Our Philosophy

Teaching Curriculum

Our vision is to deliver rich learning experiences for our children to discover, explore and to grow up as competent and confident learners and communicators – healthy in mind, body and spirit, secure in their sense of belonging and in the knowledge that they make a valued contribution to society.

Our philosophy is based on Te Tiriti o Waitangi; the New Zealand Early Childhood Curriculum, Te Whaariki implementing the four guiding principles of the curriculum; as well as including the inspirational Reggio Emelia educational project from Italy. Here you will see how the four guiding principles of Te Whaariki and the influence of Reggio Emelia are inter-woven to present our Philosophy Statement.

The four guiding principles of Te Whaariki:
the New Zealand Early Childhood Curriculum

Whakamana – Empowerment

Empowering children to evolve as confident life-long learners and communicators and to explore their world around them.

Kotahitanga – Holistic Development

Reflecting the holistic way each child learns through free exploration, play and learning. Acknowledging each child’s uniqueness and embracing their cultural identity.

Whanau Tangata – Family and Community

We nurture participation from the wider world of family and community being an integral part of the early childhood curriculum.

Nga Hononga – Relationships

Given our children learn through responsive, respectful and reciprocal relationships with people, places and things, we encourage participation in these meaningful relationships.

The Reggio-Emelia Philosophy, Italy

The Reggio-Emelia (Italy) Philosophy was born when well known Pedagogist Loris Malaguzzi and parents in the villages of Reggio Emelia believed that a new and better approach to teaching their children should be sought. The programme which was developed emphasised respect, responsibility and community involvement. Children are encouraged to explore and discover in a supportive and rich environment, where the curriculum is created around the children’s interests.

  • Children should have some control over the direction of their learning
    Empowerment
  • Children must be able to learn through experiences of touching, moving, listening and observing. They must have endless ways to express themselves
    Holistic Development
  • Children have a relationship with other children and with material items in the world that they must be allowed to explore
    Relationships
  • Parents are a vital component to the Reggio-Emelia philosophy as is community support for families with young children
    Family and Community

In keeping with our curriculum and its guiding principles we have created a home away from home for children and their whanau. Miniland pledges to provide high quality care instilling a sense of belonging and wrapped in aroha. We recognise the dreams and desires that you have for your children and respond with a team of educators who build respectful and reciprocal relationships with children and whanau and the wider community. Our mission is to instil a lifelong love of learning through applauding a child’s natural enthusiasm and curiosity which encourages an understanding of the world around them. Miniland – Our Land.

We have integrated Storypark into our learning environment to enable parents to be involved with their child’s learning. This is an easy-to-use online service that helps our teachers, parents and whanau work together to record, share and extend children’s learning. A child’s development is captured in photos, videos, stories, moments and responses.