Principal
Senior Leadership
I have an active and energetic family consisting of two daughters, who are both at EGG’s, and a lovely wife who provides a constant backbone for the whanau. My Whakapapa is from the West of Auckland, where my mother still resides, and I am proud to be an original Westie. Growing up out west was great for me as it provided a lot of old school values/morals and a whanau like community feeling, of which I still enjoy today. It also provided me with many life lessons and gave me a love for achieving what I set my mind to and enjoying anything to do with the outdoors.
I have grown up playing a variety of sports and activities that have kept me busy such as Rugby league (Rosters for life), touch, skiing, surfing, swimming and many more. I love going to the beach and being in the water, which is my happy place. I am a member of the Piha Surf club and love attending our patrol on a voluntary basis over the summer months.
I am looking forward to working with you in the future and spending time with you tamariki during their time at ANI.
Year 7 Totara Team
Dia daoibh gach duine. My name is Kieran Gleeson. I am the Year 7 team leader of the Totara team. I originally hail from Ireland, where I grew up with my parents and two sisters; Eve and Val. We are all away from home at the moment, spread across London, Sydney and of course Auckland. Travel is a passion of mine having travelled extensively through South America, Europe and South East Asia. Before Auckland, I lived in Sydney for a year. When I can travel again, my next destinations will hopefully be Japan & Hawaii!
I love teaching in intermediate school. I believe the two year schooling experience comes at a unique time for the development of our young children’s character. Part of my passion is developing resilient and open minded students who learn to look after their own wellbeing. I do this with the help of ANI’s In School Leaders, who develop the wellbeing initiative. I enjoy building strong relationships with my students, inspiring them where I can and learning from them everyday.
Outside of school, you’ll find me playing football most nights of the week. I enjoy staying fit and bringing this enthusiasm into some of my sports work with the students such as leading and promoting girls football in the school. I really hope to go to the AIMS games this year. Music has been a huge part of my life, growing up playing the piano, percussion and violin in numerous orchestras and ensembles. I look forward to bringing these passions to the stage and helping with this year’s school production.
I am so excited to continue working at ANI this year and enjoying all the upcoming experiences with my class.
Tēnā koutou katoa. My name is Sophie and this will be my second year at Auckland Normal Intermediate. I am so excited to continue teaching year 7 students the skills to be lifelong learners. I was travelling the world for some time where I discovered just how important it is for all of us to be global learners and to soak in the knowledge of the wider world. Social studies is my favourite subject which fits well with the schools International Baccalaureate program. I have a huge focus on building strong relationships with my students, their families and the relationship between the students in my class. I believe with a strong foundation of surrounding relationships, it creates an inclusive and safe classroom environment that exhibits students who are empathetic, confident, creative, innovative, willing to take risks and many more positive outcomes as a result.
In my spare time I love to travel, cook, bake, explore new places, spend time with family and friends and also being a lifelong learner. This year, I personally have a big focus on pushing myself outside my comfort zone and trying new things. I hope my students will follow as an example and try something different this year.
Year 7 Kauri Team
Year 8 Matai Team
Year 8 Rimu Team
Kowhai Team (Specialists)
Kia Ora, I am Jacob Markham, I have been a Year 8 classroom teacher at ANI for the past four years. I am excited to be moving into the Kowhai team as a Design Technology Teacher where I will be guiding students through the design process and creating meaningful real-life experiences. I believe that hands-on learning allows students to interact with the surrounding world, building lifelong knowledge and skills.
I come from a family of teachers, having 2 sisters currently teaching at high schools and a mother who taught primary school, (she was even unfortunate enough to teach me). I grew up in the South Island on a farm just outside of Timaru where I spent most of my spare time outside riding my bike, herding sheep, playing cricket, and building huts. I worked as a Land Surveyor in Timaru for 8 years before heading to London where I ended up working in a school for autistic children. This encouraged me to study and brought me to Auckland where I slaved in the hot sun as a landscaper while studying for a Primary Education Bachelor's degree.
I was fortunate enough to do my final placement at ANI where I have remained since. When I am not in the classroom, I enjoy skateboarding, walking, biking, and spending time with friends and family. I am looking forward to the fun and challenges of the year ahead.
Rata Team
I am the proud ESOL teacher here at ANI.
I feel very lucky to have moved to New Zealand in February 2020, right before the global pandemic. I love my new home and feel very welcome here.
I was born in Ireland, and before I moved to NZ I spent the last 8 years teaching Geography and Psychology in secondary schools in London. I have plenty of experience working with students to improve their literacy skills in particular, in East London.
I love to explore new places, cultures and languages and I have visited many countries in South America, Europe and Asia (before COVID-19).
I love to collect vinyl records and in my spare time I sometimes DJ in venues in Auckland!
I look forward to 2021 and getting to know you all this year.Kia ora everyone!
My name is Melanie and I am a part time release teacher. I am new to ANI in 2021 and proud to be a member of such an amazing team. Prior to this, I have been a year 5 teacher at Marina View School for two years, and am now in my third year of teaching after graduating from Massey University in 2018. I am super excited to work with this age group in a fun and engaging environment.
I enjoy participating in various school activities and events, especially sporting events of any type. I am particularly looking forward to getting involved in Volleyball Coaching at ANI this year and seeing my students’ skills grow over time.
I am an active and adventurous individual who seeks to travel New Zealand and the world as much as possible with my supportive partner. The rest of my family is living in Germany from where I have migrated in 2016. Moving countries has been my biggest adventure so far with a lot of challenges and life lessons on the way. Now, I am thrilled to become a part of a diverse and vibrant school community with a range of cultures and ethnicities. I strongly believe that embracing this diversity helps our young people develop strong moral and social values.
