Our Education Team
Autism New Zealand has a dedicated education team that delivers education and training nationwide.
Jenny Woodfield, National Educator
After teaching for many years, including sixteen years as ORS SENCO, Jenny joined Autism New Zealand in 2017 as Outreach Co-Ordinator for the Wellington and Wairarapa regions.
She moved into the Education team in 2020 and now travels the country presenting Tilting the Seesaw for Teams and Framework for Autism in New Zealand courses. Her passion for sharing her knowledge of autism, both from a teaching perspective and through parenting, enables her to understand and motivate autistic people as well as the people who support them. Jenny enjoys sharing her experiences and loves seeing people gain an understanding of what it can be like living in an autistic world.
Tanya Blakey, National Educator
Tanya is a mother of two daughters, one of whom is diagnosed with autism.
She is an EarlyBird® Trainer and has worked as a Teacher Aide in a Special School. Tanya is a joint contributor and developer of the Autism New Zealand suite of education programmes, and she travels the country delivering them. Her valuable experience living with and caring for someone on the autism spectrum provides excellent insights and adds a realistic, down-to-earth perspective to our programmes.
Jo Charman, National Educator
Jo had been working with Autism New Zealand for eight years as an Outreach Coordinator in Auckland, supporting and working together with families/whānau and individuals on their journey with autism.
As an Educator, Jo was also busy in the community presenting information and training to schools, community groups and other support agencies. Now as a full-time Educator and as a mother of 2 boys – one of whom is on the autism spectrum, Jo provides a unique perspective from both a professional and (often humorous and ‘real’) personal perception.
Moira Chisholm, National Educator
Moira’s background is in teaching. Until 2020, she was a deputy principal, SENCO and full time classroom teacher.
Her passion for education, especially in developing programmes based on hauora (well-being), is what inspired her to join our education team. Moira is now travelling the country presenting our Tilting the Seesaw for Teams programme.
Taha hinengaro (mental and emotional well-being) and taha whanau (social well-being) are at the heart of her teaching. Her research based approach and classroom experiences put her in a position to bring teachers and families together to achieve the best possible outcomes for our tamariki.