Chris Chase

Kia Ora and Hi, I'm Chris and I am stoked to be a part of the Matua Ngaru team this year! I am from the greater New York City area and have been in New Zealand just over a year and a half. I moved all the way here after reading about how New Zealand was rethinking their approach to designing new schools into Modern Learning Environments and Flexible Learning Spaces. These futuristic looking schools were a far cry from the ones I taught in overseas and I wanted to be able to teach in them to learn how to become a more flexible and confident educator. In my spare time, I like to get intentionally lost in the woods (some call that hiking :D) and snowboard, along with many other outdoor sports. I enjoy adventure sports photography as a hobby and do a little work freelance, so you might catch me with my camera down at Woodhill Mountain bike park, the west beaches at sunset, or on the side of the mountain at Mt. Ruapehu snapping skiers and snowboarders flying down the hill. I hope to bring all of my experiences and hobbies into my teaching to show the students at MNS that we can be one with the outdoors and take our sense of wonder and curiosity beyond the walls of the school to explore the world around us!