20 Tonkin Drive, Sunnynook, Auckland
View on mapAkarangi | Quality Evaluation evaluates the extent to which this early childhood service has the learning and organisational conditions to support equitable and excellent outcomes for all learners. Te Ara Poutama Indicators of quality for early childhood education: what matters most are the basis for making judgements about the effectiveness of the service in achieving equity and excellence for all learners. Judgements are made in relation to the Outcomes Indicators, Learning and Organisational Conditions. The Evaluation Judgement Rubric derived from the indicators, is used to inform ERO’s judgements about this service’s performance in promoting equity and excellence.
ERO’s judgements for New Shoots Sunnynook are as follows:
Outcome Indicators(What the service knows about outcomes for learners) | Whakaū Embedding |
Ngā Akatoro Domains | |
Learning ConditionsOrganisational Conditions | Whakaū Embedding Whakaū Embedding |
This service is part of the New Shoots Childrens Centre Group. Children experience education and care within one of five age-specific rooms. A governance team guides centre operations. A centre director leads the large teaching team. The current roll includes a small number of tamariki Māori and a significant number of children from diverse cultural backgrounds.
Children meaningfully engage in a play-based curriculum that intentionally promotes positive social interactions and respect for others. They lead their own learning, and predictable routines and rhythms build their sense of security. Transition to school is well supported through emergent literacy, numeracy and oral language skill development. Calm, unhurried, and responsive teachers support younger learners to develop a sense of belonging. Older children demonstrate sustained concentration as they learn with their peers.
Assessment records reflect children’s interests, parent aspirations and show progress in skill development and individual dispositions. Leaders and teachers are taking positive steps to document individual children’s curriculum planning and evaluation to better align to the learning outcomes in Te Whāriki, the early childhood curriculum.
The service is increasingly integrating children’s cultural identities into the curriculum. Elements of tikanga Māori and teachers’ use of basic te reo Māori are evident. Some examples of cultural and other celebrations, and language weeks are provided.
Children with additional needs are well supported as they learn with and alongside their peers. Teachers and leaders engage external agencies to enable their full participation in the curriculum.
Leaders and teachers collaborate to implement changes and incorporate new knowledge informed by internal evaluation inclusive of parent input. While there is some monitoring of the impact of curriculum changes on children’s learning, this is yet to be reflected in all areas of evaluation.
Strongly improvement focused governance and management implement a well-considered strategic plan and relevant systems that intentionally guide the organisation. They purposefully allocate resources that clearly align with centre priorities for children’s learning. Collaborative targeted ongoing professional learning builds leadership and teachers’ capabilities. This has included the induction of new staff alongside experienced colleagues, contributing to consistent teaching practices. These successful initiatives support children to access an inclusive curriculum.
New Shoots Sunnynook will include the following actions in its Quality Improvement Planning:
The New Shoots governance group has indicated it will include the following in its Quality Improvement Planning, to ensure that all services are working at a consistent level.
Before the review, the staff and management of New Shoots Sunnynook completed an ERO Assurance Statement and Self-Audit Checklist. In these documents they attested that they have taken all reasonable steps to meet their legal obligations related to:
During the review, ERO looked at the service’s systems for managing the following areas that have a potentially high impact on children's wellbeing:
All early childhood services are required to promote children's health and safety and to regularly review their compliance with legal requirements.
Patricia Davey
Director of Early Childhood Education (ECE)
12 March 2024
| Early Childhood Service Name | New Shoots Sunnynook |
| Profile Number | 45945 |
| Location | Sunnynook, Auckland |
| Service type | Education and care service |
| Number licensed for | 80 children, including up to 35 aged under 2 |
| Percentage of qualified teachers | 80-99% |
| Service roll | 96 |
| Review team on site | November 2023 |
| Date of this report | 12 March 2024 |
| Most recent ERO report(s) | Education Review, June 2016 |
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Not well placed |
Requires further development |
Well placed |
Very well placed |
ERO's findings that support this overall judgement are summarised below.
New Shoots Sunnynook has been operating from its purpose built facility since June 2012. The service is licenced for 80 children, including 35 up to two years of age. Children experience education and care within one of five age-specific rooms. Paua and Pohutukawa, the two nursery rooms, cater for babies and toddlers from three months until around two years of age. Older toddlers and children move through Koru, Puawai and Punga rooms until they are ready to attend school. All children share a large outside play area and have regular access to a neighbouring parkland. They are provided with healthy and nutritious meals.
The centre philosophy promotes practices and approaches inspired by Emmi Pikler and Magda Gerber, and are based on principles of respect, and of trust in children as capable, competent learners. In line with this philosophy, the indoor spaces are home-like and aesthetically pleasing. Soft lighting, seating and floor coverings promote a sense of calm for children and families. Management employ more teachers than are required so that children have increased opportunity for individual support and interaction.
The owners of New Shoots Sunnynook are actively involved in the centre, and support the centre director with day to day management. They receive governance and management support from the New Shoots Group. This is the first ERO report for New Shoots Sunnynook.
Children are settled and relaxed in their rooms. They experience gentle, positive and respectful interactions with teachers. Teachers ensure that the outdoors is secure and engaging for babies and toddlers. They encourage them to explore their surroundings. Teachers actively encourage tuakana-teina relationships, and children enjoy opportunities to play with and alongside children of varying ages, including their siblings. This approach, alongside the strong connections teachers have with parents, supports children's wellbeing and learning.
