Marnie’s story

Meet Marnie Sutherland (Ngāti Ranginui), School Relationship Manager

Kia ora, I’m Marnie Sutherland, and I’m 4 supporting positive educational outcomes for ākonga.

I’ve always loved working in education. I actually started out as a teacher, retrained as a counsellor, and through that journey, I’ve found my way to N4L.

No two days at N4L for me are the same — in the morning, I might be pulling on my gumboots and walking around a school field with one of our school’s principals, the next, I could be in one of the largest classrooms in the country.

I don’t have a technical background, but I do have a lot of experience in working with people. Particularly students and what they need and what they’re going through. Knowing this deeply helps me connect schools with what they truly need and break down any of the technical jargon along the way. That feels important to me — humanising the experience, whether it’s got to do with technology or just the relationships we make. I love contributing to that as part of a wider kaupapa.

I’m motivated by the whakataukī, ‘he waka eke noa,’ which essentially means ‘we’re all paddling this waka together’. It’s that feeling that’s at the heart of who I am and the work I do — partnering with our schools and working alongside each other every step of the way. It’s about creating the feeling that we’re all here, motivated by the same goal, which is to make learning opportunities and connecting through technology as easy as possible for our ākonga.

If you liked Marnie’s story you can read more on our careers page.