Harakeke Preschool

15/01/2026

Harakeke Preschool Garage Sale 🌿

We’re having a garage sale to re-home the rest of our Harakeke resources and equipment.
There will be all sorts of things available — chairs, loose parts, building blocks, dolls house bits, puzzles, games, play kitchen equipment, books, even a giant whiteboard, and lots of random bits and bobs.

Our families had first dibs, but there is still plenty left, so we’d love for others to come and have a look.

🗓 This Sunday 18th January
⏰ 1–3 pm
📍 Harakeke Preschool

Pop in, have a browse, and see if there’s anything you’d like to collect.
We’re hoping the weather is kind so we can set everything up outside — if it’s wet, we’ll postpone and let everyone know.

Hope to see you there 😊

24/12/2025

It's Christmas Day and after a beautiful Christmas Eve celebration in German tradition with my beautiful and growing family last night I am thinking of all of you now, of all you wonderful people I am blessed to have met and spent time with during our Harakeke journey. I wish you a beautiful, peaceful, happy and fun filled festive season and holiday.
My heart ( and bucket.....for those insiders )is filled and overflowing with aroha and gratitude. Thank you so so much for all your kind and heartfelt comments to our recent announcement of Harakeke's closure.
That our vision became reality was only possible because of all the wonderful, talented and dedicated kaiako who found their way through the squeaky gate, the mums and dads who embraced our philosophy and of course all our tamariki who gave us so much joy.
I add a few photos from the celebrations that filled our last week together but hope we can all come together as whānau some time soon in the new year to share memories.
We'll keep you informed on this platform ❤️

26/11/2025

Tēnā koutou katoa,
It is with a weighty heart that we share with our community that our beautiful Harakeke will be closing at the end of this year.
For almost 16 years, Gundula and Johannes have created something truly special — a unique early childhood space held within nature, community, creativity, and aroha. With an incredible team of kaiako, our wonderful Mr Greenthumb, our musically gifted Anne, and the unwavering support of our wider community, Harakeke has become a home away from home for so many tamariki and their whānau.

It is now time for Gundula and Johannes to focus on their own whānau as they continue to navigate a challenging health journey.
As kaiako, we feel deeply grateful to have been part of such a special place. What a gift it has been to watch so many tamariki grow beneath these treasured rākau.
We hope that in the years to come, Harakeke will have left enough of a mark that people will continue to feel inspired to be in nature with their tamariki and to foster the many values we have aimed to embody.

He aha te mea nui o te ao? Ko te whānau.
What is the most important thing in the world? It is family.

07/10/2025

Term 3 has been full of exciting learning! After the recent local floods and seeing how many of our tamariki were affected, we decided to focus our learning on ‘Helping Heroes’ in the community. This theme has led to several trips out into the community and some wonderful visits from helpers who came to talk to us about how they support others.

So far, we’ve welcomed a vet, a soldier, firefighters, police officers, and many more, sparking lots of discussions about these amazing helpers and the important work they do.

This has trickled into Term 4, so yesterday, Sheree from the Richmond Police visited us. She shared how the police help keep people safe and encouraged the children to think about how they can stay safe too. The highlight? Definitely exploring the police car—it was such a fun experience, and we felt very lucky!

On Friday, we’re off to visit our local Harbour Master, who did so much mahi after the floods. We can’t wait to learn more about the incredible ways our community comes together to help one another!

08/08/2025

One of our whānau needs our aroha 💙
Nye, just 5, is heading to Auckland for open heart surgery next week. Liz and the whole family will need lots of support during this time.

They’ve already faced so much and would really appreciate our help. If you can, please consider donating and sharing this—every bit makes a difference.

Let’s come together as a community to support them. 🙏❤️

Please support this family who contribute so much to our community, Aneirin 5yrs is having a hole in his heart closed via open heart surgery