Auckland Central Academy Staff

Brett Adlam
Programme Leader - Hospitality Tutor

Brett began his hospitality career two decades ago working as a dishwasher for a restaurant in his hometown Whangarei.  It was a part-time job while he completed a chef’s training course at Northern Polytech.  Little did he know at the time it would be the start of a very exciting, adventurous future in the industry.  He went on to spend nine years as a chef in the RNZAF (Royal New Zealand Airforce) where he did everything from feeding cold hungry troops from a makeshift tent in the snow to being the private chef to Dame Cath Tizard at Government House. 

In 1999 Brett returned to civilian life, taking up a job as chef de partie at the American Express Yacht Club during the America’s Cup.  Prior to joining NZMA in 2004 he also worked with top Kiwi chef Geoff Scott at The Hunting Lodge and for a corporate-focussed catering company.  In addition to tutoring at NZMA, Brett continues to work on a casual basis doing catering for the Waitakere Trusts Stadium.

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Martin Szeko
Programme Leader - Business Tutor (Edexcel Business)

Born and raised in Slovakia, Martin spent seven years studying at university there.  He came away with Diplomas in Mathematics and Sports Science, a Bachelor Degree in Business and a Masters in Tourism and Hospitality.  Within that time he also took up two internships - one year in America (where he worked in an amusement park and also at the Sheraton Hotel and Casino near Memphis in Mississippi) and six months at the Heritage Hotel in Queenstown.  He enjoyed it so much that after returning to Slovakia for a while he headed back to Queenstown and spent another three years at the Heritage there.

In 2005 Martin transferred to the Auckland Heritage where he was the Food & Beverage Supervisor before going to work for SkyCity – and that’s when he first heard about NZMA!  As a Duty Manager at SkyCity’s Fortuna Restaurant and Atrium Bar, many of Martin’s staff were NZMA hospitality diploma students and graduates.  The positive impressions they made on him helped influence Martin’s decision to move out of front-line hospitality and into a tutoring role at NZMA.

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Deborah Hudson
Tutor

At just 13, Deborah Hudson launched her hospitality career, landing a job as a kitchen hand in a West Auckland coffee lounge!  By the time she was 19, she had become McDonald’s youngest ever manager in New Zealand – and also the first female.  Clearly, she had a bent for hospitality.  She headed off on her OE and worked as a bartender and waitress in London, Blackpool and the Isle of Wight before returning to New Zealand.  Back on home turf, Deborah was quickly snapped up by the ASB Bank and spent 11 years with them, working her way up to assistant manager.

In 2000 she headed to Christchurch where she gained a hospitality diploma and worked as a restaurant manager, before returning to Auckland to start her own business, the Daily Fix Café.  She later went on to work as a manager and wedding coordinator for Waitakere Park Lodge and the Nikau Club in Waiatarua before joining the NZMA tutorial team.

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Dharmesh Parikh
Tutor

The knowledge Dharmesh has to share is equally valuable for both hospitality and business diploma students.  His qualifications are primarily business related – he holds certificates in both commerce and information systems as well as a New Zealand Diploma in Business.  He has worked for the Ministry of Justice, UDC Finance and GE Money.  He also spent four years running his own business, an event management company called Rhythm House Ltd.
 
On the hospitality front Dharmesh has spent many years working at the popular Prince of India restaurant – he started off at the age of 15 as a kitchen hand and ended up running the place! 

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Moana Ese
Diploma Tutor

 Moana Ese’s experience of the hospitality industry is as diverse as it is extensive. She launched her career in the kitchen, spending nearly a decade cheffing in her hometown Wellington. However in 1999 she had a change of tack, leaving her job as head chef at The Backbencher Pub & Cafe and moving to the City of Sails.  Once she’d settled in Auckland she quickly gained her Manager’s Licence and went on to manage a number of successful cafes and bars

Moana is as passionate about music as she is about hospitality. Her industry experience, teamed with her love of R&B, saw her go on to manage some of Auckland’s most popular nightclubs. As a manager, Moana was responsible for a significant amount of staff training. She found this aspect of her job so rewarding that she joined NZMA in 2007.as a full-time tutor.

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Jacques Janse Van Rensburg
Tutor

Jacques began his hospitality career in his homeland of South Africa 13 years ago.  He entered the industry as a barman for the Kwalata Game Ranch, a four-star ranch in the heart of the South African bush.  There he worked his way up, eventually managing three bars and their personnel.  Soon other departments followed and he ended up managing all the property’s bars, housekeeping, conference coordination, laundry and food and beverage departments as well as taking care of computer maintenance and repairs.  He even oversaw the design of an adventure/teambuilding facility and was responsible for implementing adventure camps, leadership development programmes and logistical services.

