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Awhi Tairāwhiti Early Learning Centre
Affordable fees
20 free ECE hours available for 3-6 year olds. Access to Barnardos fee exemptions
Kia ora!
Kia ora!
About this centre
Your home from home, a vibrant and friendly whānau early learning space, Awhi Tairāwhiti is led by a passionate team of experienced Kaiako in a unique setting with onsite access to additional inclusive family support.
Our centre offers a diverse, welcoming environment where quality early learning and our tamariki are at the heart of what we do.
- A newly renovated space in 2023 , you’ll be delighted by our natural, spacious and engaging centre that reflects our local community.
- Your child will be inspired and stimulated by our rich array of play-based experiences in our indoor and outdoor spaces.
- Awhi Tairāwhiti aims to be a responsive service that reduces the barriers to education and increases the participation and engagement of children, young people and their families in a safe, inclusive learning environment.
0–6 years
Personalised support and resources for every age with only 20 tamariki, your child will thrive in this home from home setting.
Centre hours
Open 9.00am – 3.00pm
Affordable fees
20 free ECE hours available for 3-6 year olds. Access to Barnardos fee exemptions
Home packed kai
Each tamariki brings a lunchbox prepared by their whānau, filled with the foods they enjoy. We provide fresh seasonal fruit to share.
What's happening at our centre
Learning Through Play
Our team of teachers are guided by Te Whariki – NZ’s Early Childhood Curriculum. They work closely with your child and respond to their unique curiosities by creating an environment that is reflective of each child's needs.
Connecting with whānau
Our whole community benefits from families and whanau being involved in our centre and their children's learning. Connecting with you via Storypark and celebrating community events and festivals are just some of the ways we include families and whānau.
Community Connection
From growing their own veggies and herbs in our veggie patch to local excursions in the community, we constantly look for ways for your child to explore the connection between their community, their environment and themselves.
More about us
Engaging Environment
Our happy and nurturing environment will inspire, stimulate and empower your child to learn in their own unique way. The outdoor spaces challenge and excite the imagination, while our spacious and light filled indoor areas offer room for reading, rest, and engaging indoor learning experiences. Your child will enjoy experiencing regular karakia and waiata and the many natural play areas they have to discover.
Connecting with the outdoors
We strive to provide quality experiences within our unique setting, and a sense of belonging to Tairāwhiti as a living resource and learning environment. Tamariki are encouraged to care for Papatūānuku and all of her creatures.
Convenience
We also know how important it is to give you the convenience you need and reassurance that your child is in safe hands. That is why our service focuses on inclusive family support, involvement, and access to parenting programmes for our families. This is a unique combination of Barnardos early learning and child and family services. Our aim is to create the best conditions for your child's learning, wellbeing and care.
Care that grows with your child
We recognise that tamariki at different ages and stages have very different needs. That’s why our approach early learning evolves as your child grows, ensuring they feel safe, supported and confident every step of the way.
We also take the time to get to know each child and their whānau from the very beginning. During the onboarding process, our kaiako work closely with parents and caregivers to understand each child’s individual needs, routines and preferences, helping us create a smooth, familiar transition into care.
For our pēpi and toddlers (0–2 year olds)
Our youngest tamariki are nurtured in calm, secure and responsive environments, with dedicated kaiako who specialise in caring for this age group. We focus on building strong, trusting relationships, as this is the foundation for all future learning and wellbeing.
Pēpi have their own thoughtfully designed spaces, with cosy areas for rest, bespoke cots, and age appropriate resources that support early movement, sensory exploration and discovery. Barnardos Early Learning services offer safe outdoor areas, so they can begin to explore the natural world in a gentle and supported way.
Our routines are flexible and guided by each child’s individual rhythms, ensuring their needs for sleep, nourishment and comfort are always prioritised.
For our older tamariki (3–6 year olds)
Our older tamariki are supported to become more independent, confident and socially connected learners.
They enjoy access to larger indoor and outdoor environments, including adventurous playgrounds that encourage physical activity, creativity and problem solving. Kaiako continue to guide and extend their learning, while also allowing space for child led play, friendships and exploration.
At this stage, there is a strong focus on building skills that support school readiness, such as communication, self regulation, resilience and curiosity, all within a fun and engaging environment.
We’re always happy to talk through how we support each age group, and what this looks like in our centre.
Feel free to get in touch or come in for a visit, we’d love to show you around and chat about how we can support your child’s learning journey.
Supporting the transition to school
We support tamariki to feel confident and ready for school by gradually building their independence, self regulation skills, social competence and love of learning. This includes everyday skills like caring for themselves, making choices, problem solving and working alongside others. As children get closer to starting school, our kaiako work closely with parents, whānau and, where possible, local schools to ensure a smooth and positive transition. We share information, encourage school visits, and tailor support to each child so their move to school feels familiar and well supported.
We’d be happy to talk more about how we support your child’s transition to school, feel free to get in touch or chat with our team.
Fees, subsidies and enrolment offers
We want to make your child's early learning experience as affordable as possible. As a not-for-profit organisation, everything we do is reinvested into supporting tamariki, our centres and the communities we serve.
Our fees include:
- Quality education, care and learning experiences provided by our experienced kaiako
Barnardos fee exemptions are available at this service. Get in touch with us to find out what support may be available for your whānau.
Read what parents say about us!
The staff are amazing. This has to be one of the hardest jobs out there. It's a down to earth place for the kids to learn and grow in.
Elizabeth CuttsAwesome staff
Cheryl MorleyAqua QueenStay in Touch with Storypark
We use Storypark to record and communicate learning as it happens via photos, video, audio and observations within a secure online environment. Parents and whānau can receive instant feedback and plan new ways to extend their child’s unique interests and abilities.
