25 Heather Green Ave, Meremere
View on mapKua mahi ngātahi Te Tari Arotake Mātauranga me ngā kaiārahi, ngā whānau, ngā kaiako me ngā hapori o ngā Puna Reo, o ngā Whare Kōhungahunga rānei ki te whakawhanake i ngā tirohanga aromātai e whai wāhi nui ai ki te hāpai i te kawenga takohanga me te whakapaitanga, ki te tautuhi i te ahu whakamua, ā, ki te whakapakari ake hoki i te āheinga ki te aromātai.
Kua raihanatia Te Puna Reo o Te Puna o Te Aroha hei ratonga mātauranga, hei ratonga atawhai hoki o te rā katoa, mō ngā tamariki 22, mai i ngā piripoho ki ngā tamariki ka whakawhiti atu ki te kura, me te tokowhā o rātou kei raro i te rua o ngā tau te pakeke. E tū ana te ratonga ki ngā papa o te kura tuatahi o Meremere, ki te hapori tonu o Meremere. He Māori te nuinga o ngā tamariki i tēnei puna reo. Koia nei tētahi o ngā whare kōhungahunga e rua e kāwanatia ana e Te Nuinga Education Trust i Tāmaki-makau-rau whānui tonu. Kua pā ētahi rerekētanga ki ngā tūranga kaimahi, whai muri i te pūrongo a Te Tari Arotake Mātauranga i te Poutū-te-rangi o te tau 2019, ā, kua whakatūngia tētahi kaiwhakahaere hou i te tau 2022. Ka ārahi ia i tētahi rōpū o ngā kaiako tokotoru kua tiwhiketetia, me ngā kaimahi tokotoru kāhore anō kia tiwhiketetia. Heoi anō rā, tokorua o rātou ngā kaimahi kei te tau tuatahi o te hōtaka mātauranga kaiako.
He ngākau titikaha, he mātau hoki ō ngā tamariki hei ākonga, ā, ka whai wāhi mātātoa rātou ki ngā taumahi ako ā-tākaro nei.
E poipoia ana ngā tamariki e ngā kaimahi e tino mōhio ana ki a rātou, ki ō rātou ngākau nuitanga hoki. Ka hāngai te hōtaka ki te ako ā-tākaro, ā, kua āta whakaarohia. He maha ngā rauemi e whakaongaonga ana i te whai wāhi atu a ngā tamariki ki ngā wheako ako o roto, o waho hoki. Ka āta toro atu hoki ki ngā rauhanga ā-hapori e tū pā tata mai ana, hei āhuatanga hoki o te hōtaka akoranga. Kei te mārie te taiao, ā, kua mauritau ngā tamariki. Ka āta mātakina rātou mā te papai o ngā taunekeneke me te whai wāhi mai a ngā kaimahi. He taiao ako whakakotahi, ā, he aronga ki te whakapakari me te whakapūmau i ngā tino hononga. Kei te whai hua ngā rautaki whakawhiti, ā, ka hāpai i ngā tamariki me ngā whānau ki te whakawhiti ki te puna, ki ngā tūmomo rōpū reanga, ā, ki te kura anō hoki. Ka whakatinanahia e ngā tamariki te manaakitanga ki te taha o ētahi atu, ā, he ngākau titikaha ō rātou ki te whakapuaki i ō rātou ake whakaaro.
