Sorted in Schools – New Zealand’s free financial education programme for high school students.
What is your job at Sorted in Schools?
I’m the new Learning Lead. I started last year and my role is to oversee learning development and delivery for Te Ara Ahunga Ora, Retirement Commission and Sorted.
I primarily focus on Sorted in Schools, but also contribute to Sorted in Communities and Sorted at Work, financial education programmes that are delivered in communities and workplaces.
What’s your background in education?
I'm lucky to have had a very diverse background in the education sector. I trained as a history, art history and social studies teacher, and have spent a big chunk of my career based in West Auckland. Early on I realised that curriculum design, change management and professional development were where my real passion sat.
Throughout my career, I have worked with amazing people in low and high decile, private, public and special character schools, and have been a subject and faculty lead, SENCO, NCEA coordinator and NZQA marker. I was part of a leadership team developing a brand-new secondary school in 2013, and more recently, I have been an Across School Lead in a Kahui Ako and heavily involved in professional learning.
I am most proud of my work with curriculum change and developing systems and processes to ensure the mahi we do in the education space is making sustaining impact. I’ve had a focus on culturally responsive pedagogy and innovative learning design, which includes my work on the Aotearoa Histories Curriculum as a lead writer for Education Perfect.
On top of this, I am a small business owner which has given me the opportunity to use my skills to support the leadership and personal development of the young people we employ.
What’s your favourite Sorted in Schools resource?
He tāngata! I cannot go past the amazing people in our Māori and Learning team and across Te Ara Ahunga Ora, who are experienced educators and personal finance specialists. The team works to improve the financial capabilities of rangatahi, but also across all ages and people in Aotearoa.
Our work is focused on personal finance across all ages; this gives us a unique perspective beyond schools and what learners need to know at different life stages.
Why is financial education important?
Financial education is key for people to live a full and successful life, however they determine it.
It is especially important that financial education is taught in a way which allows rangatahi to see themselves in the learning and allows them to carry that knowledge into their future.
Financial wellbeing looks different for everyone, and giving rangatahi the space to explore their own values, ideas, challenges and the opportunities available to them around money is critical to both their futures (and ours) collectively.
What are you excited about in 2024?
I’m excited to get into the community! 2024 will see us getting across the motu to establish communities of teachers as passionate about financial education as we are. We want to work with other stakeholders in the industry, alongside teachers, to figure out what they need and how we can be there to support them on their journey.
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