Call us today: 021 156 9281

 

Melanie Coker small.jpg"Hi, I'm Melanie Coker, the  founder and director of AHeadStart Ltd. Tutoring from AHeadStart provides students with the tools to achieve their best, no matter what level they are at.

Starting from five tutors in 2009, AHeadStart now has more than 40 tutors in Christchurch. Over 4,000 students have so far benefitted from our tuition. So many have gone on to achieve degrees they would never have believed possible while at school. Tuition with AHeadStart has opened their minds to the possibilities, altered their dreams for the better and ultimately changed their lives.

I will personally guide each student through the start of their tutoring journey, and make sure they have the best tutor to suit their needs. I give you my personal guarantee."

 

Why AHeadStart Tuition?

  • Personalised one-on-one tutoring in Christchurch - one-on-one or in small groups
  • Convenient Christchurch locations - in person at a local library or in your own home
  • Tuition for all levels - primary (literacy and numeracy), secondary (NCEA, Cambridge and IB) and adult students
  • Expert tutors - high achieving, excellent communicators with a passion for learning
  • Multiple subjects - our tutors can assist students with several subjects within each tutorial
  • Choice of tuition plans - select your desired level of guidance, including progress reports
  • Online tutoring - available all across New Zealand
  • Great value - from $63 per hour for a one-on-one tutorial in person
  • Payment options - pay per tutorial, or in bulk for a 10% discount
  • No fixed term - choose how many tutorials you need to achieve your goals

Contact us for a FREE consultation

 

PERSONALISED ONE-ON-ONE TUITION

Individually customised tutorials match each student's own unique needs

Personalised


Our initial assessment and tailored lessons allows students to be taught more effectively, in a way that meets their own specific requirements.

One-on-one


Individual tuition benefits students as they focus better, increase their confidence and learn more.
 

Expert Tutors


We guide students in their studies and help them develop better study skills, so they perform their best in exams and assessments.

“Hi Melanie,

Thank you very much for organising the tutorial at such short notice. It was very much appreciated. Lorna sorted out entropy and also some mechanics in physics. She said Jackson was excellent – he explained issues very clearly.

Thanks again, Jane”

Lorna’s mother Jane, August 2016
Year 12, Chemistry & Physics

“Dawn said she had a very good experience & Aaron is a very good teacher. She got excellence for her NCEA English & Classics.
​I would like to take this opportunity to thank you for guiding her in her English subject.”

Dawn’s mother Doreen, January 2016
Year 13, English

“Thanks again to Max for his wonderful tutoring. Alex was excellence endorsed for stats. Please book him in again for this year. I think it would be very worthwhile to have his guidance.”

Alex’s mother Sandra, January 2015
Year 12, Mathematics

"As a result of my tuition, answering different kinds of exams, 1) has improved my confidence, 2) has taught me easier ways to solve problems. And step by step I have found myself loving the subject, and test marks have improved successfully."

Donia Hend, December 2008
Year 13, Level 3 Chemistry & Calculus

“Hi Melanie,

Ryan got his student pack, which we looked through together when he got home and I saw the letter then.

Ryan enjoyed his first lesson with Hayden. He wanted to talk about and discuss the things Hayden had taught him! Ryan said he likes Hayden’s teaching method.

Hayden speaking clearly and talking directly to him made it easier for Ryan to understand. Ryan talked about his teachers at school and he said one of his teachers talks quietly and mumbles a lot which makes it difficult for children in the class to understand him.

I think Hayden will help with Ryan’s confidence to ask more questions at school.

So I must say, it has been a very positive start and Ryan is looking forward to his next lesson.

Thanking you, Kerrie”

Ryan’s mother Kerrie, August 2016
Year 11, Mathematics & Science

"Lauralee and I would also very much like to thank you for your wonderful tuition at the end of last year. Lauralee attained an Excellence in Graphs and a Merit in Algebra, which absolutely thrilled her!! This was after the teacher at school suggested she should not take Maths in Year 12 due to her poor marks during the year! We have so much to thank you for! "

Lauralee’s mother Lisa, January 2012
Year 11, Level 1 Mathematics

"Hi Melanie,

Harry is a fantastic tutor and Scarlett has really enjoyed her lessons with him.

Kind regards,
Claire"

Scarlett's mother Claire, November 2024
Year 12, Level 3 Calculus

“Morning, Many thanks for Maddi’s progress report– Just wanted to say how pleased we are with the progress Maddi is making and we believe a lot of this can be contributed to Jackson’s fantastic way of teaching Maddi…
Kind regards, Sue”


Maddi’s mother Sue, April 2016
Year 11, Mathematics & Science

 

"Melanie showed Martina and Amy that the results are achievable it’s just a matter of hard work and not being afraid to ask. They have learnt a valuable skill."