When Jacques left South Africa to come to New Zealand, he held the position of General Manager of the same four-star game ranch he’d started his career in ten years earlier!

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Ashish Bhalerao
Tutor

Ashish Bhalerao came to New Zealand to study hospitality management – and now, six years down the track, he’s teaching it!  Hailing from Bombay, India, Ashish gained his Post-graduate Diploma in Hospitality Management in New Zealand and spent two years working at the Novotel Ellerslie where he worked his way up to restaurant and bar supervisor.

In 2004 he took up the reins as banquets supervisor at the Stamford Plaza and two years later moved onto Takapuna’s Spencer on Byron Hotel.  He stepped away from front-line hospitality and moved into the tutoring side of the industry when he landed a job at NZMA in February 2008.  Ashish is also currently working towards a Post-graduate Diploma in Human Resources at the University of Auckland.

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Neil Harrington
Tutor

Neil’s first hospitality job was at the Shepperton Moat House in London where he spent three years working his way up from dishwasher to headwaiter.  He then moved to Brighton to become head waiter at the prestigious Grand Hotel, before landing a job on the QE2 as the liner’s chef de rang.  He worked on the ship for five years, and during that time served a host of the world’s rich and famous, including Rod Stewart, Shirley Bassey, Sir Edmond Hillary - and even the Queen Mother on her 80th birthday!

Neil later went on to work as a sommelier on P&O Cruises’ prestigious liner, the Canberra, before immigrating to New Zealand 12 years ago.  Since then he has worked in some of Auckland’s premier hotels before turning his hand to teaching in 2000.  Neil joined the team at NZMA three years ago.

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Shyamini Chandran
Business Diploma Tutor

Malaysian-born Shyamini Chandran is highly qualified and experienced in the field of business.  While living in the USA she gained a BSc in Psychology and an MBA in International Business Marketing and later, back in Malaysia, she gained her second MBA specialising in Electronic Commerce.

Her international career has included top-level roles in the areas of human resources, marketing and administration and corporate sales.  Shyamini developed an interest in the education sector and has been working as a tertiary-level tutor since 2001.  Her work has included classroom teaching, tutorial work and associated open and distance learning courses and student placements.  She also has a special interest in programme development and has been part of teams that have developed bachelor and diploma programmes.

Shyamini moved to New Zealand in 2002 and since then has worked as a tertiary-level tutor, HR manager and executive assistant/marketing coordinator.  She joined the team at our Auckland Central Academy earlier this year and is now sharing her wisdom and experience with NZMA’s business diploma students.

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Charlotte Cogle
Fern School of English - English for Specific Purposes Senior Tutor

Charlotte has been tutoring at Fern since May 2007, and in that time has taught every level except for English for Hospitality! Currently working with Fern’s Elementary and Intermediate students, Charlotte says she gains an enormous amount of satisfaction from watching her students develop confidence in their ability to speak and use English. She also enjoys spending time with her students outside of the classroom environment.

Before joining the Fern team Charlotte spent two-and-a-half years teaching English in Japan. In addition, she has worked for the call centre and also the claims department of a large Auckland-based insurance company – this gave her an excellent grounding for her later work as a Business English tutor. Charlotte has a Bachelor of Science, majoring in Ecology, a Bachelor of Arts, majoring in English literature and a Post Graduate Diploma in teaching English as a Second Language.

Qualfications: BA / BSc / Post Graduate Diploma in Second Language Teaching

Sharon Whippy
Fern School of English - ESOL Tutor

Sharon has been a tutor at Fern for nearly two years and is currently teaching their English for Business programme. Her qualifications include a Bachelor of Arts (majoring in English and Pacific Studies) and a Unitec Certificate in Language Teaching to Adults. Sharon has a wealth of experience, both in New Zealand and overseas. She has worked in hospitality, IT, human resources and education and has had overseas experience teaching English to international students in Canada.

“As a teacher I understand that each student is different, so it is my job to cater to these differences. I seek to provide a safe and enjoyable learning environment where individuals can develop their English skills to the best of their abilities. I feel extremely privileged to be part of the Fern team – a team which is not only passionate about delivering top quality language instruction but who sincerely care about their students’ personal achievements and wellbeing both in and out of the classroom.”

