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.

“The children really liked him and were very very happy with the first session. Pieta stated that she was trying to get a grip on torque (for physics) all term and five minutes with Jackson she got it. She thought he was really patient, calm, clear conscience and explained concepts and his ideas really well. Toby said he was really cool and smart, happy to continue to work with him.”

Toby’s & Pieta’s mother Donna, September 2015
Year 10 & Year 12, Biology, Chemistry, English, Mathematics & Physics

""I just wanted to thank you for hooking us up with such a fantastic tutor for Tom. Megan has been wonderful!

Kindest regards and a Merry Christmas!"

Tom 's mother Heidi, December 2025
Year 9 English

“Just want to pass on some great news. Ben has passed a Maths Internal with Merit!!!! This is the first Merit he has received in Maths.

So we feel very satisfied that Tuition is good for Ben. He also is very happy with James and pleased that he swapped.”


Ben’s mother Sarah, April 2016
Year 12, Mathematics & Physics


 

“Tom has improved his test scores in maths and will be up streamed soon we hope. His confidence has improved hugely and that is due to the knowledge and understanding Sean has given him. Sean was easy to get on with, a great role model and very smart and appropriate at all times, a great teacher.”

Tom’s mother Jo, January 2016
Year 10, Mathematics

"Melanie had exactly the right approach to engage Elsie about Maths. We all enjoyed Wednesday nights - and Elsie made real progress. Her confidence and enjoyment of the subject improved and she got improved test results - having struggled to "get" maths all the way through High School."

Elsie’s mother Mary-Anne, December 2009
Year 12, Level 2 Mathematics

"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

"FYI - we are very pleased with Sam's progress. Considering she was planning not to continue with statistics, with tutoring she has grown in confidence and achieving. It has been good that there was some degree of flexibility and we relied on Sam to work things out with the tutor. I think this has helped her take responsibility & make sure she was getting what she needed."

Sam’s mother Kathryn, October 2013
Year 13, Statistics

“Anna was simply fabulous! An amazing tutor with such energy and personality! My children are both hoping they can secure her again this year. As Madeline said she made learning seem fun!! (:”

Madeline’s mother Louisa, January 2016
Year 10, Mathematics & Science

"We found Caitlin excellent as tutor, Rebecca reports that she was very knowledgeable about the material and even lent her a text book for study. Rebecca related well to Caitlin and enjoyed her sessions. We are very grateful for having found your service, as I believe correspondence on its own would have been sadly lacking – I think there is definitely room for some improvement in their resources and methods of instruction, the assigned teacher at the school was pleasant but Rebecca had little contact outside of brief written comments on her work papers."

Rebecca’s mother Noreen, November 2011
Year 12, Level 2 Mathematics

“Just a note to let you know how thrilled Daisy is with her results for NCEA Level 1 … she attributes her success in no small part to Helena and her expert tuition, which gave her the confidence to believe in herself and  do so well. Thank you to you too for helping organise all this for us and for getting Helena to us. She not only achieved her 50 Excellence credits (which was her original goal for the year) but in fact exceeded 100 Excellence credits, which means she will be awarded with the top academic honour at St Margaret’s in the form of a red academic bar for surpassing 100 E’s. Only 12 girls achieved this last year in level 1 (there will be more this year as Daisy is in a very bright year group).  She achieved an Excellence endorsement for 4 subjects out of 6 … one of which was Physics which stunned and thrilled her. She was extremely close to getting Excellence endorsements in both Chemistry and Maths also … the algebra external which she failed in her mock exams at school she got an E for in the external.  When I reflect on how she was struggling with her confidence ..with confusion creeping in at around Easter last year when I first got in touch with you …to see her confidence and ability blossoming, the tutoring made all the difference and was worth every cent.”

Daisy’s mother Lorelei, January 2015
Year 11, Chemistry, Mathematics & Physics

"Hey Mel, just thought I’d tell you I ended up getting a merit in human evolution and achieved in gene expression and patterns of evolution :) thank you so much for all last year’s help. Hope you have a great year!"

Sarah, January 2012
Year 13, Biology

"Thanks for your email. Yes [Markus] said it was good (high praise from a teen!)
He said Kopila was helpful so please pass on my thanks to her and we will see her next week."