Babies and toddlers are very well cared for and nurtured by their skilled and capable teachers. Teachers communicate regularly with parents and follow children's home routines. They interact affectionately with children and are responsive to their needs and learning interests. Parents comment positively on teachers' trustworthiness, skills and professionalism.
Teachers plan learning programmes that are responsive to children, and are increasingly focused on children's emerging interests and preferences. Children have choice during the day to access activities and areas of play that interest them. Teachers value and respond to children's and parents' contributions to the design of the programme, including aspects of children's languages and cultural backgrounds. They foster children's language development and promote older children's cooperative play. Teachers are increasingly using te reo Māori and elements of tikanga in the programme.
The New Shoots Group has recently designed a comprehensive curriculum document to guide teaching and learning programmes throughout the New Shoots group of centres. Managers are looking forward to introducing this new curriculum model to teachers and to supporting them with their understanding and enactment.
Part of this plan includes supporting teachers at New Shoots Sunnynook to be more intentional in their teaching practices, and deepen children's learning experiences and outcomes. Managers would also like this plan to include strengthening bicultural curriculum concepts.
Centre management work together as a collaborative team and lead the centre effectively. They plan strategically for continual improvement and are very well supported and guided by the New Shoots Group to promote a high quality service. Self review is very well understood, and used at all levels of the service as a tool for improvement. Managers value their teachers as professionals, highlight their strengths and successes and have high expectations for them to critique and reflect on their own practice.
The teachers' appraisal system is well aligned in practice to the requirements of the New Zealand Education Council. Managers are now planning to provide professional support to team leaders to build their skills in managing teacher appraisals, and to review and refine policy and procedures. In addition managers recognise the importance of continuing to enhance staff leadership capabilities and plan to do so by using coaching and mentoring approaches.
Centre management and ERO agree that key next steps for the centre include continuing to:
promote teachers' skills in designing and delivering programmes that enhance the complexity of children's thinking and learning
Before the review, the staff and management of New Shoots Sunnynook completed an ERO Centre Assurance Statement and Self-Audit Checklist. In these documents they attested that they have taken all reasonable steps to meet their legal obligations related to:
During the review, ERO looked at the service’s systems for managing the following areas that have a potentially high impact on children's wellbeing:
emotional safety (including positive guidance and child protection)
physical safety (including supervision; sleep procedures; accidents; medication; hygiene; excursion policies and procedures)
suitable staffing (including qualification levels; police vetting; teacher registration; ratios)
evacuation procedures and practices for fire and earthquake.
All early childhood services are required to promote children's health and safety and to regularly review their compliance with legal requirements.
The next ERO review of New Shoots Sunnynook will be in four years.
Graham Randell
Deputy Chief Review Officer Northern
23 June 2016
The Education Review Office (ERO) is the government department that, as part of its work, reviews early childhood services throughout Aotearoa New Zealand. ERO’s reports provide information for parents and communities about each service’s strengths and next steps for development. ERO’s bicultural evaluation framework Ngā Pou Here is described in SECTION 3 of this report. Early childhood services are partners in the review process and are expected to make use of the review findings to enhance children's wellbeing and learning.
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Location |
Sunnynook, Auckland |
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Ministry of Education profile number |
45945 |
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Licence type |
Education & Care Service |
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Licensed under |
Education (Early Childhood Services) Regulations 2008 |
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Number licensed for |
80 children, including up to 35 aged under 2 |
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Service roll |
107 |
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Gender composition |
Boys 52% Girls 48% |
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Ethnic composition |
Māori Pākehā Chinese European Korean Samoan Tongan |
4% 57% 20% 15% 2% 1% 1% |
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Percentage of qualified teachers 0-49% 50-79% 80%+ Based on funding rates |
80% + |
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Reported ratios of staff to children |
Under 2 |
1:4 |
Better than minimum requirements |
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Over 2 |
1:8 |
Better than minimum requirements |
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Review team on site |
April 2016 |
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Date of this report |
23 June 2016 |
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Most recent ERO report(s) |
No previous ERO reports |
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ERO’s overarching question for an early childhood education review is ‘How well placed is this service to promote positive learning outcomes for children?’ ERO focuses on the following factors as described in the bicultural framework Ngā Pou Here:
Pou Whakahaere – how the service determines its vision, philosophy and direction to ensure positive outcomes for children
Pou Ārahi – how leadership is enacted to enhance positive outcomes for children
Mātauranga – whose knowledge is valued and how the curriculum is designed to achieve positive outcomes for children
Tikanga whakaako – how approaches to teaching and learning respond to diversity and support positive outcomes for children.
Within these areas ERO considers the effectiveness of arotake – self review and of whanaungatanga – partnerships with parents and whānau.
ERO evaluates how well placed a service is to sustain good practice and make ongoing improvements for the benefit of all children at the service.
A focus for the government is that all children, especially priority learners, have an opportunity to benefit from quality early childhood education. ERO will report on how well each service promotes positive outcomes for all children, with a focus on children who are Māori, Pacific, have diverse needs, and are up to the age of two.
For more information about the framework and Ngā Pou Here refer to ERO’s Approach to Review in Early Childhood Services.
The overall judgement that ERO makes and the timing of the next review will depend on how well placed a service is to promote positive learning outcomes for children. The categories are:
ERO has developed criteria for each category. These are available on ERO’s website.
ERO reviews are tailored to each service’s context and performance, within the overarching review framework. The aim is to provide information on aspects that are central to positive outcomes for children and useful to the service.