Anna-Maria had a Dutch mother and an Irish father, grew up in Dunedin and Wellington and has lived in Paekākāriki for 26 years.
Anna-Maria is an artist and historian who is into plants, people, pets, art and music.

She came for ‘cheap rent’ after leaving a Newtown flat as she already knew a few people, staying with a friend then house- and pet-sitting here.
Anna-Maria moved with a partner into an Ocean Road house where there was already some lovely planting and now shares an historic Paekākāriki house. She once worked in a nursery and loves growing things.

She has mostly worked locally; nannying, gardening, and is currently a teacher aide at Paekākāriki School and loves working in the team there and with the kids who are, she says, really engaged. She produces a kid’s radio show fortnightly on weekend mornings and a monthly classical music show on Paekākāriki FM. She has noticed changes in her time here.

“This is a nice place to live if you love the outdoors as I do’, she says, ‘but it’s difficult to rent. I really enjoy living in my flat with other people.“