Kei te whanake tonu, kei te pai haere tonu te waihanga me te whakatinanatanga o te marau. Kua pou herea ki Te Whāriki me Ngā Kaupapa Matua ā-Motu mō te Mātauranga me te Ako. Kei te pakari te mōhiotanga o ngā kaiako kua tiwhiketetia ki ngā tamariki hei ākonga, ā, kei te mōhio hoki me pēhea te kōkiri i te ako mā te tākaro. Ka arotahi ngā whakaakoranga ki ngā ngākau nuitanga o ngā tamariki, ā, ka whakamahi ngā pakeke i ngā rautaki papai e hāpai ana i te ako a ngā tamariki me tō rātou whakawhanaketanga. Ka whakamana ngā kaimahi i ngā hononga ā-whānau, ā, he pakari hoki te hononga ki te hapori whānui. Tuhia ai te ahu whakamua me te ako a ngā tamariki i ia te wā ki ā rātou ake pūkete. Ka kapo atu te ahu whakamua i roto i te roanga o te wā, ā, ka whakapuaki hoki ki te taha o ngā whānau me ngā tamariki i ia te wā. Ka whakaputa hoki i ētahi atu mōhiohio ki te whārangi Pukamata tūmataiti a te whānau. Ka tūhura, ka ako hoki ngā tamariki i a rātou e whai wāhi mātātoa ana ki ngā taumahi ako, puta noa i te rā.
Kei te mārama ki ngā kaimahi ngā pūtake e rua o te arotake whaiaro, arā, i te takohanga me te whakapaitanga. Ka tino whakaaro huritao rātou, ka kawe i te arotakenga auau o te marautanga me ngā whakahaeretanga o ia rā, hei aromātai i te aronga o aua tūāhuatanga ki ngā ngākau nuitanga o ngā tamariki me te rerekē haere o ō rātou matea. Ka whakatinanahia ngā mahere me ngā mahi mō te whakapai tonutanga, ā, ka hoki atu anō hei āta whakatau i te whakatutukitanga o ngā putanga e hiahiatia ana mō ngā tamariki. Ko ngā tamariki te pūtake o te hōtaka whakaako e whakatairanga ana i ō rātou ngākau titikaha me tō rātou aroha ki te ako.
Ko te papai o ngā whakaritenga ārahi e hāpai ana i ngā kaimahi manaaki e arotahi ana ki te waiora o ngā tamariki me tā rātou ako. Ka kitea te mahi ngātahi me te whakaute i roto i te āhua o te taunekeneke, te mātakitaki, me te tiaki a ngā kaimahi i ngā tamariki. Ka aro nui ki te hauora me te haumaru o ngā tamariki. Kua whakaritea e ngā kaiārahi tētahi ahurea mahi e akiaki ana i te whakapai tonutanga. Hui ai ngā kaimahi i ia te wā ki te aromātai i ngā whakaritenga ngaio, me te tautuhi i ngā matea whakawhanaketanga. Kua whakatinanahia tētahi huringa tupu ngaio hei hāpai i ngā matea o ngā kaimahi whakaako. Ko te papai o ngā whakahaeretanga o te whare kōhungahunga e whakatutukihia ana hei tino painga mō ngā tamariki me ō rātou whānau.
Me whai tautoko ngā mahi kāwana, kia pai ake ai te māramatanga ki ō rātou tūranga me ā rātou kawenga mahi mā roto mai i te horopaki o te mātauranga kōhungahunga. Ka kawe atu ngā kaimahi o te whare kōhungahunga i ngā mahi e pā ana ki te whakamahere rautaki me te arotake kaupapa here. Me whai wāhi ake ngā kaitiaki ki aua mahi. Kāhore e āta mōhiotia ana me pēhea ngā kaitiaki e whakatinana i te tirohanga o te ratonga, me pēhea rānei e ārahi, e aroturuki hoki i te aronga rautaki o te ratonga. Ahakoa i whakatūngia te kaiwhakahaere hou i te tau 2022, kāhore anō tōna āheinga ngaio kia aromatawaihia. Ka whai hua ngā kaimahi me ngā whānau o ngā tamariki mā te auau ake, mā te whai pūtake ake hoki o te toro atu ki te tarahiti.
Me tautoko ake i ngā kaimahi ki te whakapakari i ō rātou ngākau titikaha me ō rātou āheinga i roto i te reo Māori me ngā tikanga Māori. Ka ū tahi rātou ki te whakapiki ake i te reo Māori. Engari, nā runga i ngā pūkenga o ngā kaimahi i tēnei wā, ko ngā kupu me ngā rerenga kōrero māmā noa e whakamahia ana. Ka toro atu rātou ki ngā tautōhito o te hapori i te wā e wāteahia ana. Kei te whāiti te whakawhanaketanga reo Māori o ngā tamariki.
