Our Story

We believe that personal relationships and genuine connections with others determine success. Our team go above and beyond every day to ensure that our Au Pairs, Nannies, Educators and our Families feel valued, understood and are supported every step of the way with exceptional service.

Dream Childcare launched in 2006 as New Zealand's first ever Au Pair agency, Dream Au Pair.

Tanya, a new mum to twin boys Jack and Fred, and three-year-old Isabel was searching for flexible and affordable childcare options when she discovered that New Zealand didn't have an Au Pair Agency. Her research showed that most Au Pairs come from Germany so she contacted a German Au Pair agency and asked them if they’d be interested in sending Au Pairs to New Zealand. She then called all her friends asking "who wants an Au Pair?" which is how it all began.

Dream Au Pair continued to grow and subsequently became licensed by the New Zealand Ministry of Education.

In 2017 Tanya purchased a Nanny agency and in 2019 a home-based Educator agency. Dream Childcare is now New Zealand's one stop shop for all your home-based childcare solutions. We match Au Pairs, Nannies and home-based Educators with Kiwi Families.

The Dream Vision is to "make family life easier" by offering tailored personalised childcare advice and solutions to Kiwi families.

Our team have been providing quality home based childcare options to Kiwi Families for over 15 years and we will work with you to create in home childcare solutions based on the ages and stages of your children.

Why Choose Dream?

Handpicked
​We understand how important it is to find the right fit. Our friendly team takes the time to understand your unique needs so we can match Families with the best Au Pair, Nanny or Educator. We take into account personalities, lifestyles and individual expectations.

 

We hire only the Best
The quality of our Families, Au Pairs, Nannies and Educators is what makes our service so unique and we are proud of our high standards and reputation. We are committed to looking after our Au Pairs, Nannies and Educators and in return, they choose to stay with us throughout their careers.

 

Committed to Early Education
Our Dream Education Programme provides home-based teaching support for our Au Pairs, Nannies and Educators to maximise each child's growth and development. We are also proud members of the home-based Childcare Association.

 

Regular Social Events and Classes
We organise monthly events and run weekly classes where children, Au Pairs, Nannies and Educators have the opportunity to create genuine relationships and friendships.

 

Ongoing Support
Our friendly team will help with any questions you have along the way, you can always count on us to help you out. We take care of all of your legal employment documents and administer payroll on your behalf.

Meet our Team

Tanya

General Manager

Tanya is passionate about providing home-based childcare solutions to Kiwi families. In 2006 she started Dream Au Pair (with a toddler and baby twin boys), in 2017 she bought KiwiOz Nannies (now Dream Nanny) and in 2019 a home-based Educator agency. Tanya is also a Chartered Accountant with extensive corporate experience in human resources and recruitment. Tanya has travelled extensively and is a keen sailor.

Yulia

Admin Manager | PA to Tanya Burrage

Originally from Germany, Yulia came to New Zealand as an Au Pair in 2010… She fell in love with New Zealand and made it her permanent home. Yulia has worked for Dream Childcare for a number of years and enjoys the variety in her role, ensuring the smooth running of the business as well as assisting Tanya on all levels. Yulia brings with her a wealth of experience, having worked in Office Management, Customer Service, as a Nanny as well as working as an Event Coordinator and International Photographer for a Modelling Agency in Australia. Outside of work you will find Yulia spending time with her family and being creative.

Jill

Placement Manager

Jill came through to New Zealand in December 2014 and has been working with the Dream family ever since. Originally from South Africa, she has over 20 years’ experience in Recruitment, with the Au Pair and Nanny industry being a definite passion. Jill loves to work closely with families, Au Pairs and Nannies, so everyone has the best possible experience. She has a wonderfully big, blended family which also includes many Au Pairs over the years.

Ottalie

Placement Consultant

Ottalie has 8 years’ experience in customer service. She was previously an Au Pair in Australia and has been a Nanny in New Zealand with Dream Nanny so knows first-hand how to support our candidates and ensure they have a great placement with our Families. Originally from England, Ottalie likes to spend her spare time exploring this beautiful country.

Lana

Placement Consultant

Lana was born in the Netherlands with German, Greek and Eastern European roots but has spent most of her life in New Zealand. She brings with her 8 years of experience having most recently worked as an Administrator and Assistant at an orthodontic practice. Outside of work Lana enjoys spending time with her husband and daughter (and cat Chelsea!). She loves road trips, going on walks and gaming.

Lynette

Education Manager

Lynette has been working in the early childhood sector for 30+ years, with the last 15 years being in the home-based sector and the previous year’s managing early childhood centres and some years working as a Nanny whilst her children were small. She holds a Diploma of Early Childhood Education as well as having full teacher’s registration and is also holding a current 1st aid certificate. Lynette has a real passion for working with children and caregivers and thoroughly enjoys spending time sharing her knowledge and experience in supporting others in their roles. Lynette also enjoys planning and organising events for children and their caregivers to attend and enjoys seeing children’s wonder and excitement as they make their own discoveries as they investigate the environment they live in. In her spare time, she enjoys travelling overseas and exploring more of the world with her husband.

