Āwhina Te Mata
Āwhina Te Mata, nestled above the vineyards of Te Mata, is our newest early childhood centre. Located on Te Mata Road in Havelock North, our purposefully designed space celebrates a natural environment, learning through play, and a sense of calm that supports every child’s unique journey. With dedicated spaces for under and over 2s, we offer respectful, child-led care in a peaceful, nature-rich environment, guided by Te Whāriki and inspired by aspects of Steiner philosophy.
Our stunning environment is designed to feel safe, familiar, and peaceful, encouraging tamariki to explore and grow at their own pace. Outside you’ll find real grass, flower and vegetable gardens, a bike track, bark area, chicken coop, and sandpit, overlooking a stunning nature backdrop.
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Our space
Our tamariki learn and play inside with arts, crafts, and resources made from beautifully crafted natural materials. Outside our tamariki can explore a peaceful garden and inspiring space to learn and safely explore!
We have two rooms at Awhina Te Mata designed for tamariki developmental stages. One for our youngest tamariki, with 3 separate sleep rooms, a large covered deck and beautiful outdoor space with sandpit. Our space for our older tamariki includes a large indoor space with dedicated quiet cosy spaces, a beautiful deck with a stunning view, bike track, sandpit, climbing area, hobbit house, chicken coop and stunning flower/vegetable gardens.
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Daily rhythms
Āhwina has a beautiful natural daily rhythm, from play, meal times, and sleep to home time. The teaching team support & guide the children through these daily rhythms with grace & ease. The children come to experience & know Āwhina’s healthy rhythms which bestows a sense of comfort and security in knowing what is to happen next. Each child is therefore nourished, well-rested, happy and able to make a transition back into their home environment. Relationships are at the heart of everything we do and we ensure each child has a key teacher to support and guide them through the settling in transition, from home to Āwhina.
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Nutrition
At Āwhina Te Mata we believe that nutrition is the foundation of a healthy, happy child. We have an in-house chef who provides nutrient dense, organic where possible, whole-food meals that are prepared lovingly in our onsite commercial kitchen. The meals are prepared using local-where-possible produce, including seasonal fruits, vegetables and whole foods. We can cater to any dietary needs your child may have.