ranges from time with Inland Revenue to the Big 4 CA firms before branching out with his own firm. Pete is a Waiheke local resident.

Pete is not your “typical” Chartered Accountant dressed in a suit. Pete prefers the more relaxed approach, putting clients at ease with a friendly, knowledgeable rapport.

Pete’s focus is on small to medium-sized businesses & investors. He enjoys working with business owners to help them achieve their personal & professional goals. A particular interest in “tradies”, Pete assists trade businesses on and off Waiheke Island and is abreast of the challenges and opportunities.

“Loving life…Beyond the Books” is our mantra!

Kia ora koutou katoa,  ko Tania Anderson tōku ingoa..

Born and breed on the banks of the Whanganui River, I was raised by the village.  Working in the arts and crafts arena for over 30 years I have found that raranga is an art form that grounds me and puts me in my happy space.  Since moving to the island 5 years ago I have continued to weave and occasionally have a stall at the Ostend markets on a Saturday morning. 

My connections to my Iwi brings out the essence required to share what I have learnt 

Ngāti Whaatua, Ngāti Tuwharetoa, Te Ati Haunui a Paparangi me  Ngāti Kahungunu ki Wairarapa ngā are with me as we weave together.

Tracey Sullivan is a reader, a writer and a runner, a poet, a maker and an editor, a parent of grown children and a creative educator. She has a diploma in publishing, and a post graduate diploma in teaching. She has recently completed a creative and critical Masters thesis in poetry. Her work has appeared in digital and print form in journals and anthologies, and on the radio in the Netherlands. A chapbook of her poetry, a place on earth, was published in Singapore by Math Paper Press. After many years abroad, she returned to Aotearoa New Zealand in 2019.

Alan received his driving instructor licence recently from Waka Kotahi.
He has been on Waiheke since 2017. He used to teach art previously in Australia and after a long break, is now enjoying teaching people how to drive on Waiheke.