Onepoto Playcentre

POPs Games
Dairy Flat,

Onepoto Playcentre is a whānau-led early learning community where parents and children learn, play, and grow together. Nau mai, haere mai!

We celebrate child-led exploration, creativity, and connection in a warm, inclusive space. Playcentre is a unique New Zealand organisation that has been dedicated to early childhood education for 75 years. It is for children from birth to school age. Playcentre firmly believes that parents are the first and best educators of their children. We are entirely run by parents who want to be involved in

their children's learning, and who also want to meet and form friendships with other families in the area. As a family co-operative we share the responsibility for supervising, organising, maintaining and running the centre, under the guidelines of the New Zealand Playcentre Federation. Children learn through play and our child initiated play philosophy means that they are free to choose their own activities in their own time for as long as they want. When children play freely, they learn at their own pace. This also involves respect for the needs and rights of others, as well as respect for equipment and property. All early childhood centres in New Zealand follow the curriculum statement called Te Whaariki. This national curriculum covers every aspect of children's learning and development. Playcentre nationally acknowledges Te Tiriti o Waitangi as the founding document of New Zealand and is working towards creating a culturally safe and sensitive organisation for all who attend. Our session hours are 9.15 to 12 Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday. On Tuesday we run a Tamariki Nui/Big Kids session for children aged 3.5 years and over, which extends our older children, encourages independence and readiness for school. The ratio of adults to children ranges from 1:4 to 1:3. Playcentre offers free adult education and professional development workshops. We are a cooperative movement which fosters emergent leadership.

'Playcentre is the village that helps raise the child. Through Playcentre we learn how to observe our children and understand that play is learning and how we can extend that play and therefore learning; it gives us confidence that we are the best first educators of our children and this is achieved in a social, supportive fun environment! My children love Playcentre and I have met and made many friends. I feel privileged to be able to belong to a community where I can stay with my children and watch them go through the process of learning rather than just seeing the end product; I get to be part of their day, their play, their learning.' - Parent

29/05/2026

85 Years of Community and Connection

For 85 years, Playcentre has supported whānau, empowered parents, and helped tamariki thrive through connection, learning, and community.

Born in Aotearoa in 1941, Playcentre was built on the belief that parents grow alongside their children — and that when whānau are supported, communities flourish too.

“This is the year we say it out loud.”

Here’s to 85 years of belonging, friendship, learning, and aroha — and to many more to come.

Find out more:
https://www.playcentre.org.nz/news-and-events/events/85-years-anniversary/

11/05/2026

09/05/2026

Happy Mother’s Day to all the amazing mums, māmā, grandmothers, aunties, and special caregivers in our Onepoto Playcentre whānau.

Thank you for the love, care, patience, and endless support you give to your tamariki every single day. Onepoto Playcentre is such a special place because of the time, laughter, learning, and memories shared together.

Today we celebrate you and all the little moments that make motherhood so meaningful ❤️

Wishing everyone a beautiful Mother’s Day filled with love, cuddles, and cherished family time.

Ngā mihi nui from our Playcentre whānau 🌸

05/05/2026

Kia ora e te whānau 💛

This week we celebrate New Zealand Sign Language Week, a time to learn, connect, and embrace inclusive communication.

At Onepoto Playcentre, we believe every child deserves to feel seen, heard, and understood. Learning simple signs together is a beautiful way for tamariki to express themselves, build confidence, and include everyone in their play.

Why not try a few signs at home this week? Even small steps can make a big difference ✨

26/04/2026

Lest we forget 🌺

A reminder that our centre is closed on Monday 27th April for ANZAC Day.

If you’re at home with your tamariki, you could explore some simple ANZAC Day activities together – making poppies, drawing pictures, or sharing stories about caring for others and remembering the past.

We look forward to seeing you all soon.

24/04/2026

On ANZAC Day, we pause to remember the courage, sacrifice, and spirit of those who served our country. Lest we forget.

Please note our Playcentre will be closed on Monday 27th April.
Thank you for your understanding, and we will see you all on Wednesday 29th April.

19/04/2026

Kia ora e te whānau, welcome back for Term 2! 💛

We hope you all enjoyed a lovely term break with your whānau. Our Onepoto Playcentre is looking amazing - special thanks to all our members who cleaned up during the term break - and ready for another fun-filled term ahead.

We’re so excited to welcome everyone back – both familiar faces and new ones – for more play, discovery, and connection. Here’s to another term of learning through play and making special memories together.

See you at the centre!

OPENING HOURS
Monday: 9am - 12.30pm
Wednesday: 9am - 12.30pm
Thursday: 9am - 12.30pm
Friday: 9am - 12pm

02/04/2026

Happy Easter everyone! 🐣🌸
Our centre will be closed during the term break and will reopen on Monday 20 April. We hope everyone has a wonderful Easter holiday and enjoys some special time with whānau and friends over the break.

Thank you for a lovely term at Playcentre. It has been wonderful to see our tamariki learning, playing, and growing together. We appreciate all the support from our whānau this term.

Wishing everyone a safe, happy, and relaxing Easter and term break. We look forward to seeing you all again next term for more fun and learning together!

30/03/2026

A special graduation day at Playcentre 🎓💛

Today we celebrated Amīria's the last day at Playcentre. She is turning 5 during the term break and off to school on the first day of Term 2. She has been part of our Onepoto whānau since she joined when she was 2 years old, so this was a very special milestone for all of us.

We shared a beautiful morning tea together, and she absolutely loved sitting on the special birthday chair and wearing the kākahu. It was such a meaningful way to celebrate this milestone.

We will miss you so much and wish you all the very best on your next adventure! 🌟

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Location

Auckland

Telephone

+6494436359

Website

https://www.playcentre.org.nz/centre/onepoto/, http://www.playcentre.org.nz/

Address

51 Hillcrest Avenue
Auckland
0627

Opening Hours

Monday	9:15am - 11:45am
Wednesday	9:15am - 11:45am
Thursday	9:15am - 11:45am
Friday	9:15am - 11:45am