About us

Meet the Team

Our Mission

At The Learning Place, our mission is to provide accessible, innovative, and meaningful vocational training that empowers learners with the skills and confidence they need to succeed.

Our Story

The Learning Place was founded to address the need for practical, skills-based education in New Zealand. Over the years, we have become the largest provider of vocational training for secondary schools, offering a wide range of courses designed to meet the evolving needs of learners and industries.

We are committed to making your learning experience as accessible, rewarding, and professional as possible, whether you are completing one of our face-to-face or online courses. We invest heavily in quality assurance to ensure you have the best learning experience we can offer. 

For our face to face courses, our Kaiako will travel across the country bringing learning and training materials to your doorstep. For our online courses  you can complete these at your own pace, in your own time from the comfort of your home - as long as you have an internet connection.

You'll find our Head Office in Dunedin, which is home to our booking, admin and academic teams.

Meet the Team

Meet our dedicated team of educators and professional staff, all passionate about delivering high-quality training and support to our learners and communities.

Kellie Taylor

North Island Kaiako
Kellie is one of our resident North Island Kaiako, based out of Tāmaki Makaurau/Auckland. Kellie is an experienced educator, …
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Peti Kiwha

North Island Kaiako
Peti is one of our North island Kaiako, based out of Te Whanganui-a-Tara/Wellington . Peti has many years of Hospitality experience working …
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James Frood

South Island Kaiako
James is our Kaiako, based out of Ōtautahi/Christchurch. James is an experienced Kaiako, with twenty years in the hospitality …
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Sam Oates

South Island Kaiako
Sam is one of our South Island Kaiako, based out of Ōtepoti/Dunedin. Sam is passionate about facilitating the personal …
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Wendy Remmington

North Island Kaiako
Wendy is our resident North Island Kaiako, based out of Tāmaki Makaurau/Auckland. Originally from Scotland, Wendy is known for her …
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Adam Jones

South Island Kaiako
Adam is our Kaiako, based out of Ōtepoti/Dunedin. As an experienced restaurant manager, coach, personal trainer and youth mentor, Adam …
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Piet van de Klundert Kaiārahi/Director

Piet van de Klundert

Kaiārahi/Director
Piet is our Kaiārahi/Director at The Learning Place. He holds a Bachelor of Arts-History, a Bachelor of Management and Innovation …
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Trudy Quirk

Sales and Marketing Manager
Trudy is our Sales and Marketing Manager and School Liaison.  Bachelor of Applied Management. Trudy's background is as a …
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Michael Wood

Academic Manager
Michael is our Academic Manager. He holds a Post Graduate Certificate in Teaching and a Bachelor of Arts in History …
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Yonina Jamieson

Moderation Manager
Yonina is our Moderation Manager. She holds Graduate Diploma in Secondary Teaching and a Bachelor of Arts in English and …
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Bona Hicks

Online Coordinator
Bona is our Online Coordinator. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology and is an experienced Duty Manager.  Bona …
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Savannah Simon

Bookings & Marketing Coordinator
She has experience in providing outstanding customer service, addressing inquiries and resolving issues to maintain high levels of client satisfaction …
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