Childcare options in St Martins

BestStart Huntsbury is a new early learning centre located at the bottom of the beautiful Port Hills. It was built on the site that used to belong to St. Anne’s Church which was a huge part of the local community for almost 100 years. We provide high quality care and education for children aged between 3 months and 6 years.

We currently have limited spaces in our nursery, join our waitlist now so you don’t miss out!

Convenient location - We are conveniently located across the road from St. Martins School and is within a 10 minute walking distance to Hillview Christian School and a 5 minute drive to Opawa School.  We are also close to a wide range of amenities such as a cafe, hairdresser, fish n chips shop, petrol station and supermarket.

Regular Excursions - We go on regular excursions to our local parks, local schools, local café and local retirement village.  We believe it is very important to have strong connections with our community and what’s around us.

Nutritious Meals - Our experienced cook makes the most delicious and nutritious kai for morning tea, lunch and afternoon tea.

Storypark - Your child’s learning journey and milestones will be captured and shared through one-on-one communication as well as our online learning portfolio Storypark.  This is a great way to keep up to date with what your child is doing while at the centre. You can log in to see what they have been up to during their time here, check out photos of them and comment on their activities.

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.

Poppies St Martins was established in 2009 in a beautiful character villa.  It has three separate inside areas- a spacious Nursery for our under two year olds, our Preschool room for two to three year olds and a Prepschool for our older children. We have separate natural playgrounds for all of our age groups.  Come and visit our beautiful Preschool and see the difference.

Our Preschool offers children two to three years a space to grow and learn during a time when they are changing and developing so much. Our lower than required ratios in this room allow a supportive environment for children to develop independence, build positive social relationships and provide encouragement for toilet learning.

In the Preschool we have our own outdoor environment which enables us to set up equipment and resources accommodating children's interests and stages of development. Our inside space provides children with a quiet, calm environment. Children can sleep on stretcher beds after lunch if needed.

Our daily routine includes mat times which offer a range of experiences from singing, stories, music and movement to tasks which support problem solving, trial and error and language skills. During free play time the children are offered a variety of experiences and resources to support individual and group learning. These include art and messy play, water play, science and nature, music and movement and construction.

Kura Kōhungahunga

He kākano ahau i ruia mai i Rangiātea

I am a seed that was sown in the heavens of Rangiātea

The Kindergarten is a place where childhood is cherished and a sense of wonder is nurtured. Tamariki play imaginatively and creatively, and develop freely within their world. There is a balance between self-directed play and the sharing of teacher-led group activities. Inside activities can include painting, baking, handwork, drawing, singing and stories, while outside tamariki can run and skip, climb trees and swing, play in the sandpit or help with gardening. The first seven years of a child’s life are of the utmost importance for developing capacities needed later in life.    

The primary developmental task during the first seven years is for the child to build a strong, healthy body. Therefore, premature demands on the intellect and working with abstract ideas are avoided as much as possible. The child is given time to exercise motor skills, experience and use language, and to develop social and emotional capacities through real experiences and interactions. There are no computers or screens in Kindergarten – families are encouraged to do likewise at home – as these devices hinder physical activity, creativity, and sociability.