Qualifications:  BA / Unitec Certificate in English Language Teaching to Adults

Cushla McLean - currently on maternity leave
Fern School of English - Tutor

Tutoring English for Hospitality enables Cushla McLean to combine her two great passions – hospitality and teaching. Cushla has qualifications and extensive experience in both these industries. She has completed a patisserie course at AUT, has an International Diploma in Travel and Tourism from MIT as well as her Cert TEFL and CELTA Grade A English teaching qualifications. She has worked both in Auckland and London as a bartender and a patisserie chef and whilst in the UK Cushla also enjoyed a stint as a private chef for a wealthy family.

After returning from overseas she retrained as an English teacher and has spent many years doing that both here and in Japan. Cushla started at Fern in 2005 and has tutored General English as well as EFH. Cushla believes Fern is unique because of its “family feel”, its hands-on activities, after school clubs and strict English-only policy. She says one of the most rewarding aspects of her job is watching her EFH students graduate and then gain employment in the hospitality industry in New Zealand.

Portia Murad
Fern School of English - General English Senior Tutor

Portia Murad has lived and taught English in several different countries. Originally from India, she spent 20 years in Saudi Arabia where she taught English and was the principal of a large international school. She gained New Zealand citizenship in 2003.

Portia has a Masters degree and since moving to New Zealand has gained additional qualifications in Teaching English as a Foreign Language. She successfully taught Academic English in the Otago University Foundation Programme at AIS St Helens in Auckland for four years, before joining Fern School of English in April 2007.

Portia loves teaching and feels singularly lucky to be paid for something she loves doing. She has taught all levels of General English including IELTS.  Because of her years of teaching English to international students and her wealth of life experiences, she is able to share a special rapport with her students at Fern. She feels that every student is unique and can be motivated to achieve.

Qualifications: M.A Political Science / Diploma in Foreign Affairs / TEFL / National Cert. in Adult Education and Training (NCAET) / DELTA (Distinction

Paula Runnals
Fern School of English - Tutor

Paula Runnals believes teaching is her calling, rather than just her career.  In fact she says just about every activity she enjoys, she usually ends up instructing it!  She is a scuba diving instructor, a salsa dance teacher and a language tutor.

But it’s not just English that she tutors.  Employed in the education sector for the past 18 years, Paula spent the first five years of her career teaching Spanish to English speakers in her home country, the USA.  She has also taught English in Spain and has worked in Australia and the Caribbean.  As well as teaching, she has conducted and administered afterschool and summer programmes and reading/literacy and health education programmes. 

Paula has been living and teaching English in Auckland since January.  Having mastered a second language herself, she finds it particularly rewarding to see her students’ language skills develop. 

“I know how much a person’s horizons are expanded by being able to communicate in a foreign language.”

Paula has a host of teaching qualifications including an AA in Liberal Arts, a BA in Spanish, an MA in Education as well as teaching Credentials in Spanish and English Language Development from the State of California.  She has extensive experience in teaching both children and adults in a variety of educational settings and has also worked in hospitality all around the world.

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Amrith Kaur
Fern School of English - ESOL Tutor

Amrith moved from her home of Malaysia to New Zealand last year to provide a more secure future and a better education for her family.  She brought with her not just her husband and kids, but more than two decades of teaching experience!  Back in Malaysia Amrith taught in government schools for ten years, language schools for another ten years and she also freelanced for several years as a corporate trainer teaching language and soft skills.  She has a Bachelor of Law Degree and a TESOL (Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages) Certificate.

Amrith joined Fern’s tutorial team last year and is currently teaching Intermediate and Upper Intermediate General English classes.  She says one of the highlights of her work is the challenge of teaching a wide range of nationalities.

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Millie Ocampo
Fern School of English - ESOL Tutor

Fern tutor Millie Ocampo has more classroom experience than most.  Hailing from the   Philippines, she gained an MA in Literature and a BS in Education (majoring in English) from the University of Santo Tomas in Manila.  She clearly loved it there - after graduating she spent 23 years working on the campus as a lecturer!  Millie also spent several years working as a speech consultant and operations manager before moving to New Zealand in 2008.

After settling in the City of Sails Millie quickly set about gaining her CELTA (Certificate in English Language Teaching to Adults) qualification from Languages International.  Since then she has been teaching English (General, IELTS and English for Academic Purposes) at a number of Auckland language schools.  She joined the team at Fern in January and says one of the most rewarding aspects of her job is inspiring students to learn the language and watching their confidence grow.

