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.

"Chloe really enjoyed the tutoring lesson with Ciara today, she came back to the car very happy and excited to be working with Ciara.
Thank you to Ciara for providing Chloe with a bit of homework each week, it will keep Chloe's brain busy."

Chloe's mother Jenny, February 2025
Year 8, English

"Thanks for everything - exams went well and just await results in January. Jackson was delightful and has the makings of a great teacher / communicator of science - a young man going places!"

Josie’s mother Juliet, November 2014
Year 12, Chemistry & Physics

"It all seemed to go well! Anna appreciated the time taken to establish how she likes to learn. 
There was some homework set, and Anna has this completed already.
I think it's going to be a good thing for Anna's confidence and self belief.
Thank you."

Anna's mother Gillian, May 2025
Year 12, 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

"Many thanks for Jackson's report on George's progress. We have been so impressed with Jackson - he certainly packs a lot into an hour! George has found him very easy to relate to."

George’s mother Judith, October 2014
Year 12, Biology, Chemistry & Mathematics

"Thanks so much for the progress report. I am thrilled with the progress Harry has made in this area. He seems much more confident when doing his English homework. He also can now see the benefits from this extra tuition with his results at school."

Harry’s mother Jane, May 2012
Year 11, Level 1 English

"As a result of having tutoring I feel I understand every topic a lot better. Before I started tutoring I thought I understood the topic but test results said a different story. After having tuition I found I had a better understanding of the topics in general and most of the time I understood what the question was asking.

I thought that Melanie was very helpful in explaining easy ways to understand what the question meant. In Solving Probability problems during the year my report was not achieving at the end of the year it changed to Achieving well my results changed from a not achieved to a merit. Understanding the language they used in Probability was my biggest problem I feel tutoring really helped this subject improve as I grasped what they were really trying to ask.

In the subject Applying Probability Distributions my results changed from not achieving to a merit. This is because I learnt when to apply binomial or Poisson or normal distributions. I learned the difference between these three distributions and it helped improve my test results.

In the topic Using Confidence intervals my results changed from not achieved to an achieved but I feel that the practice and revision I did between the last school results and the final NCEA exam that hopefully my results are higher than that. I feel more confident with this topic now.

Finally with the topic solving equation I could only ever do the simultaneous equations and not the graph part. I use to avoid this paper and did not do it in the school practice exam. So I do not have any results to show how I have improved but I feel with the lessons I have received that I can now answer all questions in this topic and I find it the most enjoyable and the easiest topic to do out of all of them."

Kate McDonald, December 2008
Year 13, Level 3 Statistics

"Just wanted to say how thrilled we are with Caitlin's tuition. In addition to the skills and knowledge she has helped Josh acquire she has given him a lot more confidence. We are very grateful to Caitlin and the service you provide."

Josh’s mother Lynnette, October 2013
Year 12, Biology & Chemistry

"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

“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

 

“I have nothing but praise for the way this business is run. From the first contact (with Melanie I think) she was friendly, helpful and informative.

The tutor was excellent. My son kept going back which is a start! Plus his exam results were great.

I am very happy and would definitely recommend to family/friends as a positive, friendly and stress free experience. Some businesses are in your face with email/phone contact to introduce you to more of their opportunities but I found AHeadStart had none of that. With our busy lives these days it's annoying having lots of emails or phone calls etc, this was not the case at all.

Thank you to Melanie and her team at AHeadStart.

All the best and regards
Chris Peckham.”

Blake’s mother Chris, January 2016
Year 13, Physics

“I just thought I would let you know that she has achieved a Merit achievement in Accounting and a high achieved in Maths last week. She was so proud of herself as were we.

Thank you so much.”

Georgia’s mother Denise, June 2016
Year 11, Accounting & Mathematics

"Alice was amazing. Vincent enjoyed studying with her.
We are looking forward to see her again."

Vincent's mother Zsuzsanna, March 2025
Year 5, English

“Melanie showed me how to make better study notes and work more efficiently and how to answer questions.
Before tutoring I would not have passed my exam, I was struggling so much with the understanding of the subject. My tutor broke down the subject into small bits and we worked on them until I understood each bit and she made sure I could do the question on my own.
AHeadStart have helped me heaps with chemistry without them I would not have been able to be on the road to completing my degree.”