I te wā o te arotake, i tirohia e Te Tari Arotake Mātauranga ngā pūnaha o te ratonga ki te whakahaere i ngā wāhanga e whai pānga nui ai ki te waiora o ngā tamariki, arā, ki:
Ki tā ngā herenga, mā ngā ratonga mātauranga kōhungahunga katoa e whakatairanga te hauora me te haumaru o ngā tamariki, ā, mā rātou anō e arotake i ia te wā, tā rātou whakatutukitanga o ngā herenga ā-ture.
Hei whakatutuki i ngā herenga ā-ture, me tahuri rātou ki te:
[R47 Ture Mātauranga (Kōhungahunga) 2008; GMA7 Paearu Raihana mō ngā Ratonga o te Mātauranga me te Atawhai Kōhungahunga 2008]
I whakawhanakehia e Te Tari Arotake Mātauranga ngā taunakitanga e whai ake, arā, kia tahuri Te Nuinga Education Trust ki te:
Darcy Te Hau
Toka ā Nuku
Te Uepū-a-Motu – Māori Services
10 Paengawhāwhā, 2024
| Te tūwāhi | Kei Meremere | ||
| Te tau a te Tāhuhu o te Mātauranga | 47236 | ||
| Te tūmomo raihana | He Ratonga Mātauranga me te Atawhai | ||
| Te raihana | Ngā Ture Mātauranga (Ratonga Kōhungahunga) 2008 | ||
| Te tokomaha mō te raihana | 22, kia tokowhā ki raro i te rua o ngā tau | ||
| Te tokomaha kei runga i te rārangi ingoa | 17, kotahi kei raro i te rua o ngā tau | ||
| Ngā hononga ā-iwi | Māori 13, Pākehā 4 | ||
| Te ōrau o ngā kaimahi kua whakawhiwhia ki ngā tohu mātauranga | 80%+ | ||
| Te tatauranga i pūrongotia ai, ki waenga i ngā kaimahi me ngā tamariki | Ki raro i te rua o ngā tau | 1:1 | He pai kē atu i ngā herenga tikanga mōkito |
| Ki runga ake i te rua tau | 1:7 | He pai kē atu i ngā herenga tikanga mōkito | |
| Te wā i te whare kōhungahunga te rōpū arotake | Hui-tanguru 2024 | ||
| Te wā o tēnei pūrongo | 10 Paengawhāwhā 2024 | ||
| Ngā pūrongo o mua a | Arotake Mātauranga, Poutū-te-rangi 2019 | ||
The Education Review Office (ERO) in collaboration with Puna Reo or Whare Kōhungahunga leaders, whānau, kaiako and their communities develop evaluation insights that foster accountability and improvement, identify progress and build evaluation capability.
Te Puna o Te Aroha Puna Reo is an all-day education and care service licensed for 22 children from birth to school age. This includes up to four under the age of two years. The service is situated on the grounds of Meremere Primary School, in the small community of Meremere. Most children attending identify as Māori. The centre is one of two governed by Te Nuinga Education Trust in the greater Auckland region. There have been staff changes since ERO’s March 2019 report, including a new manager being appointed in 2022. She leads a team of three qualified teachers and three unqualified staff, two of these are in their first year of a teacher education programme.
Children are confident competent learners who actively engage in play-based activities.
Children are nurtured by staff who know them and their interests well. The play-based programme is well considered. Plentiful resources stimulate children’s engagement in learning experiences both indoors and out. Good use is also made of nearby community facilities as part of the learning programme. The environment is calm, and children are relaxed. They are well supervised through positive interactions and engagement with staff. It is an inclusive learning environment, and there is an emphasis on building and maintaining strong relationships. Effective transition strategies support children and whānau to the puna, through the age groups and on to kura. Children show manaakitanga to others and confidently express themselves.
