Āwhina Te Mata

Āwhina Te Mata A calm, nature-inspired ECE centre for tamariki aged 0-6 years.

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.

Rā whānau ki a koe, Hayley! 🎉Wishing you a wonderful birthday filled with happiness, laughter, and lovely moments shared...
26/08/2026

Rā whānau ki a koe, Hayley! 🎉

Wishing you a wonderful birthday filled with happiness, laughter, and lovely moments shared with those closest to you. We hope the year ahead brings you all the joy you deserve.

With love from your Āwhina whānau 🌿

Our centre recently asked to collect fruit that had been thinned from the neighbouring orchards. Our tamariki set off wi...
26/08/2026

Our centre recently asked to collect fruit that had been thinned from the neighbouring orchards. Our tamariki set off with their bags, collecting all the fruit and bringing it back to our kitchen. We have enjoyed juicing some of the fruit together and making the most of this wonderful opportunity.

Then, we headed out to collect more fruit to share with our other centres. This has been a lovely way to build connections and show manaakitanga, while also helping to reduce waste by making good use of fruit that may have otherwise been left behind.

Rā whānau ki a koe, Lizzie! 🎉Wishing you a beautiful birthday filled with love, laughter, and special moments with famil...
17/08/2026

Rā whānau ki a koe, Lizzie! 🎉

Wishing you a beautiful birthday filled with love, laughter, and special moments with family and friends. May your day be as bright and wonderful as the warmth you bring to everyone around you.

With love from your Āwhina whānau 🌿

𝗥𝗮̄ 𝘄𝗵𝗮̄𝗻𝗮𝘂 𝗸𝗶 𝗮 𝗸𝗼𝗲 Lisa!Wishing you a birthday filled with warmth, wonder, and joyful moments surrounded by family and...
07/07/2026

𝗥𝗮̄ 𝘄𝗵𝗮̄𝗻𝗮𝘂 𝗸𝗶 𝗮 𝗸𝗼𝗲 Lisa!
Wishing you a birthday filled with warmth, wonder, and joyful moments surrounded by family and friends. May your day be as bright and beautiful as the light you bring to those around you.
With love from your Awhina whānau 🌿💛

We are loving this warm June day today 😍☀️ We turned on our “river” water fountain for the tamariki to splash in. They w...
15/06/2026

We are loving this warm June day today 😍☀️ We turned on our “river” water fountain for the tamariki to splash in. They were all so industrious, collaborating together to work out how to make the water come out faster or slower 🌊 Wonderful to see so much learning through play 🧠👏

𝗥𝗮̄ 𝘄𝗵𝗮̄𝗻𝗮𝘂 𝗸𝗶 𝗮 𝗸𝗼𝗲 Tia!Wishing you a birthday filled with warmth, wonder, and joyful moments surrounded by family and ...
19/05/2026

𝗥𝗮̄ 𝘄𝗵𝗮̄𝗻𝗮𝘂 𝗸𝗶 𝗮 𝗸𝗼𝗲 Tia!
Wishing you a birthday filled with warmth, wonder, and joyful moments surrounded by family and friends. May your day be as bright and beautiful as the light you bring to those around you.
With love from your Awhina whānau 🌿💛

Recently we germinated our kākano (seeds)🌱it took a little while for them to sprout, we waited patiently each day watchi...
13/05/2026

Recently we germinated our kākano (seeds)🌱it took a little while for them to sprout, we waited patiently each day watching and caring for them. Just before Mother’s Day, we were so excited to see our seeds finally sprout into little kōwhai stems.

We used our hands to paint special cups for our mum/motherly figure, alongside sharing a poem to celebrate the important people in our lives.

The tamariki loved being involved in this process, from seeding to gifting. To all the mothers and motherly figures, we hope you felt the love this Mother’s Day.

💚 Slow mornings outside surrounded by nature, sharing laughter and building relationships all while developing the conne...
06/05/2026

💚 Slow mornings outside surrounded by nature, sharing laughter and building relationships all while developing the connecting links in our brains 💚

Meet Jalae - Head Team Leader at Āwhina Te MataJalae is a registered ECE teacher with around 20 years of experience work...
29/04/2026

Meet Jalae - Head Team Leader at Āwhina Te Mata

Jalae is a registered ECE teacher with around 20 years of experience working with tamariki from many different backgrounds. As a Hawke’s Bay local, she is excited to be joining the Āwhina Te Mata teaching team.

Jalae is passionate about supporting young tamariki as they explore and make sense of the world around them. Her teaching approach is grounded in whanaungatanga, manaakitanga, and ako, with a focus on building strong, trusting relationships with tamariki and their whānau.

Jalae looks forward to meeting you and getting to know your tamariki.

We have had such an exciting day back after the long weekend! Our infants and toddlers have enjoyed building volcanoes i...
28/04/2026

We have had such an exciting day back after the long weekend! Our infants and toddlers have enjoyed building volcanoes in the sandpit 🌋, being creative with paint 🎨 and chasing bubbles in the wind 🫧 So much learning happens in one day of play at Āwhina!

Address

295 Te Mata Road
Havelock North
4130

Opening Hours

Monday 7:30am - 5:30pm
Tuesday 7:30am - 5:30pm
Wednesday 7:30am - 5:30pm
Thursday 7:30am - 5:30pm
Friday 7:30am - 5:30pm

Telephone

+64800762569

Website

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