33 Store Road, Whatawhata
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 Magnolia Tree Childcare Centre are as follows:
Outcome Indicators(What the service knows about outcomes for learners) | Whāngai Establishing |
Ngā Akatoro Domains | |
Learning ConditionsOrganisational Conditions | Whāngai Establishing Whāngai Establishing |
Magnolia Tree Childcare Centre is privately owned. Governance of the service is supported by two team leaders. The service’s philosophy is based on providing natural world experiences for children. Serving a diverse community, a quarter of currently enrolled children whakapapa Māori and a small number are Pacific.
Children experience a curriculum that is responsive to their interests. Foundational literacy skills and exploration are promoted by teachers. Children with additional learning needs are included and supported to fully participate in the curriculum provided.
Older children confidently and independently make choices about their experiences, indoors and outdoors in the natural grass areas. Weekly outings to Taitua Arboretum facilitate children’s ongoing learning about the natural world and their sense of self in the wider world. Regular visits to Whatawhata Primary School positively support children as they transition onto school.
Infants are supported by higher teacher: child ratios. These younger children are empowered to lead their own learning in a calm and well-resourced environment. Access to the outdoors is free-flowing, and they have opportunities to grow their physical skills in large spaces. These opportunities support their wellbeing, curiosity and sense of belonging.
The service has increased opportunities for teachers to learn about children’s languages and cultures. Recent professional learning and internal evaluation undertaken has improved teachers’ bicultural and multicultural understandings and practices. Aspects of te ao Māori are visible with waiata, karakia and basic te reo Māori included by teachers. Multicultural events such as Diwali and Chinese New Year are celebrated. Teachers are beginning to seek information from parents/whānau about their goals for their children’s learning.
Systems to assess and plan for children’s learning are not yet effectively communicating the learning that is happening at the service. Leaders are in the process of defining what are the most important aspects to capture in assessment records.
Magnolia Tree Childcare Centre will include the following actions in its Quality Improvement Planning:
To build shared teacher understandings of effective assessment and planning processes that:
Before the review, the staff and management of Magnolia Tree Childcare Centre 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)
19 February 2024
| Early Childhood Service Name | Magnolia Tree Childcare Centre |
| Profile Number | 46363 |
| Location | Whatawhata |
| Service type | Education and care service |
| Number licensed for | 60 children, including up to 15 aged under 2 |
| Percentage of qualified teachers | 80-99% |
| Service roll | 77 |
| Review team on site | November 2023 |
| Date of this report | 19 February 2024 |
| Most recent ERO report(s) | Akanuku | Assurance Review, March 2021; Education Review, August 2015 |
ERO’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 |
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Curriculum |
Meeting |
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Premises and facilities |
Meeting |
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Health and safety |
Meeting |
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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.
The 2015 ERO review of Magnolia Tree Childcare Centre found the service to be very well placed to promote positive outcomes for children. The service provider is the acting manager supported by two team leaders. The owners have a second service in the Waikato.
Children experience positive and meaningful relationships with adults at the service who support them to develop social competency. A variety of experiences is provided to enhance children’s learning within a language rich environment. Staff seek advice from a range of agencies and services to support children and their parents when required. Curriculum to support each child to be confident in their own culture and encourage them to understand and respect other cultures is not yet sufficient.
A philosophy guides the service’s operation. A process for self-review helps the service improve teaching and learning practices. Policy review requires strengthening.
Next steps include:
Since the onsite visit the service has provided ERO with evidence that shows it has addressed the following non-compliances:
The next ERO review is likely to be an Akarangi | Quality Evaluation.
Phil Cowie
Director Review and Improvement Services (Central)
Central Region | Te Tai Pūtahi Nui
1 March 2021
| Early Childhood Service Name | Magnolia Tree Childcare Centre |
| Profile Number | 46363 |
| Location | Whatawhata, Hamilton |
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Service type |
Education and care service |
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Number licensed for |
60 children, including up to 15 aged under 2 years. |
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Percentage of qualified teachers |
80%+ |
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Service roll |
86 |
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Ethnic composition |
Māori 13, NZ European/Pākehā 65, Other ethnic groups 8. |
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Review team on site |
October 2020 |
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Date of this report |
1 March 2021 |
| Most recent ERO report(s) | Education Review, August 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 (PDF 1MB). 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 regulated 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:
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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.
