Lynette Smith

Confidence isn’t always easy to come by. For Toi Ohomai hairdressing tutor, Lynette Smith, that is the most rewarding part of the job: inspiring confidence in her students, the clients that they work with and the employers that end up hiring them. Lynette is a tutor for the New Zealand Certificate in Hairdressing (Level 3) at our Windermere Campus in Tauranga. 

Lynette has a contagious optimism and passion for the industry, with more than 14 years’ experience as a tutor and 25 years industry experience. She believes in keeping her skills sharp and still works as a stylist in a hair salon when she is not teaching. 

From 2013 to 2017, she also operated her own hair salon, which gave her a good idea of what employers are looking for in graduates. Apart from the passion and energy she brings to the training salon, Lynette is also a respected, multi-award winning hair stylist, winning the NZ HITO Hairdressing Tutor of the Year award in 2012 and the NZARH Photographic Award (Bay of Plenty) in 2007, 2009 and 2012.   

“My goal is to equip my students with the confidence and skills that will allow them to be more than just great hair stylists; I want them to be able to deal with clients in a real salon environment, which is why we place so much emphasis on the practical aspects of our courses.”

“Spending so much time with these students means that we become more like family. I have trained many of the hair stylists across the Bay of Plenty region over the past 14 years and am always excited and happy to see them find success and make their mark on the industry,” says Lynette.