Although we have been around for well over a century now, a lot of things haven’t changed. Throughout that time, we have also been here, first and foremost for the tamariki – hence the name we adopted many years ago. Our commitment to trained teachers has also stayed constant, from those very first days until today. And while we may adapt to the times, our values stay true.
There’s no doubt that kindergarten has played an integral role in the lives of generations of New Zealanders. The story is almost too wide-reaching to do justice to, from the kindergartens that were set up in the early part of last century to help ease the societal ills of poverty, enduring the consequences of wars, disasters, and through happier and prosperous times, always changing, as former CWFKA President Sandy Bain once said, “It’s the social history really, not just of kindergarten, but the social history of New Zealand.” As such, our journey reflects the times and voices of those involved in kindy throughout the last century and more, through and ever-changing world.
We celebrated our Centenary a little delayed (due to the catastrophic earthquake sequence that devastated Christchurch and saw several of our kindergartens destroyed) but managed to hold a fantastic 100 Days of Kidsfirst to mark the occasion.
In 2022, we celebrated our Kidsfirst Legacy at the 110th Annual General Meeting with a series of Distinction Awards for many of our kindergartens and a video reflecting on the influence kindergarten has had on people’s lives for generations.
betterbecause@kidsfirst.org.nz
03 338 1303
0800 KIDSFIRST (0800 454 373)
Kidsfirst Kindergartens, PO Box 8089, Christchurch 8440