Markus' mother Sarah, March 2024
Year 12, Biology and 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 wanted to let you know that Ruby got fabulous results in her externals thanks to Joe, yourself and your staff. She even got an excellence and 2 merits in accounting and had never achieved more than an achieved until then.

Thanks again for having this awesome business."

Ruby’s mother Keryn, January 2014
Year 11, Accounting & Mathematics

"There are many things I understand better due to tuition. Firstly and most importantly, I found the most improvement in my electronics and magnetism test compared to the section of electronics and magnetism in the end of year exam (I got full marks in that section compared to the 65% I got in the unit test). I believe I struggled with it when I did the unit test but I found it far easier in the exam due to the tuition lessons I had been taking. Secondly I remember the huge improvement in geology. Geology was probably one of my weakest science subjects but due to tuition I actually started to enjoy it. I think that is because I actually didn't understand it properly before I started tuition. I learnt that you can really dislike a subject because you simply don't understand it but on the contrary, once you understand the principles, it could be very enjoyable. I also got good marks for that in the end of year exam."

Shalini, December 2008
Year 10, Mathematics & Science

“Thanks so much for the learning support and can you please give Jeremy a massive thumbs up from Josh and I? He is the perfect tutor – turns up on time, is polite, focused, friendly to Josh and does a great job of teaching. Josh mentioned they covered a few topics in the Physics exam that he would not have passed if he didn’t have Jeremy’s help. We have been super happy with Jeremy.”

Josh’s mother Carne, November 2015
Year 12, Physics

"My exams went surprisingly well. I passed everything and got a merit in waves and algebra. Thanks so much for your help."

Rachael Peri, December 2008
Year 12, Level 2 Chemistry, Mathematics & Physics

“Good evening Melanie,

Things went really well. He was very good at explaining things. It was a massive help. I will be putting the time in on study at my end now and hope it sticks. 

I will be in touch soon to arrange another session.

Kind regards, Dan”

Daniel, July 2016
Diploma in Electrical Engineering, Mathematics

“Sean has been outstanding, as always, and Tom has had fantastic marks this year, graduating middle school with a Distinction, Sean has been instrumental in this.  He has also been wonderful with Ethan, who can be a challenging boy at times!

I hope you have a lovely Christmas, and thank you to you and Sean for all your support this year.

Best wishes, Jo”

Ethan’s and Tom’s mother Jo, December 2016
Year 6 & Year 10, Mathematics & Science

"My tutor was very helpful and went the extra mile by giving [me] lots of exam papers. I passed all my unit standards and internals - the ones I failed before I started tutoring. It was nice how everything was taught step by step. I had more understanding and wasn't rushed. Thanks."

Nastassja Schoeman, December 2008

Year 13, Level 3 Calculus

"I wanted to let Finlay know that Andy did get excellence in his physics papers.
So please pass that on to Finlay and a big thank you to you too."

Andy's mother Lyndal, January 2026
Year 12 Physics

"Thank you so much for organising Tania for us. She's been brilliant. We're keen to have her back next year - starting Term 1, just to keep Laura focused! Our whole household is less stressed with Laura feeling calmer about her exams."

Laura's mother Abbey, November 2025
Year 12 Mathematics & Physics

“I would just like to pass on thanks to Mo for the great Job he did with Adam in such a short time! He went from NA in mocks for Chemistry and Physics to passing both with Merit.

Will definitely be back and will recommend him to others.”

Adam’s mother Jayne, January 2015
Year 11, Chemistry & Physics

"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."

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

"Thank you so much for sending the report.
We’ve shared it with Sota’s parents in Japan as well.
It really gives a clear picture of how he’s been working on his tasks each time.

Sota often tells us how great Isabella is as a tutor.
We really appreciate her patience and the way she supports him.
We truly feel that Sota’s progress so far is thanks to her help.

He was also able to achieve in the recent NCEA internal exam.
As he now starts preparing for the external exams, we’d really appreciate your continued support in helping him work on his weaker areas.

Thank you."

Sota's guardian Mari, June 2025
Year 13 Biology

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.