23 Oruru Road, Taipa
View on mapERO’s Akanuku | Assurance Review reports provide information about whether a service meets and maintains regulatory standards. Further information about Akanuku | Assurance Reviews is included at the end of this report.
Regulatory standards | ERO’s judgement |
| Curriculum | Meeting |
| Premises and facilities | Meeting |
| Health and safety | Meeting |
| Governance, management and administration | Meeting |
Since the onsite visit, the service has provided ERO with evidence that shows it has addressed non-compliances and is now taking reasonable steps to meet regulatory standards.
Taipa Treasures, previously known as River Kids, is privately owned and operated. The new owner and a centre manager are qualified teachers, and they support a team of three qualified teachers in a mixed-aged group setting. A third of children attending the service are Māori. This is the service’s first ERO review as Taipa Treasures.
Adults providing education and care engage in meaningful, positive interactions to enhance children’s learning and nurture reciprocal relationships.
The service curriculum acknowledges and reflects the unique place of Māori as tangata whenua. Children are given the opportunity to develop knowledge and an understanding of the cultural heritages of both parties to Te Tiriti o Waitangi.
The curriculum respects and supports the right of each child to be confident in their own culture and encourages children to understand and respect each other. It is inclusive, and responsive to children as confident and competent learners. Children’s preferences are respected, and they are involved in decisions about their learning experiences.
Key next steps include:
Since the onsite visit, the service has provided ERO with evidence to show it has addressed the following non compliances:
The next ERO review is likely to be an Akarangi | Quality Evaluation.
Patricia Davey
Director of Early Childhood Education (ECE)
18 December 2023
| Early Childhood Service Name | Taipa Treasures |
| Profile Number | 11560 |
| Location | Taipa |
| Service type | Education and care service |
| Number licensed for | 28 children, including up to 10 aged under 2 |
| Percentage of qualified teachers | 100% |
| Service roll | 36 |
| Review team on site | November 2023 |
| Date of this report | 18 December 2023 |
| Most recent ERO report(s) | Previously reviewed as River Kids: Education Review July 2017; Education Review February 2015 |
All services are licensed under the Education (Early Childhood Services) Regulations 2008. The legal requirements for early childhood services also include the Licensing Criteria for Education and Care Services 2008.
Services must meet the standards in the regulations and the requirements of the licensing criteria to gain and maintain a licence to operate.
All early childhood services are required to promote children’s health and safety and to regularly review their compliance with legal requirements. Before the review, the staff and management of a service 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:
As part of an Akanuku | Assurance Review ERO assesses whether the regulatory standards are being met. In particular, ERO looks at a service’s systems for managing the following areas that have a potentially high impact on children's wellbeing:
As part of an Akanuku | Assurance Review ERO also gathers and records evidence through:
Not well placed | Requires further development | Well placed | Very well placed |
ERO's findings that support this overall judgement are summarised below.
River Kids is in the coastal township of Taipa, in the Far North. It is privately owned and provides all-day education and care for up to 28 children, including 10 up to two years of age. A separate area in the centre is designated for babies and toddlers.
The centre's philosophy acknowledges Te Tiriti o Waitangi and how it relates and connects with people, places, events and taonga.
The centre has a well established teaching team. The owner/manager, a registered early childhood teacher, shares the running of the centre with her staff. Most teachers are qualified. Three teachers work full time at the centre and three work on a part time basis. Teachers have built close relationships with families over time.
The centre's 2015 ERO report noted that children showed a strong sense of belonging and had positive relationships with staff. Areas identified for improvement included curriculum planning, implementation and evaluation, engagement with whānau, leadership and teacher appraisal. ERO recommended that the centre work with the Ministry of Education to address these areas and good progress has now been made.
Children display a strong sense of belonging in the centre. They are settled and engage well in the centre's programme. Respectful and trusting relationships are evident in teachers' and children's interactions with each other. Children are articulate, independent, and curious learners. Their independence and decision making are fostered and supported by teachers.
Children confidently explore the inclusive and natural learning environment, and play contentedly alongside each other. Indoor and outdoor spaces provide children with room to experience and explore a range of activities that are designed to meet their physical, creative and intellectual needs. They provide children the opportunities to investigate, make choices and be challenged.
Teachers support children's learning well through open ended questioning and by responding positively to children's ideas. They are enthusiastic, join children in their inquiries and consistently model oral language skills in English and te reo Māori. Te ao Māori is reflected in the daily inclusion of te reo, kawa and tikanga Māori.
Infants and toddlers are well cared for. Teachers interact respectfully with younger children during routines and play experiences. They prioritise the emotional wellbeing of infants and toddlers, through being consistently available to them.
Programme planning is responsive and flexible. Teachers' planning is based on observations of children's individual and group interests and strengths. Every-day programmes include looking after the ecosystem and exploring the surrounding natural environment. The centre provides all-weather clothing for children so that they can venture outdoors in cold or wet weather.
Teachers record children's learning and development in individual assessment portfolios. Well written learning stories reflect children's interests and strengths. Parents contribute to the stories and comment positively that they can see the development of their children's learning dispositions and skills over time.
Regularly scheduled meetings ensure that the owner and staff maintain a shared focus on children and on improvement in centre operations. These meetings support staff to be up to date with professional development and current best practices in early childhood education.
The next steps to support centre improvement are for centre leaders to:
Before the review, the staff and management of River Kids 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:
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 River Kids will be in three years.
