Melisa Chase
He kakano ahau i ruia mai ki te puna wai ariki o Taupō-nui-a-Tia. Ko Tongariro te rangatira i tū mai nei, ko Tauhara te maunga, ko Nukuhau te marae, ko Ngāti Rauhotu te hapu, ko Waikato te kōpua kānapanapa, ko Ngāti Tūwharetoa tōku iwi. Ko te whānau Chase tēnei. He uri anoo ki Ngaati Korokii Kahukura, ko Karapiro te wairere anoo i karanga mai. Ko au te moemoeaa i te maunga kaamehameha o Maungatautari, ko Maungatautari te marae, ko Tainui te waka. Ko te whaanau Mana teenei. E mihi kotahitanga ana ki Te Arikinui Kuini Ngā Wai Hono i te pō, rire rire paimārie.
Melisa is an experienced education consultant based in Tāmaki Makaurau. She is approved to deliver Ministry of Education PLD in the following areas:
Aromatawai
Assessment
As a Ministry of Education approved facilitator in aromatawai and assessment, Melisa supports kura and schools to design approaches that are relational, purposeful, mana-enhancing, and grounded in Te Tiriti o Waitangi. She brings particular expertise in NCEA, standards-based assessment, and standardised assessment, helping leaders and kaiako use a wide range of assessment tools to inform teaching and learning. Melisa supports schools to move beyond surface-level reporting to build assessment literacy, interpret evidence with confidence, and evaluate impact in ways that strengthen practice, uplift learning, and affirm identity.
Melisa also supports kaiako and leaders on their Niho Taniwha journey, co-facilitating wānanga and workshops that grow cultural capability and affirm identity, language, and culture in practice. She is committed to mana-enhancing approaches that honour Te Tiriti o Waitangi and empower schools to design learning that uplifts Māori success.
Her facilitation draws on the science of learning, supporting teachers to embed practices that align with how the brain learns best. She partners with leaders and kaiako to strengthen curriculum and pedagogy, ensuring clarity of learning, effective assessment, and equitable outcomes across classrooms and schools.
Most of Melisa’s teaching career has been in mainstream (kura auraki) primary education, with additional experience in secondary school, specialising in Te Reo Māori, Tikanga ā-Iwi, Tourism, the International Baccalaureate Middle Years Programme (IB), and NCEA Levels 1–3. She has also taught in rumaki settings, bringing valuable experience in Māori-medium education. Her mahi has included mentoring Māori and Pacific ākonga, leading Mātauranga Māori initiatives as a Kāhui Ako in-school leader, and coordinating programmes with Te Aho o te Kura Pounamu.
A lifelong learner, Melisa has recently completed the Cox Campus Structured Literacy Certificate and a Post Graduate Certificate in Digital and Contemporary Learning at The Mind Lab. She also holds a Bachelor of Teaching from Te Wānanga o Aotearoa, as well as Poupou [MP4.1]Karanga and Poupou Huia te Reo qualifications from Te Wānanga o Raukawa. She is passionate about supporting kura auraki to honour Te Tiriti o Waitangi and create learning environments where all ākonga can thrive.
Toitū te Tiriti, Toitū te Reo Māori, Toitū te Aotearoatanga o Nu Tireni.
Here is the blog post that Melisa has written to share her thinking with the education sector:
