201 Buckland Road, Mangere, Auckland
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.
Good Seeds Childrens Centre is one of three centres operated by the Good Seeds Trust group. Governance is provided by an operations manager and the CEO of the Trust. There have been significant staffing changes since ERO’s previous report in 2021. The community is ethnically diverse. Most of the children attending are Māori or of Pacific heritage.
Adults providing education and care engage in meaningful, positive interactions to nurture reciprocal relationships. They provide a language rich environment that supports children’s learning.
The service curriculum 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. A range of experiences and opportunities are provided to children to enhance and extend their learning and development.
Consistent implementation of systems and practices is required to ensure that regulatory standards are maintained.
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.
Patricia Davey
Director of Early Childhood Education (ECE)
22 November 2023
| Early Childhood Service Name | Good Seeds Childrens Centre |
| Profile Number | 25054 |
| Location | Mangere, Auckland |
| Service type | Education and care service |
| Number licensed for | 80 children, including up to 10 aged under 2 |
| Percentage of qualified teachers | 80-99% |
| Service roll | 83 |
| Review team on site | September 2023 |
| Date of this report | 22 November 2023 |
| Most recent ERO report(s) | Akanuku | Assurance Review, November 2021; Education Review, May 2018 |
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:
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 |
| Curriculum | Meeting |
| Premises and facilities | Not meeting |
| Health and safety | Not meeting |
| Governance, management and administration | Not meeting |
At the time of the review, ERO identified areas of non-compliance with regulatory standards that are an unacceptable risk to children.
Good Seeds Childrens Centre is one of the three services owned by a not-for-profit organisation, Good Seed Trust. An area manager provides support to the centre leader, three qualified kaiako and eight unqualified staff, including family engagement support workers. A third of the children are Māori. Most of the children attending have Pacific heritage.
Children are provided with opportunities to develop knowledge and an understanding of Te Tiriti o Waitangi. The service curriculum respects and supports the right of each child to be confident in their own culture and encourages children to understand and respect other cultures.
Adults providing education and care engage in meaningful, positive interactions to enhance children’s learning and nurture reciprocal relationships. A range of experiences and opportunities to extend learning and development is provided for children.
Consistent implementation and review of the service’s policies and practices is required to ensure compliance with licensing requirements. An increased level of monitoring of health and safety practices is required.
ERO found areas of non-compliance in the service relating to:
Licensing Criteria for Early Childhood Education and Care Centres 2008, PF27, HS8, GMA7A.
Since the onsite visit the service has provided ERO with evidence that shows it has addressed the following non-compliances:
ERO recommends that the Ministry reassess the licence issued to this service provider. ERO will not undertake a further review of this service until the Ministry of Education is satisfied that the service meets regulatory standards.
The next ERO review will be in consultation with the Ministry of Education.
Phil Cowie
Acting Director Review and Improvement Services (Northern)
Northern Region | Te Tai Raki
24 November 2021
| Early Childhood Service Name | Good Seeds Childrens Centre |
| Profile Number | 25054 |
| Location | Mangere, Auckland |
| Service type | Education and care service |
| Number licensed for | 80 children, including up to 10 aged under 2 |
| Percentage of qualified teachers | 80-99% |
| Service roll | 82 |
| Ethnic composition | Māori 21, NZ European/Pākehā 1, Cook Island Māori 17, Samoan 13, Niuean 12, Tongan 10, Asian 5, other ethnic groups 3 |
| Review team on site | July 2021 |
| Date of this report | 24 November 2021 |
| Most recent ERO report(s) | Education Review, May 2018; Education Review, October 2014 |
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 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:
Not well placed | Requires further development | Well placed | Very well placed |
ERO's findings that support this overall judgement are summarised below.
Good Seeds Childrens Centre is located in Mangere, Auckland, in the grounds of the Shiloh Church. It is licensed for 80 children, including 10 aged up to two years. Families attending the centre come from diverse cultures, with the majority being of Māori or Pacific heritage. The centre is one of two operating under the Good Seed Trust.
The Good Seed Trust, which is an independent non-profit making organisation provides a framework of operational policies and procedures to support the day-to-day management of the Mangere and Mt Wellington centres. They have a strong commitment 'to equip families to live abundant lives, ensuring success and positive learning outcomes for all'. A significant feature of the centre is the Family Support team who work closely with staff and families.
The recently reviewed centre philosophy includes Christian values and recognises core principles of aroha, manaakitanga and whanaungatanga. It supports an environment that enables children to become C.U.T.E (confident, unique and thriving with enquiring minds). The vision statement 'strengthening families, transforming communities' underpins centre operations.
ERO's 2014 report noted the respectful, positive and cooperative relationships in the centre that are still very evident. ERO also identified areas for development, including internal evaluation, clarifying leadership roles and responsibilities, and support for beginning teachers. Centre leaders have made some progress in addressing these next steps.
Children, parents and whānau are warmly welcomed into the centre. Teachers know their centre community well and provide parents with opportunities to share their aspirations for their children. They recognise Māori as tangata whenua and are responsive to families' diverse cultures.
Children are happy and settled in the centre environment and choose from a variety of activities inside and in the outdoors. Children are keen to learn. They participate in sustained, collaborative and individual play in a well-resourced environment.
Teachers are sensitive to the needs of babies and toddlers, who experience caring and nurturing practices. Responsive adult interactions support children to be confident in their surroundings. It is timely to review the learning environment to better support positive outcomes for infants and toddlers. Teachers should improve children's access to learning resources, including those that reflect Māori and Pacific cultures.
Teaching practices are affirming, nurturing and supportive of all children. Teachers discuss children's learning and plan collaboratively for individual and group interests. Teaching practices are inclusive, and a strong emphasis is placed on children's and whānau wellbeing. Continuing to build teachers' capability to extend children's language and thinking is a priority for centre leaders. Aligning the programme planning with the centre philosophy and continuing to review the use of digital devices as a teaching tool are also next development steps.
Leaders and teachers carefully consider transitions into and beyond the centre. Four vans are provided by the service to collect children who require transportation. Teachers have developed strong relationships with local schools. They work alongside parents to support a smooth transition for each child.
Leaders strongly promote the services' vision and associated goals. They support individual and whole-centre professional development, including engaging the Family Support team where relevant. Teacher appraisal processes align with the future direction of the service. The appraisal system needs to be aligned with Education Council requirements and applied to all teachers.
The centre is well governed and managed. Management systems are understood by staff. The Trust and centre strategic plans are documented and would be strengthened by the regular evaluation of progress, linked to outcomes for children. Leaders could also consider reviewing Trust and management roles in order to build leadership capacity across the senior management structure.
Key next steps agreed to by the Trust and centre leaders include:
Before the review, the staff and management of Good Seeds Childrens 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 Good Seeds Childrens Centre will be in three years.
Julie Foley
Deputy Chief Review Officer Northern (Acting)
Te Tai Raki - Northern Region
4 May 2018
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 | Mangere, Auckland | ||
| Ministry of Education profile number | 25054 | ||
| Licence type | Education & Care Service | ||
| Licensed under | Education (Early Childhood Services) Regulations 2008 | ||
| Number licensed for | 80 children, including up to 10 aged under 2 | ||
| Service roll | 110 | ||
| Gender composition | Girls 55% Boys 45% | ||
| Ethnic composition | Māori Samoan Tongan Cook Islands Māori Niuean other | 28% 26% 18% 14% 10% 4% | |
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 | 1:9 | Better than minimum requirements | |
| Review team on site | March 2018 | ||
| Date of this report | 4 May 2018 | ||
Most recent ERO report(s)
| Education Review | October 2014 | |
| Education Review | September 2011 | ||
| Education Review | August 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.