Meet the team

Who is Esmie?

Esmie moved to New Zealand over a few years ago now with her family. She love to explore the world through the eyes of her two boys; Sean who is eight years old and Rudi who is five years old. She believes a family centred approach is critical to the success of therapy. Working together with each family to unlock each client’s full potential.

Esmie completed her Bachelor’s of Science degree in Occupational Therapy in 2005 at the University of the Witwatersrand in South Africa. She worked at a paediatric private practice and her interest developed in sensory integration therapy. She completed her Master of Science degree in Occupational Therapy in neurological and developmental development in 2013.

Esmie worked in sensory and developmental paediatrics since then. She is passionate about engaging kids in learning using all their senses. Esmie has worked with a wide variety of clients and ages.

Esmie still dreams of completing her doctorate degree in the paediatric field of Occupational Therapy.

Who is Hayley?

Hayley is an Occupational Therapist who cares deeply about helping people feel more confident, connected, and well in their everyday lives. Originally born in England and raised in New Zealand, she now shares life’s everyday joys and chaos with her partner Stephen, their young son Owen, and their spirited Border Collie, Korra — who together make every day a little louder and a lot more fun.

Hayley studied Occupational Therapy at Auckland University of Technology and has spent her career working in a range of settings, from youth mental health and schools to primary health care. Her journey began with supporting children and young people through one-on-one and group-based therapy, where learning through doing was key to developing skills in emotion regulation. Over time, she expanded her work to include working with families and providing outreach support to communities with limited access to mental health services.

 In primary health care, Hayley worked alongside people of all ages, helping them find balance, build healthier routines, manage stress and anxiety, and reconnect with what matters most in their lives. Most recently, before going on maternity leave, she was part of the Learning Support Centre at Rangitoto College, where she supported students with diverse learning and emotional needs to feel more capable, seen, and supported at school.

At the heart of everything Hayley does is a deep belief in the power of emotional and sensory regulation and the magic that happens through play-based learning. She brings warmth, empathy, and a down-to-earth approach to her work, creating spaces where young people feel safe, heard, and empowered. Hayley is passionate about walking alongside children and teenagers as they grow, adapt, and discover what helps them thrive.

Who is Caroline?

Caroline is certainly no Occupational Therapist however she is the founder of both The Speech Room and The Move Room with her background being in Paediatric Speech & Language Therapy.

Caroline tackles life with her two beautiful daughters at full speed. Ava and Aubrey. Ava has had several hiccups over the last several years with profound hearing loss being the most life-changing experience of them all. Although Ava has a cochlear implant it doesn't give her access to the hearing world to support her speech development and therefore New Zealand Sign Language (NZSL) is her main mode of communication. The family went through so many different emotions initially however they have discovered the beauty in NZSL and feel so fortunate to be part of this culture. This has shaped her into the Therapist she is today and helped her to connect with her clients and their families. With Ava in mind she wanted to be able to offer a multidisciplinary approach which is why she started The Speech Room and The Move Room.

Caroline studied a Bachelor of Speech and Language Therapy at Massey University and graduated in 2008. She spent just shy of 10 years working in a special school initially and then on to private practice when an opportunity she couldn’t pass up dropped into her lap (or in this case in her email inbox) and that was to open her own private practice (known as The Speech Room) based at The Connection in early 2018. The opportunity to continuously learn from the other Practitioners and work collaboratively has been invaluable. Since then both The Speech Room and The Move Room have moved to their own premises located in Albany. This allowed for the growth of the two clinics and also provide more use of specialised equipment for the Occupational Therapist.

With Ava in mind she wanted to provide an occupational therapy service that reflected the high standard The Speech Room offers and with a lot of hard work and determination that was how The Move Room transpired.
Caroline is often involved in joint sessions (SLT and OT) offering support and recommendations around speech and language development.