Sara Petesa A'oga Amata

Sara Petesa A’oga Amata operates under the management of the Otara Samoan Assembly of God Church. The A’oga serves the church and community providing all day Samoan language immersion. All children attending are of Samoan heritage

Founded in 1988, Pastor Seleni Taoai, of the Otara Samoan Assembly of God Church, had become a grandfather for the first time, it was on March 19th, 1988, his eldest grandson is born. It was here, he was inspired to start a pre-school that would teach the Samoan language and its importance, as well as Christian values. At the time, the pre-school was held in the church building, guest house and the garage.

On the 29th of June, a group of mothers from the church were formed to start the pre-school, it was called ‘Petesa Aoga Amata’. In the year 1999, an application for a ECE (Early Childhood Education) license and building was submitted. On February 1st, 2000, Petesa Aoga Amata became the first Samoan Assembly of God Church to be licensed, with the Ministry of Education and the completion of the new building.

In the year 2013, the pre-school celebrated its 25th Anniversary, 25 years since its inception, it then changed its name to “Sara Petesa Aoga Amata” in honour of the late Sarai Aiono Taoai (p.2011). In the year 2014, a plan was approved, by the council, for a new building, which has been added onto the existing school, and was completed in 2015.

Located directly behind the Otara Samoan Assembly of God church, and is comprises of two buildings with a state of the art playground that creates an atmosphere of both pacific and New Zealand cultures. Its location has a safe distance from the road, providing safety for the children.