WILLOWSONG STEINER INSPIRED Kindergarten IS NOW OPEN IN Tairawhiti!
we are now welcoming enrolments for children 3,4 & 5 years of age
the kindergarten is currently licensed for 20 children with a Teaching team of 3 teachers and kaiawhina
daily sessions are from 8.30-3.30 Monday - Thursday
for more Information please email willowsongkindergarten@gmail.com
willowsong tairawhiti
Who We Are
At Willowsong Tairāwhiti, we are a small, heart-centred Steiner early childhood community, nestled among the fields and skies of Patutahi, Gisborne.
Our kaupapa is to nurture the wonder of early childhood — honouring the natural unfolding of each tamaiti with warmth, rhythm, and reverence for life.
We believe that early childhood is not a race or preparation for something else — it is life itself, to be cherished, protected, and lived fully.
Guided by Te Whāriki, New Zealand’s early childhood curriculum, and the indications of Rudolf Steiner, we offer a rich, home-like environment where imagination, creativity, movement, and loving relationships form the foundation for learning.
Through the gentle weaving together of head, heart, and hands, we nurture the whole child — spirit, soul, and body — supporting their natural growth toward confidence, resilience, and joyful connection with the world.
What We Offer
Willowsong provides early childhood education and care for tamariki aged 0 to 6 years, through two streams of support:
-Our playgroup sessions, welcoming our youngest children and their families into a nurturing and rhythmic environment
-Our licensed kindergarten programme, offering a deepening experience for children as they grow in readiness for more independent social and creative life
-Our daily life together includes:
-Deep connection with nature, the seasons, and the living world
-Celebrations of seasonal festivals and community life
-A nurturing daily rhythm balancing creative play, meaningful work, storytelling, song, movement, and artistic expression
-A conscious focus on healthy sensory experiences, emotional wellbeing, and imaginative development
-Small group sizes, allowing for deep, loving relationships with kaiako and peers
-A strong partnership with whānau, recognising the home as the child's first and most important environment
We are committed to keeping early childhood education meaningful, relational, and accessible for rural families.
We warmly welcome you to journey with us, and to share in the living spirit of Willowsong.
“Receive the child in reverence
Educate them in Love,
Let them go forth in Freedom”
- Rudolf Steiner
Philosophy Statement
Rooted in Rhythm, Nurtured by Nature - A Tairawhiti Journey
At Willowsong, we offer an unhurried, nurturing beginning to childhood. Inspired by the teachings of Rudolf Steiner, we recognise the body, soul, and spirit of each tamaiti, and our work as kaiako is to protect, honour, and guide their unfolding journey with warmth, reverence, and joy. We are held by the whenua of Tairawhiti, where the light first touches the land, where ocean and forest meet, and where the rhythms of the earth call us into right relationship with Papatuanuku, Ranginui, and the natural cycles of life. We honour te ao Maori and seek to embody aroha, manaakitanga, and whanaungatanga in all our relationships. Human development, we believe, takes place most healthily in community, grounded in whanau, whakapapa and a deep sense of belonging. In the early years, the child lives through their senses, taking in the world through gesture, tone, rhythm, beauty, and movement. As kaiako, we design an environment filled with real experiences and gentle rhythms that offer healthy sense impressions, protect the child's life forces, and support their capacity to learn through imitation and play. We hold a deep respect for play as a fundamental right - not just as an activity, but as the sacred work of childhood. It is through self-directed, creative play that tamariki express agency, imagination, and deep purpose. We trust in the child's innate capacity for self-education and allow them time and space to unfold in their own way, without hurry or pressure. At the heart of our pedagogy is the inner life of the kaiako. We strive to carry an inner picture of reverence, joy, and warmth toward every child - seeing each as a spiritual being on a journey. We work with rhythm, beauty, song, story, and meaningful work to support the development of the will and the forming of healthy habits. Our seasonal and festival life is deeply attuned to the land and cycles of Tairawhiti. In our garden, on our walks, and at our table, we move with the rhythm of nature - celebrating harvest, preparing for winter, welcoming spring. The breath of the year becomes a shared experience that anchors children and whanau in a sense of connection and wonder.
“To truly know the world, look deeply within your own being; to truly know yourself, take real interest in the world”
-Rudolf Steiner
our home
you will find us Nestled among the open fields and skies of Patutahi, Tairawhiti
corner lavenham & onslow roads, Patutahi, gisborne 4010, new Zealand
get in touch
phone - 022 591397 (please text during kindergarten hours)
Kindergarten - willowsongkndergarten@gmail.com
all other inquiries - willowsongtairawhiti@gmail.com
facebook - www.facebook.com/willowsongtairawhiti
instagram - www.instagram.com/willowsong_tairawhiti
address - corner Lavenham & Onslow Road, Patutahi, Gisborne 4010, new zealand