Curriculum design and implementation continues to evolve and improve. It is underpinned by Te Whāriki, The New Zealand Early Childhood Curriculum and the National Education and Learning Priorities (NELPs). The qualified teachers have sound knowledge of children as learners and how to facilitate learning through play. Teaching focusses on the interests of children, and adults use positive strategies that support children’s learning and development. Staff value whānau relationships and have a strong connection to the Meremere community. Children’s progress and learning is regularly recorded in their individual profiles. These capture progress overtime and are shared with whānau and children regularly. Additional information is also shared through the closed whānau Facebook page. Children explore and learn as they actively engage with learning activities throughout the day.
Staff understand the dual purpose of self-review for accountability and for improvement. They are highly reflective practitioners who undertake regular review of the curriculum and daily operations to evaluate how responsive these are to children’s interests and changing needs. Improvement plans and actions are implemented and then revisited to ensure that they achieve the desired outcomes for children. Children are the focus of the teaching programme that promotes their confidence and a love for learning.
Good leadership practices support caring staff who are focussed on children’s well-being and learning. Collaboration and respect are evident in the way that staff interact, supervise and care for children. The health and safety of children is prioritised. Leadership have established an organisational culture that encourages ongoing improvement. Staff meet regularly to evaluate professional practice and identify development needs. A professional growth cycle has been implemented to support the needs of teaching staff. The efficient running of the centre is in the best interests of the children and their whānau.
Governance require support to better understand their roles and responsibilities in the early childhood context. Centre staff take responsibility for strategic planning and policy review. Trustees need to be more involved in this work. It is not clear how trustees will realise the service vision or guide and monitor the strategic direction of the service. The new manager, although appointed in 2022, has not had her professional capability assessed. Staff and children’s whānau would benefit from more frequent and purposeful engagement with the trust.
Staff require further support to strengthen their confidence and capability in te reo and tikanga Māori. There is a collective commitment to increase te reo Māori. However, staff are only able to use te reo Māori to the best of their ability which is mainly words and simple sentences. They utilise community expertise when it is available. Children’s te reo Māori development is limited.
During the evaluation, 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.
To meet compliance requirements they must:
ERO developed the following recommendations, that Te Nuinga Education Trust:
Darcy Te Hau
Toka-ā-Nuku – Director
Te Uepū ā-Motu – Māori Review Services
10 April 2024
| Location | Kei Meremere | ||
| Ministry of Education profile number | 47236 | ||
| Licence type | Education & Care Service | ||
| Licensed under | Education (Early Childhood Services) Regulations 2008 | ||
| Number licensed for | 22 children, including up to 4 aged under 2 | ||
| Service roll | 17 children, including 1 aged under 2 | ||
| Ethnic composition | Māori 13, NZ European/Pākehā 4 | ||
| Percentage of qualified teachers | 80% + | ||
| Reported ratios of staff to children | Under 2 | 1:1 | Better than minimum requirements |
| Over 2 | 1:7 | Better than minimum requirements | |
| Review team on site | February 2024 | ||
| Date of this report | 10 April 2024 | ||
| Most recent ERO report(s) | Education Review, March 2019 | ||
Not well placed | Requires further development | Well placed | Very well placed |
Te Puna O Te Aroha Puna Reo is well placed to promote positive learning outcomes for children.
ERO's findings that support this overall judgement are summarised below.
Te Puna O Te Aroha Puna Reo is an all-day education and care service licenced for 22 children from birth to school age. It is situated on the grounds of Meremere Primary School, located in the small town of Meremere. The current roll of 26 children includes two children under the age of two years and 19 who identify as Māori. The centre is a community based Puna Reo, governed by Te Nuinga Education Trust, which is not for profit. It is one of two centres governed by the trust in the greater Auckland region. The centre has been in operation for two years and currently employs four teachers with three of these being qualified and registered.