Magnolia Tree Childcare Centre is a recently established centre in Whatawhata, near Hamilton. The centre owners have developed spacious, well-designed, and maintained indoor and outdoor environments for the education and care of children. There is a separate area for children up to the age of two years. The centre received a full licence, from the Ministry of Education, at the beginning of 2014. They are licensed to cater for 57 children including 15 up to the age of two. At the time of this ERO review there were 87 children enrolled, including 23 identified as Māori of Tainui descent.
The centre’s philosophy places an emphasis on respectful interactions with people, places and things. It is centred on ten identified virtues expressed in te reo Māori and English. High value is placed on caring for Papatuanuku, sustainability of the natural world and the provision of high quality furniture, equipment and resources. Teachers are well qualified and many are experienced early childhood practitioners. Staff know the children and their families well and have purposefully nurtured a family, community atmosphere.
Children’s interests and parent aspirations are placed at the heart of the curriculum. Teachers are skilled at engaging children in complex, in-depth learning experiences over time, including project work for older children. Children enjoy exploring, experimenting and experiencing challenge in an imaginatively presented and aesthetically pleasing environment. Teachers play alongside children in dramatic and creative play experiences. These promote children’s developing thinking, social and leadership skills.
Flexible routines enable children to sustain their play, resulting in complex learning and construction. Children in the older area demonstrate confidence and independence as they manage their own learning, make choices and enter into play.
Teachers have a good understanding of integrating early concepts of literacy and mathematics throughout the programme. They listen carefully to children’s ideas and questions, and make use of these when planning learning experiences. Children’s ongoing learning is enhanced by a love of reading and sharing stories, and using books and digital technology for research. They express themselves through language, construction and the creative arts.
An experienced kaiako shares her knowledge with teachers and children to build their skills and understanding of te ao Māori. The language, culture and identity of Māori tamariki is clearly evident in the programme and environment. This is contributing to a strong sense of belonging and success for tamariki and whānau. Teachers are finding out more about the local history and places of significance to Māori to enable them to include this information in the programme.
Active learners benefit from generous spaces to explore, and challenging, open-ended equipment to use in ways of their own choosing. Teachers have a good understanding of boys and provide experiences that respond to and enrich their learning. Children learn to care for centre pets and take part in gardening and other meaningful activities through the day. They are learning to respect and protect the environment.
Babies and toddlers experience a calm and unhurried environment for learning and care. Their well being and belonging is fostered by teachers who are sensitive and responsive to their needs, interests and strengths. Teachers’ rich conversations with children contribute to their developing language and communication skills. Children in this area benefit from having consistent care givers. This contributes to children developing their confidence and curiosity as they explore the environment. They freely access a good variety of appropriate and high quality materials and equipment. Parent partnerships and good communication systems and processes ensure continuity of care routines between home and the centre.
Transitions into the centre, between the age-based rooms and on to school, are well planned and managed at children’s own pace. Positive and meaningful relationships have been established with the nearby primary school.
The centre owner has established a well-qualified, professional team of teachers who share common values and beliefs about teaching and learning. This team have formed strong learning partnerships with families. High quality teaching practices include:
The leadership team take shared responsibility for the management and smooth running of centre operations. There are clear and well-understood roles and responsibilities that recognise the strengths and ideas of each teacher, and foster emergent leadership. Leaders model good practice, set high expectations, provide timely and effective feedback to teachers, and high quality mentoring for provisionally registered teachers. In a relatively short time, the leadership team has established a culture of respect and inclusion for children, families and staff in the life of the centre.
Effective governance and management places the centre in a very good position to sustain its performance. This good practice is supported by:
Currently, strategic planning identifies a large number of goals for future development. As a result of recent professional development, the centre owner has realised the importance of strengthening strategic planning by linking goals to the centre philosophy, licensing criteria, self review and the performance management system. Ongoing review and fine tuning of the strategic plan is likely to result in more manageable and coherent guidelines for promoting progress and sustainable development.
Before the review, the staff and management of Magnolia Tree Childcare Centre 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 Magnolia Tree Childcare Centre will be in four years.
Graham Randell
Deputy Chief Review Officer Northern (Acting)
5 August 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.
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Location |
Whatawhata, near Hamilton |
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Ministry of Education profile number |
46363 |
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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 |
57 children, including up to 15 aged under 2 |
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Service roll |
87 |
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Gender composition |
Girls 45 |
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Ethnic composition |
Māori |
23 |
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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 |
July 2015 |
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Date of this report |
5 August 2015 |
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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.