Violet Tu’uga Stevenson
Deputy Chief Review Officer Northern (Acting)
26 July 2017
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.
| Location | Taipa, Northland | ||
| Ministry of Education profile number | 11560 | ||
| Licence type | Education & Care Service | ||
| Licensed under | Education (Early Childhood Services) Regulations 2008 | ||
| Number licensed for | 28 children, including up to 10 aged under 2 | ||
| Service roll | 38 | ||
| Gender composition | Boys 19 Girls 19 | ||
| Ethnic composition | Māori Pākehā Samoan | 9 28 1 | |
Percentage of qualified teachers 0-49% 50-79% 80%+ Based on funding rates | 80% + | ||
| Reported ratios of staff to children | Under 2 | 1:3 | Better than minimum requirements |
| Over 2 | 1:6 | Better than minimum requirements | |
| Review team on site | June 2017 | ||
| Date of this report | 26 July 2017 | ||
Most recent ERO report(s)
| Education Review | February 2015 | |
| Education Review | March 2011 | ||
| Education Review | May 2008 | ||
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:
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.
| Not well placed | Requires further development | Well placed | Very well placed |
River Kids is in a state of transition. Although teachers foster a sense of wellbeing for children they need support to develop more challenging learning experiences, especially for older children and boys.
ERO's findings that support this overall judgement are summarised below.
River Kids caters for up to 28 children from Taipa and the nearby beach communities in Northland. The centre has undergone several changes in the last year. The owner has taken a less active role in centre operations and has appointed an experienced but unqualified teacher to lead the centre. There has also been a number of staffing changes.
In August 2014 the River Babes centre for children under two was closed and River Kids was reorganised to accommodate the infants and toddlers in a designated, separate area. The combination of these changes, including the reduced space for older children, has had an impact on the quality of learning programmes.
There are six registered teachers in the centre, and most work on a part-time basis. To some extent, this has constrained opportunities for staff meetings and non-contact time for teachers to document children's learning. However, electronic networking has provided a means for teachers to discuss review topics and, more recently, to communicate with their professional development tutor.
In 2010 ERO identified strengths in teachers’ practices. An engaging programme, respectful interactions and an interesting environment supported children to become competent learners. The licensee and teachers had identified the need to further develop their self-review, planning, assessment and evaluation, and strategic goals, and to identify more effective teaching practices. These areas continue to be next steps for the centre.
Children show a sense of belonging in the centre. They are welcomed on arrival and helped to settle at activities. Children share positive relationships with teachers and listen when adults engage them in conversation about their play. In particular, infants and toddlers are effectively encouraged to investigate resources and work towards physical and other learning goals. All children enjoy good access to the outdoor environment where they engage in social play and often participate in gardening activities. They now need to experience more complex play and opportunities for exploration and problem solving.
Teachers know children and their families well. They provide resources and activities that reflect children's interests and respond to parents’ aspirations for their child’s learning. Teachers make an effort to include early literacy and mathematics learning opportunities for children and are beginning to use learning stories to analyse children's progress. They also incorporate activities, resources and events that reflect a Māori context and use a little te reo Māori in the programme. The head teacher acknowledges that teachers must now plan better for children’s learning and provide more effectively for the high number of older boys in the centre.
Teachers working with children under two provide skilful support for toddlers’ exploration and language development. Babies show trust in caring adults who are responsive to their individual needs and interests.
Parents who were interviewed express enthusiasm for the centre. They appreciate the ways information is shared, including access through electronic portals that enable them to read and comment on their child’s learning stories. Parents are pleased with the quality of care and support their children receive, including practices that reflect Māori values.
The owner is committed to providing a service that meets community needs and offers good quality learning for children. She recognises the need for staff development and has teachers enrolled in two substantial training programmes focused on child management and documenting children's learning. Through the electronic communication processes she is enabling staff to share their reflections on the curriculum, teaching practices and policy matters. The challenge is for teachers to now translate these self-review processes into improved outcomes for children.
The owner and team leaders agree that they need to enhance centre leadership and develop a clear direction for improvement. Initial steps to distribute leadership roles among teachers is a sound beginning, but the centre also needs a philosophy focused more on children's learning. It needs strategic goals that set high expectations for teaching and learning.
Leaders and staff should now review their practices and work with advisers to identify the action needed for improvement in many areas including:
Before the review, the staff and management of River Kids 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:
ERO identified areas of non-compliance relating to programme management. To meet requirements the service needs to improve its performance in the following areas:
Licensing Criteria for Early Childhood Education and Care Centres 2008, Criteria C2.
ERO recommends that the service consult with the Ministry of Education and plan to address the key next steps and actions outlined in this report.
The next ERO review of River Kids will be within two years.
Dale Bailey
Deputy Chief Review Officer Northern
2 February 2015
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.
| Location | Taipa, Northland | ||
| Ministry of Education profile number | 11560 | ||
| Licence type | Education & Care Service | ||
| Licensed under | Education (Early Childhood Services) Regulations 2008 | ||
| Number licensed for | 28 children, including up to 10 aged under 2 | ||
| Service roll | 39 | ||
| Gender composition | Boys 26 Girls 13 | ||
| Ethnic composition | Māori NZ European/Pākehā other | 18 19 2 | |
Percentage of qualified teachers 0-49% 50-79% 80% Based on funding rates | 80% | ||
| Reported ratios of staff to children | Under 2 | 1:3 | Better than minimum requirements |
| Over 2 | 1:5 | Better than minimum requirements | |
| Review team on site | October 2015 | ||
| Date of this report | 2 February 2015 | ||
| Most recent ERO report(s) | Education Review | March 2011 | |
| Education Review | May 2008 | ||
| Education Review | June 2005 |
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:
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.