Born and raised in Taranaki, Tineka is the proud owner of Lingua. She has a wealth of experience in language teaching and is extremely passionate about the value of learning another language.

Tineka lived abroad for many years and her love for different languages and cultures developed over time through travel and working in other countries. It brings her great joy to see those in our local community embarking on their language learning journeys.

She also feels strongly about the importance of doing all we can to ensure the beautiful migrants that have chosen to make Taranaki their home, are well supported in every way possible, most importantly with the challenges of a different language and culture.

It also brings Tineka great joy to provide a space where Lingua’s talented team of tutors can share their passion for language and culture, with each bringing their own unique cultural background and experiences to the classroom.

Originally from near Cognac, France, Justine left home at 15 to study photography. Her creative path took her through Paris, Strasbourg, and Montpellier, where she studied cinema, special effects, and animation.

In 2017, she moved to New Zealand as an au pair after traveling through Europe and South Australia. Now based here, Justine is a passionate traditional artist who paints and sculpts daily.

She also plays piano, dabbles in drums, loves cooking, trying new flavours, and playing board games.

Alongside her art, Justine shares her love for French language and culture by teaching at Lingua. Having learned other languages herself, she brings a fun, relatable approach to her lessons.goes here

Jeanne was born in Madagascar. She arrived in France when she was 4, grew up in the South, then lived in Grenoble and Lyon on her own before travelling to New Zealand for a planned 12 month holiday in 2018. Life decided otherwise though, as 6 months after arriving, Jeanne met a special someone in New Plymouth who is now her husband. Almost 8 years later, Jeanne is now a permanent resident and loves living in Taranaki.

Being part of Lingua is a real joy for Jeanne as she loves sharing her fiercely strong passion for France, its culture and diversity. She never tires of teaching French and talking about France because it simply fills her cup. Learning with Jeanne is fun, interactive and lessons are mostly based on everyday situations.

Aside from teaching, Jeanne loves the fashion industry, the arts, cooking (of course), gardening (a lot) and travelling with her husband across the globe.

Wolfgang is delighted to be at Lingua as your guide into the fascinating world of the German language. He’s a fully qualified teacher, trained in Germany and also certified right here in New Zealand. 

He grew up in the beautiful Southwest of Germany - a region rich in history, charm, and culture, with roots reaching back to Roman and even pre-Roman times. It’s a place many international travellers fall in love with - and it was there that his own love for language and teaching began. Over the years, he’s had the privilege of teaching German as a foreign language at all levels - from absolute beginners to university entrance. 

Wolfgang speaks three languages fluently, has travelled widely, and is proud to call New Zealand home - a country he happily made his permanent residence many years ago. 

Whether you’re learning German for travel, study, work, or simply the joy of it, he looks forward to making the journey both enjoyable and rewarding for you. Time to get started - or as they say in German: Los geht’s!

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Kristie has a long-standing connection with Italy, having lived and worked in Milano, Genova, and across Tuscany for over 10 years in the late 1990s and early 2000s. Her career began at the NZ Consulate in Milano and included interpreting for the All Blacks and Team NZ, as well as supporting many cultural and commercial ties between Italy and New Zealand. She spent summers sailing the Mediterranean, immersing herself in the region’s diverse cuisines, dialects, and history.

Kristie's Italian experience and her husband's shared passion for Italian food, led her to a role at Vetro/Ottimo as duty manager about 10 years ago, while raising their three children. She is a founding member of the Italian-speaking community group and now combines her deep love for Italian culture and language with a primary teaching qualification to deliver engaging, personalised Italian lessons to all our students.

Mari is originally from Yokohama, Japan, an international port city shaped by its multicultural history. Raised in a family deeply connected to languages - her father fluent in English and Spanish and her mother a Japanese–English translator - she developed an early appreciation for linguistic and cultural diversity.

At university, she studied archaeology and journalism, developing a particular interest in Islamic culture and architecture. After graduating, she worked as a travel writer and editor across Europe and Asia, while also studying Arabic and Arabic calligraphy.

Mari later moved to New Zealand, where she founded a publishing and media company connecting Japan and NZ, working with organisations such as Air New Zealand and Tourism New Zealand. She wrote extensively about New Zealand culture and society for Japanese audiences and continues to write today.

Her passion for the Japanese language eventually led her into teaching. In 2025, she completed the New Zealand Certificate in Language Teaching (NZCLT). Having lived in New Zealand for nearly 30 years, she takes pride in maintaining her Japanese language and cultural heritage.

“Japanese is a beautiful language that reflects the seasons, nature, harmony, and respect for others,” she says. In her classes, she blends students’ interests with meaningful language and cultural learning. Alongside teaching, she practises Japanese tea ceremony and Arabic calligraphy.

Fanfei Zhang is a passionate Mandarin tutor with a rich background in media, advertising, and cross-cultural communication. Born in China and later immigrating to New Zealand, Fanfei spent over a decade working in the media industry before transitioning to advertising, a career that took her around the world and allowed her to connect with people from diverse cultural backgrounds.

Growing up in a literary family, Fanfei developed a deep love for language and cultural exchange. This passion led her to become a Mandarin tutor in 2016, teaching international students and business professionals in China. In 2019, she joined Lingua Taranaki, where she helped students develop their Mandarin skills.

After 4 years returning to China during the Covid-19 period , Fanfei is now back in New Zealand and excited to continue her journey as a Mandarin instructor at Lingua. With her extensive experience and global perspective, she is dedicated to making language learning engaging, practical, and culturally enriching for her students.

From an early age, Deborah knew that she had a love of languages. She studied French throughout secondary school, then discovered a passion for Spanish while at university. After finishing a BA and a Diploma of Teaching, she went on to complete a Diploma of Spanish from Massey University.

Deborah currently teaches Spanish at a local secondary school. Since joining the Lingua team, she has taught adult classes in Spanish for beginners, as well as tutoring students in NCEA Spanish.

Learning a language can be extremely satisfying, as well as lots of fun, and Deborah enjoys the social side of classes at Lingua, where the supportive environment helps foster a lifelong love of languages in the students.

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Tania is from Mexico City. She started learning a foreign language (French) when she was 15 years old, and since then her interest in languages has never stopped growing. She has also studied some Arabic, Portuguese, and Italian. Through travel, study abroad experiences, movies, and interactions with people from different cultures, Tania has developed a deep respect and passion for languages.

Tania’s first calling was not teaching, though - she first worked as an architect, a career that spanned more than 20 years. However, it was her travels around the world - especially to New Zealand - that inspired her to change direction. She first visited New Zealand in 2016 and lived here for almost three years. In 2024, life brought her back again, this time to Taranaki, where she married a Kiwi.

Her experience of moving between countries opened the door to a new career in language teaching. In 2020, she specialised in teaching Spanish as a second language, and since then she has worked as an online tutor, teaching the three languages she speaks fluently: Spanish, French, and English.

Now Tania is part of Lingua, and she is delighted to work with people who share her passion for languages and cultural exchange.