Amy & Martina’s father Rob, December 2009
Years 12 &13

"We have just finished a lesson with Alexandria and I wanted to email to say how excellent she was with Flo. She explained concepts really carefully and in a language that Flo could understand, she checked in with Flo's understanding regularly, stretched Flo's understanding and gave lovely praise. 

I feel like we have won the lottery!

Thank you!"

Flo's mother Colette, August 2025
Year 7 English 

“We have found the services of AHeadStart to be wonderful, friendly and personalised. Nothing is ever a problem and they are happy to think outside the square to find solutions. We got tuition to expand our son's horizons and to make up some weaknesses his school has, rather than to improve his marks and AHeadStart has done this wonderfully. The fact our son has come away from NCEA level 1 with excellence is an added bonus."

Samuel’s mother Jasmine, January 2014
Year 11, Mathematics & Science

“Hi Melanie just wanted to let u know Holly did well at NCEA thanks to you. Acids bases excellence, genetics merit, mechanics achieved. Thanks for all your help, we will be in touch re your as needed this year."

Holly’s mother Erica, January 2013
Year 11, Science

“Can you please pass onto Jackson what a wonderful tutor he was this year for Danni. I have said we would be very interested in having him again next year.”

Danni’s mother Janine, November 2015
Year 11, Mathematics & Science

“Tuition helped Harry as he felt confident to ask & discuss what he didn't understand in this one-on-one environment, whereas he wouldn't ask questions in a class setting. Harry passed Science NCEA. Previous to tuition he had failed his non-credit tests. Harry gained confidence in his ability and in asking for help and learnt to go over old papers and be more strategic with his study.”

Harry’s mother Judith, January 2016
Year 11, Science

“The tuition helped immensely, prior to tuition, Edie felt like physics was a foreign language and she was not capable of understanding it. Her tutor made her see how easy it was and gave her loads of confidence because he knew exactly what she needed to learn to get good results in her exams.”

Gretchen’s mother Edie, January 2016
Year 13, Physics

"Shian was really happy with her tutoring yesterday and said it really helped so this is awesome yay!!"

Shian’s mother Jaimee, April 2015
Year 11, Mathematics

"I am so happy to have had Paula working with Abbie today, she is awesome!  She had the session well worked out and kept Abbie involved and interested.

As you know I have been worried that Abbie is missing out on some basic foundation steps in maths and spelling.  I now feel reenergized (how's MY spelling?) to work with Abbie myself through the week following Paula’s' lead on the Wednesday.

So many thanks."

Abbie’s mother Pam, May 2013
Year 3, English & Mathematics

"To Mel, Thank you so much for all your wonderful help. Best tutor ever! :D"

Jessie, November 2011
Year 12, Level 2 Mathematics & Physics

"Hi Melanie. You will be pleased to know that I passed all of my maths papers and even managed two merits for graphs and sequences. There is no doubt that these results stemmed from the tutoring you gave me so thanks again for your help."

Briar, January 2009
Year 12, Level 2 Mathematics

"Everything that Mel went over with me is so much clearer now. She went into detail to help me grasp the concepts I was struggling with. I felt a lot more confident going into my exams as a result of Mel's help. I am also fairly confident that my NCEA marks will have improved from my mock exams when I hadn't had any tuition from Mel."

Alice Christensen, December 2008
Year 12, Level 2 Chemistry, Mathematics & Physics

"We want to thank and acknowledge Ella's tutor Aimee, as she has been amazing while working with Ella and really helped her.
Thanks for all your help."

Ella's parents Regan and Emma, November 2025
Year 11 Mathematics & Science

"Olivia actually really enjoyed it. She has never had tutoring before. She has been taking French since yr 9 so that was something they had in common.
She was worried about arriving fatigued as she had been working hard on a physics internal last night. School and defensive driving course today before tutoring.
But she left feeling energised as she felt she was understanding the explanations Joran was giving.
She found out he also tutors stats which she is also taking. [It 's great] they able to cover different subjects if she gets to a point that she is more confident with physics."

Olivia's mother Fiona, October 2024
Year 13, Physics

"Anna was delightful! Madeline seemed relaxed with her, they appeared to be having fun whilst focusing and working hard together, so I am thrilled! There was lots of positive energy which Madeline thrives on as she is quite outgoing by nature. Thank you."

Madeline’s mother Louisa, July 2015
Year 10, Mathematics

"Neisha was very pleased with how the lesson went.  She has had a great week at school this week and has done very well in two of her science tests.  The confidence this has given her already is incredible. Thank you very much."

