Tere's parents met as ākonga at Palmerston North Teachers' College, sparking a lifelong connection to education that shaped her journey. She spent her entire childhood immersed in ECE as her Nan, who cared for her while her parents studied, owned an ECE Centre in Papaioea | Palmerston North.
With whakapapa to Rangitāne o Manawatū, Rangitāne o Tamaki nui-ā-rua, and Kahungunu ki Wairarapa, Tere says she has “always known who I am in this place and the responsibility I have to my people". Tere has been a hapū representative for the Rangitāne o Manawatū Settlement Trust (RoMST) and helped develop the RoMST Education Strategy in consultation with iwi.
An advocate for natural health and wellness, Tere's belief in holistic well-being is rooted in Māori health perspectives. This belief led her to pursue a two-year Diploma in Health Science at UCOL, majoring in therapeutic massage. "This journey reinforced the interconnectedness of body, mind, and spirit, which I now incorporate into my teaching and community work alongside my husband at our holistic health clinic."
Tere joined UCOL in 2022 but has been teaching for 30+ years, mostly working with her Nan, whose centre was grounded in te ao Māori. From there, she became a visiting teacher for in-home education and care, working with refugee families. Later, she returned to centre mahi as a team leader for toddlers. "Toddlers keep you on your toes, build your patience, challenge you to be a better kaiako, and bring humour and joy to your day." More recently, Tere managed Crossroads Early Childhood Centre, a community-based ECE centre in Papaioea, and is now on the centre's trust board.
"My motivation to transition into tertiary education came from my iwi. I was guided by the aspiration in our education strategy that "iwi are in positions to advocate for an equitable education system where Māori can succeed as Māori." This work led Tere to reflect on what role would enable her to contribute meaningfully to this goal. It was then she realised that tertiary education offered a platform to support and elevate Māori success, and soon afterwards, she joined the team at UCOL.
"Being a lecturer allows me to integrate and normalise te ao Māori within tertiary and early childhood education," she said. "I love igniting a spark in students that leads them to drive their own learning in the direction that they want to go in. It's really exciting!"