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Kelly Filo
Fern School of English - IELTS and General English Tutor

Kelly Filo’s teaching experience is extensive.  He has been tutoring for private training establishments and English language schools for the past 12 years and has taught not just English, but also community courses, youth at risk and office systems.  He has a Bachelor Degree in English, a Graduate Diploma (English Language Teaching) and a Masters in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (MTESOL) – he is not only highly experienced, but also highly qualified!

Kelly also spent two years teaching IELTS and General English in China, an experience which he describes as one of his career highlights.  He joined the tutorial team at Fern in May and is currently teaching both IELTS and General English.

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Yoonsook Kim
Student Support Advisor

Yoonsook moved from Seoul to New Zealand in 1998.  Back in Korea she worked in the film industry however once she headed Down Under, her career began to head in an entirely different direction.  When she first arrived here Yoonsook spent five months studying Business English before landing a job as a marketing officer for a private tertiary institute.  She stayed with the provider for five years before leaving to open her own Korean video and souvenir shop in West Auckland.

But her passion for education got the better of her!  Though Yoonsook loved having her own business, she missed the satisfaction of helping students achieve their goals. Three years ago, when a position came up as a student advisor at NZMA, she jumped at the opportunity to get back into education.  She has been with us ever since!

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Mutsuko Fukushima
Student Support Advisor

Mutsuko loves working in education and helping students – especially those who are motivated and keen to study and find work.  She herself has had a similar experience to many of the international students who come here so she understands where they are coming from and can relate to them easily.

Originally from Kobe in Japan, Mutsuko moved to New Zealand over a decade ago.  She spent her first few years working for a travel company as a tour guide, taking Japanese tourists all over the North Island.  Through her work she was constantly dealing with hotels and restaurants - and as a result gained some very useful hospitality industry experience.

Prior to joining NZMA three years ago Mutsuko spent six years working for another Auckland-based private training establishment in a similar role supporting and advising students.

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Leanda Bekker
General Manager, International Sales

Leanda brings a wealth of knowledge and experience to her role of General Manager, International Sales.  Originally from Johannesburg, South Africa she has 17 years of international hospitality experience behind her as well as broad business experience and a successful sales background in the tough environments of real estate and direct selling.

Leanda moved to New Zealand in 2001 and joined the team at NZMA six years ago.  She started off as a hospitality diploma tutor at NZMA’s Auckland Central Academy and quickly impressed her colleagues with her absolute dedication to the Vision and Values of NZMA.  She went on to become Academy Manager and more recently was appointed to the role of General Manager, International Sales.

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Hayley Newton
Japan and South America Market Executive

Hayley Newton has recently returned from eight years living in Japan.  The first four were spent in Tokyo teaching English and working part-time in advertising, then she moved to Okinawa.  During her years in Japan Hayley did lots of different things – she ran English classes from her home, taught at a junior high school, worked as an education agent sending Japanese students to New Zealand and also as a translator.  One of her most memorable roles was working as a tour guide for the American military.

Hayley returned to New Zealand earlier this year to be closer to her Rotorua-based family and so that her one-year-old daughter could grow up in the Kiwi environment.  She says her new role at NZMA is the perfect way for her to remain involved with the Japanese community, yet live in her home country. With a strong passion for languages and foreign cultures, Hayley is also studying Spanish and is excited about the opportunity to work more closely with students and agents from South America.

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Jennifer Sanders
International Sales Administrator

Students will always find support and understanding from ACA’s International Sales Administrator Jennifer Sanders.  After all, a few years ago she was one of them.

In 2006 she gained her NZMA Certificate in Business Administration and Employment Skills from NZMA’s Auckland West Academy.  A few months later she was offered a job as the Academy’s Administrator!

Jennifer spent 18 months working out West for NZMA before transferring to the Auckland Central Academy in 2008.  Her role as International Sales Administrator is very diverse.  She does everything from interacting with students, staff and agents to working on the data base – her number one passion!
  
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Beckie Yang
International Sales Administrator

What started off as a work experience opportunity quickly turned into a full-time job for Beckie Yang.  After graduating from NZMA with her Diplomas in Hospitality and Business, Beckie was offered some part-time work experience as an Assistant Administrator at the Auckland Central Academy.  That soon turned into a permanent full-time role and Beckie is now one of the Academy’s International Sales Administrators.

Beckie deals predominantly with student enrolments from her home country China, as well as India and South Asia.  Very much a people’s person, she says one of the highlights of her role is the interaction she has with students, agents and staff.

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