Paekakariki

Paekākāriki Playcentre has been an integral part of Paekākāriki since the 1950s.
We are a whānau-run cooperative offering preschool education from our historic building on Wellington Road.
Our large garden and proximity to local features like Queen Elizabeth Park and Paekākāriki Beach offer unique learning opportunities for tamariki.
We are a friendly, diverse and supportive community of whānau from across Kāpiti.
We provide four sessions a week where the focus is on child-initiated play, whānau and community.
We believe that parents are a child’s first and best teachers. Through Playcentre Aotearoa we provide a free education programme for parents based on our ‘families learning together’ philosophy.

Visiting and Enrolments
Playcentre offers three free visits before you decide whether to enrol your child.
Our sessions are limited to 23 tamariki. We operate a waitlist and this changes from term to term. We prioritise the enrolment of local Paekākāriki whānau but welcome applications from across Kāpiti.
We run sessions Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday 9.30-12.30pm

Bilingual Focus
Rāhina – Monday
Paekākāriki Playcentre is committed to honouring Te Tiriti o Waitangi and offers a bilingual session on Mondays. These sessions are caregiver and parent-led. Once a month we have a fluent te reo Māori speaker visit our centre to focus on learning kupu Māori through waiata.
Rātū – Tuesday
For the first half of 2025 we have a visiting kaiako from Kāpiti Coast District Libraries who attends 5/10 weeks of the term to support us with te reo Māori, tikanga, and waiata. This session is parent and caregiver led.
Kaiarahi Māoritanga
We are currently seeking a fluent Kaiarahi Māoritanga to support children and parents to learn te reo and tikanga Māori alongside one another.
No matter where you’re at on your te reo journey, come and join us for some waiata (songs), kēmu (games), pakiwaitara (stories) me te mea nui tākaro (play)! It’s a unique opportunity to learn te reo Māori with your tamariki in a fun and supportive environment.

Other Sessions

Wednesday – Outdoor Session
Our Wednesday sessions are held offsite at various locations around Kāpiti. The aim of these is to promote connection with te taiao, the natural world, and to encourage play in diverse environments. The session facilitator co-designs these sessions with whānau based on the interests of our tamariki and capabilities of whānau. Example sessions: beach visit, Waikanae pools, Kaitawa Reserve.
Rāmere – Friday
This session is parent and caregiver led.