BOUTIQUE PILATES IN PONSONBY – 30 YEARS OF EXPERTISE, TAILORED TO EVERY BODY
Our Team
We pride ourselves on the excellence and experience of our Teacher Instructors.
Our team of instructors are highly qualified and experienced and are all certified under the auspices of Polestar Pilates Education. Most have degrees in human movement, physiotherapy, or dance and are part of the Polestar Pilates mentor team. All of the instructors continue to train and on a regular basis take continuing education courses to update their teaching skills.
The instructors are selected for their professionalism, reliability, motivation, and ability to customise a workout for the clients' specific needs and goals. The Polestar Pilates Studio's innovative and proven training methods, as well as frequent reviews, ensure that the staff is more than capable of providing the best quality of Pilates available.
Maree Seerden - Director
Maree Seerden is the Director and founder of the Polestar Pilates Studio, a Pilates conditioning and rehabilitation centre in the heart of Auckland city, New Zealand. This was the first Pilates studio to open its doors in New Zealand in 1995.
Maree has been a devotee to the technique since 1987, she started teaching Pilates-based exercises in 1992 in London at the famous Body Control studios in South Kensington under the auspices of Gordon Thomson. Maree has multiple international certifications in Pilates.
Maree and husband Andrew are the New Zealand Licensees for Polestar Pilates. She is also an Educator and Mentor for Polestar Pilates. Polestar Pilates NZ was established in New Zealand in 2002.
Annual international travel and workshops keep Maree networking within the Pilates community and they keep her up to date with the latest advances in the constantly evolving Pilates method.
Emily Adams
Emily fell in love with Pilates at the age of 17 where it was introduced to her during full time dance training at The New Zealand school of Dance. Since then Pilates has been a constant in her life, a regular practice, as it not only enhanced her dance career but her overall wellbeing and knowledge of movement and she is thrilled to share this with her clients and students on a daily basis.
During her dance career, she has had the pleasure of working with various overseas artists and Choreographers and she has been employed by many of the most high profile Choreographers and Companies in the New Zealand dance industry. This work has led her to perform and tour around the country and the world.
She managed a successful parallel career in both Pilates and Dance between 2007 – 2019 working for many different Pilates Studios and dance companies, and in 2014 she was eager to extend her Pilates teacher training, so began this with the Polestar Pilates method and gained qualifications in both Polestar Mat and Comprehensive.…and she has never looked back!
Emily began to delve deeper into the Polestar Pilates Education method and is currently a Polestar Mentor and Educator, and also works alongside Maree and Andrew Seerden (Polestar Pilates NZ Directors) as part of the Polestar NZ Administration and management team.
Emily loves her multiple roles with Polestar and thrives when working with her clients and mentoring Polestar Students, she considers it to be a privilege to share her passion for Pilates with others and is deeply invested in guiding each individual towards their goals.
Click here to read more about her passion, and here about Emily's show at the Auckland Arts Festival.
Kelly Greacen
Kelly Greacen is a highly skilled Physiotherapist and experienced Pilates Instructor, who brings over a decade of experience, having graduated with a Bachelor of Physiotherapy from the University of Otago in 2015 and honed her skills in leading clinics across New Zealand and the UK. She is available at the studio each week on Tuesdays.
Kelly's extensive background as a physiotherapist means she is particularly adept at helping individuals overcome pain, restore function, and regain confidence in their bodies. This expertise will be incredibly beneficial for any clients looking for support with musculoskeletal injuries, post-surgical rehabilitation, and effective injury recovery. Kelly specialises in musculoskeletal injuries and pelvic health. She has extensive experience treating back and pelvic joint pain, pelvic floor dysfunction, diastasis recti, C-section recovery, prolapse, and a full range of sports and musculoskeletal conditions.
As a Certified Pilates Rehabilitation Practitioner graduate with Polestar Pilates UK, Kelly is passionate about empowering individuals through mindful movement. She seamlessly integrates movement-based therapy into her practice to help patients build strength, improve posture, and refine movement patterns. Kelly's clinical specialities also include injury management, post-operative rehabilitation, and supporting women through all stages of life, including prenatal, postnatal, and menopause. She takes a holistic, patient-centred approach to care, focusing on active rehabilitation and long-term well-being. Outside the studio, you’ll find Kelly exploring the outdoors, experimenting in the kitchen, or planning her next travel adventure.
Alex Pustovoitova
Alex is a certified Polestar Pilates instructor, teaching since 2020 having recently joined the Polestar Mentor team. She guides clients through mindful, high-quality movement using Polestar’s holistic and research-based approach, enriched by her international background.
Having completed Polestar Mat 1–3, the full Comprehensive Series (Modules 1–6), and additional training on the Ladder Barrel, Spine Corrector, and Trapeze Table, Alex brings depth and precision to every session. Her philosophy centres on the integration of mind, body, and spirit - shifting focus from the external to the internal, always with a touch of curiosity and joy.
Born and raised in Russia, her teaching blends precision and body intelligence - a disciplined focus on quality and depth. Alex creates space for movement that is not about performance, but presence - where strength meets elegance, and purpose meets flow.