Amanda

Visiting Teacher

Amanda has been working in the early childhood sector for over 25 years. She has worked in centres for the majority of this time. After completing her Certificate in Early Childhood Education, she ventured overseas for a year and worked as a Nanny whilst there. On her return, she completed her Diploma of Teaching ECE. The following 20 years she moved up from a teacher to Supervise then Manager in a boutique under 2 centre in Birkenhead. Amanda has a passion for infants and toddlers and enjoys the special qualities of this specific age group. Amanda lives in Forrest Hill with her husband and 2 boys, Toby and Cooper. She enjoys spending time with her family and friends and is involved in all her children’s extra curricula activities.

Mell

Visiting Teacher

Hi I’m Mell, I have been working in the Early Childhood Education sector since 2009 and have experience with all age groups of children under six years old. I am a fully qualified and registered Early Childhood Teacher and enjoy exploring music and movement, Te Ao Maori, the natural environment and storytelling with children. I love working with children and their Au Pairs, Nannies and Educators and especially enjoy my role as a Visiting Teacher. I am from West Auckland and live there with my husband and son and love spending days at West Coast beaches or bush walking through the Waitakere ranges with my family.

Andrea

Visiting Teacher

Andrea has been working in the Early Childhood sector for over 28 years. She started off as a Nanny before working in Childcare Centres as a Teacher, Centre Manager, and even experienced setting up a brand-new Centre from scratch. She has been a Visiting Teacher for the last 8 years, and enjoys the variety of work the role offers. Andrea has a love for all ages, however, loves baby cuddles and having in-depth conversations with the 3-5 year old’s as they become more inquisitive. Andrea lives in Cockle Bay with her husband Dale and son Jack, she also has 4 young nephews which keep her busy. She enjoys spending time with family and friends, travelling in their caravan, baking, and loves watching cricket!

Kelly

Visiting Teacher

Kelly has had the privilege of working in the early childhood sector for over ten years, and completed a Bachelor of Teaching in 2015 after following her passion for working alongside young children and supporting their families. She has experience both within the home-based childcare community, and in a number of leadership roles in early childhood centres. Ultimately, her passion lies with home-based childcare, and she is thrilled to be stepping into the role as a Visiting Teacher for Dream Education. Kelly lives with her husband, two young children, and their golden retriever Archie. In her spare time, Kelly enjoys outdoor adventures, spending time in the kitchen baking, and travelling with her family. 

Sue

Visiting Teacher

Sue is passionate about Early Childhood Education and partnering with families in their child’s learning journey. She followed her lifelong dream and trained as an ECE teacher spending the last 37 years raising her Family (consisting of 1 husband, 3 children, 2 dogs, 5 cats, 2 lovebirds and a multitude of rabbits) in conjunction with  Managing Early Childhood Centres and home-based providers, mentoring families as a Family worker as well as tutoring Nannies in the Diploma of Early Childhood Care and Education She has a heart for children and their families and desires to encourage parents and caregivers by empowering them with skills and knowledge. Her main aim in life is to make a positive impact on those around her – family, young children, young adults, Early Childhood Teachers and families and to make a difference in the lives of others with a sprinkle of world wide travel thrown in there for personal growth and family bonding.

Martin

Finance Manager

Martin has managed the financials for Dream Childcare for over 8 years. Martin is responsible for our general accounting functions and is the payroll expert. He manages the Dream Education enrolments and timesheets as well as 20 hours ECE and WINZ subsidies. He is here to help you with the financial aspects of employing a Nanny, Au Pair or Educator. Martin is originally from Canton in China and has lived in New Zealand for over 10 years with his wife and two children.

Lauren

Nanny Payroll and Accounts

I was born in Cape Town, South Africa and moved to New Zealand at the age of 16. I come from a background of hospitality. I started off working front of hours, moved to accounts payable, admin manager and then payroll coordinator for one of the biggest bar and restaurant groups before entering my role at Dream Nanny. I have two cheeky little boys who keep me on my feet, but I wouldn’t have it any other way.

Rosie

Dream Office Mascot

Rosie is our office dog. She is an integral part of the team as she brightens up everyone’s day and is always ready to play or curl up on your lap and take a nap. On her days off you’ll find Rosie at the beach with mum Tanya.

What Others Say

Our Vision and Values

Making family life easier

At Dream we go above and beyond every day and our number one focus is making family life easier.

Defining and articulating our values was a team effort. We spent time together to brainstorm our 'Dream' Values which was surprisingly easy as every one of us agreed wholeheartedly on our values below.

We have all committed to living the 'Dream' Values every day so we have incorporated our values into every aspect of the business. They are proudly displayed on our office walls, incorporated into all our documentation and every month in our company meeting we start with shout outs to those team members who have demonstrated these values.

We partner with Au Pairs, Nannies, Educators, Families and overseas sending partners who share our 'Dream' Values.

Dream Values