Specialist career profiles

Learning support is about providing extra help, adapting programmes, learning environments, or providing specialised equipment or materials to support children and young people with their learning. Your support will help them learn and achieve within mainstream education settings.

Working in learning support

Ministry of Education employees work in a diverse range of environments that include:

  • schools
  • homes
  • early childhood education services
  • residential schools.

Employees have the opportunity to work with:

  • young children
  • students
  • parents
  • caregivers
  • family and whānau, and
  • professional colleagues.

A career in learning support can be a dynamic and rewarding path in one or many of the different areas special education is a part of.

Staff profiles

The following profiles feature some of the people working in learning support.

Adviser on Deaf Children

Meet Nicki Young, an adviser on deaf children in Hawke’s Bay [PDF, 1.1 MB]

Early Intervention Teacher

Meet Kim Avery, an early intervention teacher in Christchurch [PDF, 1.3 MB]

Kaitakawaenga

Meet Karepa Wall, a kaitakawaenga in Wellington [PDF, 1.1 MB]

Anei rā a Karepa Wall, he kaitakawaenga i Te Whanganui-ā-Tara (in Māori) [PDF, 1.1 MB]

Occupational Therapist

Meet Chrissy Doughty, an occupational therapist in Wellington [PDF, 1.1 MB]

Educational Psychologist

Meet Kahu Flutey, an educational psychologist in Wellington [PDF, 1.1 MB]

Physiotherapist

Meet Hera Cooper, a physiotherapist in Otaki [PDF, 1.2 MB]

Resource Teacher of the Deaf

Meet Tiffany Whelan, a resource teacher of the deaf at Van Asch Deaf Education Centre, Christchurch [PDF, 1.2 MB]

Resource Teacher: Learning and behaviour

Meet Lesleigh Henderson, a resource teacher for learning and behaviour in Te Awamutu [PDF, 1.2 MB]

Resource Teacher: Vision

Meet Devi Dawson, a resource teacher for vision at the Blind and Low Vision Education Network New Zealand (BLENNZ) [PDF, 1.2 MB]

Special Education Adviser

Meet Linda Terry, a special education adviser in Hamilton [PDF, 1.1 MB]

Speech-language Therapist

Meet Nicky-Marie Hitaua, a speech-language therapist in Gisborne [PDF, 859 KB]

Meet Emma Cooke, a speech-language therapist in Wellington  [PDF, 852 KB]

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