BestStart Queenstown

BestStart Queenstown is nestled in the centre of Tahuna (Queenstown), close to the “pulsing heart” of Lake Wakatipu. We are the place that locals trust to look after their brave little explorers.

Long ago, before the promise of gold brought Pakeha to Otago, the Maori roamed Kawarau, hunting for moa and greenstone and eels.  One night, a cruel taniwha (giant) called Matau kidnapped Manata; the daughter of the local chief, carrying her away to his lair in the hills. Her father declared that any warrior who was brave enough to rescue her, could have her hand in marriage. The young men in the village were afraid, but Matakauri, bravely accepted this challenge, setting off into the hills to rescue Manata and slay the giant.

What you can expect from BestStart Queenstown:

• To see happy, healthy, nurtured and confident tamariki bravely leading explorations, to confidently share their voice, to adventurously show off what they at great at.
• Stimulating, collaborative learning experiences reflecting adventure and discovery.
• To work together in partnership with experienced Kaiako, creating an individually developed learning plan to support meaningful learning for your brave explorer.
• Regular updates of your brave adventurers on Storypark.
• A diverse, bi-cultural environment where Kaiako uphold the unique heritage of our Maori culture.
• Eco-warriors roaming a path of sustainable thinking and choices.
• Healthy nutrition provided by a skilled on-site cook, ensuring healthy hearts and minds.
• Frequent excursions in our local community, including a ski day, supporting a sense of citizenship.

Do you have a brave adventurer waiting to roam, indoors or outdoors, sun, rain or snow?

If so please get in touch with us today.

BestStart Queenstown is where Wakatipu’s Bravest come to Explore!

Ko te manu e kai ana I te miro, nona te ngahere | The bird that partakes of the miro berry owns the forest

Ko te manu e kai ana I te matauranga, nona te ao | The bird that partakes of education owns the world

Who is BestStart?

BestStart is for families who want more from early-childhood education. Safe, nurturing and educationally focused, we’re committed to growing caring people with curious minds.

Together we teach, learn and nurture.

Our vision is to work in partnership with families, whanau and communities to enable children to achieve their learning potential.

Ko tō mātou tirohanga hei mahi ngātahi i te taha o ngā whānau me ngā hāpori, kia āwhinatia ngā tamariki, kia tū pito mata ai rāatou, hei rangatira mō āpōpō.

We are committed to being a progressive and responsive leader in early-childhood education. We do this by enhancing our services, investing in our people, developing our support structure and continuously improving the educational outcomes and experiences of our children, families and the communities we serve.

Some facts:

• We’re licensed to educate and care for 15,000 full-time children daily.
• 18,000 families use BestStart services annually.
• We have over 270 centres nationwide located from Whangarei to Invercargill.
• Each centre is managed by a Centre Manager who is supported by a local Area Manager. This gives our centre teams ongoing quality training and support.
• Te Whāriki, the world-wide acclaimed national early childhood education curriculum, is used in all centres.
• We have over 4500 permanent teachers nationally. Over 90% of our permanent teaching staff are either fully qualified with a diploma or bachelor of teaching (ECE) or higher, or are in training. These figures are very high by national standards within the ECE sector.
• We provide a two-year Advice and Guidance Programme for all recently certified teachers, providing further mentoring and training. This gives strong support for teachers from provisional registration to full teacher registration with the NZ Teachers Council.
• We regularly spend around $4 million on teacher training per annum.

We’re for children

At our heart is our commitment and passion for children. Central to this belief is our focus on the holistic development of children. We support children to explore the world around them, learning through relationships, creating a love of learning in an ever-changing world. Exploration, friendship and fun are part of the journey.

We’re for good

BestStart is a registered charity owned by the Wright Family Foundation. We support initiatives and programmes within BestStart and the wider early-childhood education sector (ECE) that support good outcomes for all children. We do this because we want to make a positive difference to the lives of all children.

Innovation leads us

At BestStart, innovation guides our thinking. We advocate positive change for learners through our research and practice. We’re proud to be thought leaders within ECE, openly challenging ourselves to think differently to provide the best for our children, families and staff.

We’re responsive

Our centres reflect their children, staff and communities. We celebrate individuality, uniqueness and diversity, encouraging a spirit of empathy, understanding and collaboration. Through our responsive relationships and our curriculum, we support learners to choose their own path.

Our people matter

At BestStart people come first. When we grow and develop our people, everyone benefits. We strive for whakamana/empowerment, nurturing a culture of excellence with engaged, talented professionals. Their commitment, skill and passion light our way.