Since my childhood, I have been active in a variety of sports such as Volleyball, Skiing, Gymnastics and Trampolining, Swimming, Badminton and Dancing. I love learning new things and so I happen to try and pick up new sports, hobbies, skills and knowledge as much as I can. Currently, I am learning Japanese and improving my Spanish, I am learning how to code and create websites, how to play Touch Rugby and how to surf. Nature, especially the bush and the ocean, is where I am feeling most happy and balanced
I am looking forward to working with you this year and am excited for the new challenges ahead for myself and my students at ANI.
Tihei Mauri Ora!
Ko Whakatere te maunga
Ko Waima te awa
Ko Tuhirangi te marae
Ko Ngatokimatawhaorua te waka
Ko Te Mahurehure te hapu
Ko Ngāpuhi Nui Tonu te iwi
Ko wai ahau? Ko Mauri Hohepa tenei e mihi kau atu ana ki a koutou, otirā, tātou katoa.
Kia ora rā, my name is Mauri, Matua Mauri if you will.
I've been a part of ANI since Term 3 of last year and I am very excited to be a part of the team again this year and to see everyone grow in 2021.
I've been learning and living my sacred cultural customs, traditions and language since birth, growing up totally immersed in te reo Māori through Kohanga Reo & Kura Kaupapa. That being said, I am honoured to be able to share these through te reo Māori here at ANI again this year. It is a privilege for me to teach in all 24 classrooms in our school. Aside from te reo Māori, I also tutor our school Kapa Haka group, where we engage in physical Māori activities and Māori performing arts. I am a staunch supporter in the growth and development of our young people, and I highly focus on social well-being and having everyone engage with each other, after all that is what language and performing is. Therefore, with me, our students will be bringing to life the quote that is engraved just outside our school reception.
“Mā te tuakana, te teina e tōtika, Mā te teina te tuakana e tōtika.”
“The older will lead the younger, and the younger will lead the older.”
Outside of school, I am a Kapa Haka enthusiast, and an aspiring pro wrestler (yes, fake or stunt fighting). These hobbies both require a heap of energy and a high level of fitness (not that I am the fittest person). I have performed on many regional and national Kapa Haka stages at primary, secondary, tertiary and even adult levels. I currently teach the art at three schools as well.
Ngā mihi nunui ki a koe, ki a koutou, ā, ki a tātou katoa.
Full-time Support Staff
Teacher Aide/Special Project ‘Garden to the Table’ and Lab Teaching Assistant
Kia ora, my name is Bruce Banbury and I assist with ANI students’ lab experiments during their science lessons. My experience with science/technology is primarily in the commercial world where I have used my chemistry background to carve out an interesting career, formulating and selling chemical-based products (in NZ, Australia, UK, Middle East and SEA), running laboratories as well as keeping abreast of environmental considerations and international standards of compliance.
Along the way I enjoyed training commercial lab staff and now thoroughly enjoy helping ANI Year 7 and 8 students with their investigative and creative lab work.
I have a long association with ANI, having had three children enjoy their education while forming long term friendships with fellow students at the school.
Outside of work hours I play guitar, listen to music, attend nearly every Warriors NRL home game and spend time with friends.
Kia Ora! Ko Martine Puketapu toku ingoa- My name is Martine Puketapu, and this year will be my first year joining Auckland Normal Intermediate as a Teacher Aide. As an ex-pupil of A.N.I, I couldn’t be more excited and committed to my role as a Teacher Aide at a school that has personally set me up with such crucial key tools towards building myself as an individual.
I have just completed my Degree of Arts majoring in Education and Psychology, having accumulated my knowledge at both the University of Colorado and the University of Auckland. I couldn’t have asked for a more healthier or fun environment to apply my studies to in my first year out of University, as I hope my passion for positive development in children can become of benefit to the students I will be working with throughout the year. I know how important of a role a Teacher Aide can be to any child, but in particular those in need of a bit more guidance and I hope to assist these kids in the best possible way I can.
In my spare time, I thrive the most when I am by the beach, with friends or family, and a plate of chips and dip by our side. My favourite season of the year is undoubtedly summer, so whenever the sun is out you’ll never catch me inside. As well having the love for the beach, I also have a love and passion for health and fitness. I value holding a healthy lifestyle as I know a healthy and fit body also leads to a healthier mind- something that needs the most love it can get!
I cannot wait to see what 2021 brings us, and with the support of the rest of the amazing staff here at A.N.I, I have no doubt this will be a great year for all students and staff.
Part-time Support Staff
Hello, my name is Rachael Banbury and I am a part time teacher aide at ANI. After completing my BA degree, majoring in politics and history, this year I am hoping to gain a Masters in History from the University of Auckland.
I have been working at ANI since I graduated Epsom Girls Grammar in 2016 and am very much looking forward to my fifth year as a member of the ANI family. As a past student of ANI, I am happy to say some of my closest friends today I met as a bright eyed Year 7.
As a teacher aide, I work with children that have a variety of challenges and every year I feel privileged to be part of their learning journey. Assisting children on their path of learning has provided me with great experience and I often find that I learn just as much from my students as I hope they do from me. Being part of the ANI team for so long has been a privilege and every year the students continue to inspire me in my work.
In my free time I enjoy reading novels, binge watching the latest Netflix series, and taking part in a weekly pub quiz along with some members of staff. I am looking forward to another eventful year working at ANI and meeting the new Year 7 students who will hopefully enjoy their time at intermediate just as much as I did.