Neisha’s mother Nicola, July 2014
Year 10, Mathematics & Science

"The boys actually really enjoyed it and really liked Finlay so off to a great start, thank you.
Kathryn"

Logan's and Mason's mother Kathryn, February 2025
Year 11, Mathematics

TUITION FOR ALL LEVELS

Tutorials are available for primary, secondary and adult students

PRIMARY STUDENTS

Your child may require help to catch up in reading, writing or maths, gain confidence and build a strong foundation.

Or they may want extension in their favourite subject, or one not covered much at primary school, such as science or coding.

Whatever your child's goals, our primary school tutors will guide your child through every tutorial through regular assessment and lots of encouragement!

More About Primary Tuition >

SECONDARY STUDENTS

Secondary school can be a stressful time for students, especially with regular NCEA assessments throughout the year. Fitting study in around sports and other extracurricular activities can also be challenging.

Whether a student wants to gain enough credits to pass the year, or is aiming for a Merit or Excellence endorsement, our tutors can assist to make that goal a reality. And of course we can also help with Cambridge and International Baccalaureate.
 

 
More About Secondary Tuition >

ADULT STUDENTS

As an adult student it can often be difficult getting back into study, as it may have been years since you opened a text book. You may also be tacking an unfamiliar subject such as mathematics or science.

On top of this you may be studying part time or extramurally, so it may a challenge to fit study around your daily life. Our tutors can help you streamline the learning process, so you can get through your studies with confidence!
 

More About Adult Tuition >

MULTIPLE SUBJECTS

Our tutors can assist students with many subjects in each tutorial

  1. AHeadStart can assist students with 30 different subjects - Maths, English, Biology, Chemistry, Physics, Science and Accounting tutoring, are just a small selection.
  2. Most AHeadStart tutors have strengths in multiple NCEA, Cambridge and International Baccalaureate® (IB) subjects, even including subjects as diverse as English, Mathematics & Science!
  3. Flexibility of tutorial structure means students can choose which subjects the cover in a lesson. This means tutors can prepare students as best as possible before each school assessment.
  4. Students benefit by having one tutor to cover several subjects and make the most out of every tutorial.

 

 

Accounting

Secondary & Adult Tuition

English

Primary, Secondary & Adult Tuition

Mathematics

Primary, Secondary & Adult Tuition

Science

Primary, Secondary & Adult Tuition

OUR NUMBERS SAY IT ALL

Students

3,659+

 

Students have chosen AHeadStart

Tutors

40+

 

AHeadStart tutors to choose

Hours

60,702+

 

Hours of tuition provided

EXPERT TUTORS

Students choose their own tutor from a selection to match their specific needs

  1. Our team of Christchurch tutors are high achievers, excellent communicators and passionate about sharing their knowledge.
  2. Every tutor has personal experience of NCEA, Cambridge or IB at secondary school, and know what it takes to achieve success. Many tutors were Dux or Proxime Accessit, or involved in leadership positions such as Head Boy or Head Girl.
  3. Our tutors are selected via a very thorough interview process. All tutors are screened by the NZ Police prior to being placed with students.

 

TUITION PLANS

Students select a tuition plan to match their goals and level of motivation

ONE-ON-ONE TUITION

PLATINUM PLAN

For students who lack motivation and need guidance with their studies. Includes weekly homework and progress reports every 5 tutorials.

More Details

GOLD PLAN

For self-motivated students who take charge of their own learning and have questions about their school work.
 

More Details

GROUP TUITION

SILVER PLAN

For self-motivated students wanting personalised tuition in pairs.

Students need to have a sibling or friend they would like to have tuition with before choosing this plan.

More Details

GROUP PLAN

For self-motivated students who would like tuition in a small group.

Students need to have two siblings or friends they would like to have tuition with before choosing this plan.

More Details

TUITION FREQUENCY

Students choose how often they would like to see their tutor to match their needs

WEEKLY
 

  • Students have a regular weekly tutorial (or more) during the school terms.
  • Suits students who want consistent help throughout the year to stay on top of their schoolwork.

 

CASUAL
 

  • Students schedule tutorials as required, with no ongoing commitment.
  • Suits students who need help for a short period to catch up on missed work or assistance before assessments.
     

 

 

LOCATION, LOCATION, LOCATION

Tuition at a local library or in your own home

Libraries

15+

Libraries where
AHeadStart has tutorials

Suburbs

70+

Suburbs where students
can be tutored at home

CONVENIENT LOCATIONS

A range of locations to suit your needs

  

City Libraries


Christchurch Public Libraries and the University of Canterbury provide a studious environment and inspire students to use these spaces in their own learning time.

We Can Come To You


Home tuition is available in Christchurch for those with busy schedules and offers a familiar, safe environment for the student to learn.