The centres philosophy aims to support and engage the local community and whānau in and around Meremere to access early childhood education that is based on tikanga Māori kaupapa.
This is the centres first ERO review.
Partnerships with whānau are positive and affirming. Parents are supported to feel a sense of wellbeing and belonging in the centre. Children are celebrated for the skills and knowledge that they bring to learning. Teachers have a strong contextual knowledge of teaching and learning that meets the needs of the community. Children and their whānau experience reciprocal and respectful relationships that promote positive learning outcomes for children.
The well-resourced environment fosters sustained play and learning. Children lead their own learning and confidently make choices and decisions about that learning. Teachers integrate literacy and numeracy experiences that are meaningfully promoted throughout the programme. Assessment and planning has been developed to identify learning outcomes. Children's progress and continuity of interests and individual goals are recorded in their portfolios. They experience risk taking and problem solving through a challenging and culturally authentic environment.
The curriculum promotes learning for children that aligns to whānau aspirations. Teachers engage positively with children's learning and encourage rich oral language through waiata, rhyme, and reciprocal conversations. Shifts in teacher practice and improvement to the learning environment has been a focus. The mixed-age centre supports an inclusive approach to learning and teaching. Transition into the centre is positive and responsive to each child and their whānau. Children experience a curriculum that fosters their confidence and competence.
Te ao Māori is effectively promoted through kaupapa Māori contexts. Te reo and tikanga Māori are a strong feature of the programme. Teachers strongly promote children’s knowledge of the bicultural heritage of Aotearoa New Zealand. Primary care for children under the age of two years is responsive and respectful. Teachers follow young children’s rhythms and cues effectively. The mixed-age environment supports children to learn with their siblings and cousins through caring and respectful pepi/teina/tuakana relationships.
Leadership is effective. The centre manager is responsible for the daily operations of the centre has established a strong organisational culture that positively promotes rich learning and teaching experiences. Policies, procedures and the philosophy are reviewed regularly in consultation with whānau. There is a framework in place for internal evaluation to guide effective change and improvement. An online teacher appraisal system is in place, however this process needs to be fully and consistently implemented in order to further support teacher growth and capability. Leadership promotes an authentic and contextual learning experience for children.
Governance provides useful systems and policies to support the management of the service. A strategic plan and vision is in place to guide operations over three years. It states an aim to promote participation for children and their whānau into early childhood education. Currently, the trust has limited involvement in the governance of the service. This is impacting on the services ability to effectively promote its vision.
Te Nuinga Education Trust needs to engage more purposefully and consistently with the centre to further support the centre manager in her role.
Leaders agree that the appraisal process needs to be fully implemented. This should include teacher’s goals and inquiry, targeted observations, and feedback and feedforward. The centre manager’s appraisal process needs to be implemented and completed annually by an independent appraiser to ensure her teacher's certification is maintained.
Before the review, the staff and management of Te Puna O Te Aroha Puna Reo 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.
Phil Cowie
Director Review and Improvement Services
Central Region
28 March 2019
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 | Meremere | ||
| Ministry of Education profile number | 47236 | ||
| Licence type | Education & Care Service | ||
| Licensed under | Education (Early Childhood Services) Regulations 2008 | ||
| Number licensed for | 22 children, including up to 4 aged under 2 | ||
| Service roll | 26 | ||
| Gender composition | Girls 15 Boys 11 | ||
| Ethnic composition | Māori Pākehā Other | 19 5 2 | |
Percentage of qualified teachers 0-49% 50-79% 80%+ Based on funding rates | 80% + | ||
| Reported ratios of staff to children | Under 2 | 1:2 | Better than minimum requirements |
| Over 2 | 1:7 | Better than minimum requirements | |
| Review team on site | February 2019 | ||
| Date of this report | 28 March 2019 | ||
Most recent ERO report(s)
| No previous ERO reports | ||
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 will depend on how well the service promotes 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.