Our teachers - (Back) Chiara, Roberto, Rosa, Lisa, Anita, (Front) Maria, Brunella
Originally from Rome, Maria has lived in New Zealand since 1989 and has long been a valued part of the Italian language community in Christchurch. After working as a primary school teacher, she went on to teach Italian at the University of Canterbury for more than 15 years. She now shares her love of the language and of Italian culture through the Dante School, where she also serves as School Director. Maria also coordinates Interpreting New Zealand in Christchurch. Together with Dante Auckland, Maria offers a full-immersion Summer School for Italian students, usually held over five days in late January. Over the past decade, she has also organised annual study tours to Italy, including a residential language immersion programme for students and a regional cultural tour open to both students and non-students.
Brunella was born in Rome and spent part of her childhood in Sorrento. After studying Psychology at the University of Rome "La Sapienza", she began her career as a primary school teacher in Italy. Her teaching journey later took her to England, where she worked as a lettrice at Lancaster University and taught Italian at adult colleges in Lancaster, Morecambe, and Preston. After moving to New Zealand, she continued teaching Italian at Christchurch Polytechnic. For the past 15 years, Brunella has combined her love of language and cuisine, teaching both Italian and Italian cooking in Christchurch.
Chiara is from the Friuli Venezia Giulia region in north-eastern Italy, near Venice. She graduated in Education and Teaching from the University of Trieste and spent several years in Italy working with children and young people with disabilities. Her passion for travel and languages later took her to South America, where she lived for five years and completed a postgraduate qualification in Teaching Italian as a Foreign Language. She taught at institutions including the Italian Embassy Institute in Santiago and the Dante Alighieri in Antofagasta. Since moving to New Zealand, Chiara has taught Italian in Auckland, online, and in Queenstown. She joined the Dante Society teaching team in Christchurch in 2024 and is also part of our committee. |
Lisa is originally from Rome and has lived in New Zealand since 2007. Before moving here, she spent 13 years in London, where she completed a degree in European Studies and worked with international students. Since settling in New Zealand, Lisa has taught Italian at high schools in Christchurch and Dunedin, through Continuing Education programmes, and in private lessons. She has also taught Italian cuisine and has worked as a trained Italian-English interpreter for Interpreting New Zealand since 2012. Other than being our Italian teacher, Lisa serves on our committee and is the organiser of films for CineDante.
Rosa was born and raised in Apulia, in southern Italy, and has always had a passion for languages. She studied Foreign Languages at the University of Bari and continued her education in Italy, England, and France. Her love of languages and travel led her to work as a language teacher for an Italian cruise ship company, where she taught students of different nationalities and professional backgrounds, helping them improve their Italian for life and work on board. After a year at sea, Rosa completed a postgraduate diploma in Digital Communication in Milan, where she lived for four years before moving to New Zealand at the end of 2017. Today, Rosa works in marketing in New Zealand and is pleased to be part of the Dante Society teaching team, where she shares her love of Italian language and culture with her students.
Roberto is from Apulia in southern Italy. He holds a Bachelor's degree in Foreign Languages and Literatures, a Master's degree in Translation with a focus on Applied Linguistics, and a CEDILS qualification in Teaching Italian as a Foreign Language. Before moving to New Zealand, Roberto spent time in Spain, Ireland, and Australia, where he studied, travelled, and gained valuable work experience. While living in Adelaide, he worked as a language assistant in primary and secondary schools for the Dante Alighieri Society of South Australia. Roberto moved to New Zealand in 2014 and now works in public libraries. Roberto also organises the Italian Book Club. |
