“Tangata ako ana I te kāenga, te tūranga kit e marae, tau ana”

 "A person nurtured in the community contributes strongly to society"

At Whenuakite Country Kids we provide an environment which strengthens the sense of belonging for all tamariki, whānau and kaiako. The heart of our centre is built upon strong reciprocal relationships within our community. We have enormous gratitude for the many whānau and friends in our community who have contributed to our centre over the years. We honour the wealth of knowledge and experience which everyone in our learning community brings to our centre. We are a well-resourced centre with strong connections to our environment, our local schools and community groups.

Relationships and partnerships based on trust, respect and open communication provide a welcoming and inclusive environment. We extend manaakitanga to all and celebrate growth alongside tamariki on their learning journey. We acknowledge the bicultural heritage of Aotearoa and honour the intent of Te Tiriti o Waitangi. Our environment is rich with the language, culture and identity of our diverse community.

We acknowledge the holistic nature of each child’s learning journey and believe in upholding the mana of each child. Tamariki are empowered to lead their own learning alongside our passionate educators who enjoy working within an inclusive and localised, play-based curriculum. We provide an environment where tamariki are nurtured to develop their social and emotional competencies.

The needs and interests of tamariki are met through responsive interactions and meaningful experiences. We highly value the lens through which tamariki view the world and provide time and space for tamariki to explore and generate their own working theories. We incorporate a range of natural and open-ended resources, sourced from our local community.

Our curriculum provides tamariki with regular opportunities to build an awareness of the environment and issues of sustainability. A respect for Papatūānuku is promoted with tamariki throughout all aspects of our practice. Regular excursions into our natural environment encourage tamariki to care for their hauora/well-being while also strengthening connections within our local community.

Whenuakite Country Kids is a not-for-profit, licensed and charitable Early Childhood Education Centre and an Incorporated Society run by a governance committee consisting of whānau and staff from the centre and local community members. Our amazing committee meet monthly and make decisions based on positive learning outcomes for tamariki. 

The Centre Manager oversees the operation of the centre and is the link between whānau, tamariki, staff, committee, Ministry of Education, other early childhood services, support services, local schools and the wider community. 

 Please feel free to talk to us about any queries or suggestions that you may have.

A whānau folder, with centre information, is available in our reception.