Olivia, January 2016
Human Nutrition, Chemistry

"Thank you so much for the Progress Report. We are really pleased with Blake and the progress Spike is making. It’s been excellent timing for him at school to keep up with the work and make him aware of looking into the future."

Spike’s mother Di, October 2013
Year 11, English

“Just finished [the Chemistry exam]. Feeling pretty confident. Was able to answer all the questions well. Evens “solids” ones. Couldn’t have done it without you. Thank you very much. Nick.”

Nick, November 2016
Year 12, Chemistry

“Ross found the [Calculus] exam very difficult and he said everyone felt the same. He flew through differentiation but he said the rest was very tough. Nonetheless he believes he has passed. Hope so!!

Thanks to Max for all his help and patience with Ross throughout this year. Ross really enjoyed working with Max.”

Ross’ mother Jeanie, November 2015
Year 13, Calculus

“Anna seemed a bright girl and Claudia enjoyed her first tutoring. Claudia achieved a Merit in her first Physics Internal that she received her results today.”

Claudia’s mother Victoria, June 2016
Year 12, Physics

"Yea Sophie loved it. By the way, Maths is by far and away the toughest thing for Sophie. Prior to her tutoring Sophie's last exam resulted in an achieved. The good news is since getting Kelly's help, Sophie just received four excellence credits on her latest maths test. Please accept our heartfelt thanks to you and Kelly."

Sophie’s father Simon, June 2012
Year 12, Level 2 Mathematics

"Jack has been very appreciative of the tuition!!

Thanks so much for such a great service you offer! 

It's been awesome!!"

Jack's mother Amanda, December 2024
Year 13, Calculus

"AHeadStart was an amazing find! I wish I'd found it sooner! =) It helped me so much, it gave me confidance in maths!! made science interesting!!! and above all improved my school grades, to a level at which I'm winning an award for exellence in science! I came top of my class this year, and AHeadStart helped me there. I can't believe I'm typing this, but I now enjoy maths and science = P Thank you very much!"

Year 10 Student, December 2009
Mathematics & Science

"Kia ora Melanie,

Neve loved Ruby as a tutor. Her friendly, calm demeanour made her feel confident and at ease. I have loved coming in and listening to them, laughing away and engaging in some wonderful discussions and learning. She will be missed. 

Ngā mihi
Kate"

Neve's mother Kate, October 2024
Year 10, English & Mathematics

“The most helpful thing about tutoring is I learnt different techniques that I wasn't taught in school and that helped me to remember how to do something. Before I used AHeadStart I was failing all my tests, but this year my results have changed so much and I ended up passing NCEA with 104 credits.”

Nicole, January 2014
Year 12, Level 2 Chemistry, Mathematics & Physics

“Hi Melanie

Having Aria as Mackenzie's tutor for Maths has been the best decision - it has made a huge difference to her understanding of the topic. This has shown up in her confidence and been reflected in her grades at school. One to one lessons has been the great benefit compared to the classroom where she struggled to get the teachers attention for most of the year. Mackenzie did well in her internal geometric reasoning exam and felt confident going into the end of year exam - however she said it was a strange exam compared to what they had been learning so end results will tell.

So please give Aria a huge thank you and we would love to have her time again next year. Overall I am pleased with your service and the reports provide Mackenzie with great support.

So best wishes for the end of the year and I will re-enrol for next year.

Many thanks, Bronwyn”

Mackenzie’s mother Bronwyn, November 2016
Year 11, Mathematics

“Melanie, I meant to call you on Friday to say how delighted Jordan was with the pack and goodies and how impressed both he and Fletcher were with Michael. They said he's making physics sound so achievable.
Please pass on my congratulations to Michael - he may be able to crack the 'code' and get Jordan excited about science again.
Looking forward to tomorrow. Liza.”


Jordan’s mother Liza, April 2016
Year 12, Physics

 

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.