Finance update – December 2021
Our Group financial statements have been prepared and our auditors are now going through their final checks before they sign-off on these. I’d like to thank all our Treasurers again for your...
Member News and Announcements
Trustee Board – An Appreciation Post
The reconvened Annual General Meeting occurred on the 27th November 2021, the Centre’s have had their voices heard and we head into 2022 with a mix of old and new Trustee’s. The outgoing...
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Confirmed Group Supervision Guidelines
Thank you to all those who responded to the Group Supervision survey. After collating all the responses and evaluating the best way forward we have confirmed this as the Group Supervision...
New Website launching soon
Our new website will be launching shortly, and we will send out a newsletter to show you around. Thank you again to those who provided feedback to the website survey.
Introducing our new Regional Manager
Our new Upper North Island Regional Manager, Tara Solomon who started on Wed 1st December. Nō Aerani me Ingarangi ōku tupuna Ko Rangitotot e maunga e rū nei taku ngākau Nō Waiake...
Property Update – December 2021
Reopening a Centre after an extensive closure period. A basic property checklist is available on the website (https://www.playcentre.org.nz/covid-19/centre-closures-for-lock-down/) for those...
Health and Safety Update – December 2021
Current H&S is concentrating on the Vaccine Mandate and the new Traffic Light System. Documentation will be updated in line with the new requirements as information becomes available to us...
Telecommunications Update – Dec 2021
There are 2 things you can do today to help us all be good stewards of the tamariki’s money in telecoms. 1) Record a Voicemail greeting. When lines aren't identified, we can't figure out...
HR Update – December 2021
Notice of shut down period for your Centre Staff Please be aware that you need to provide any paid employees working in your centre no less than 2 weeks’ notice in writing of your...
Grants Update – December 2021
Funding for Playcentres Top Tip for December ** With more and more competition for grants, funders are looking to finance needs, not nice-to-haves, so it is important to explain why this...
New App on Tablet
You may have noticed that there is a new app available on your centre tablet – as mentioned in a previous update the Vaccine Pass Verifier app is now on your centre tablet. You need to go to...
New Administrator
Kia ora koutou, I am the new Administrator for Playcentre Aotearoa. I live in Plimmerton in Wellington with my husband and three children. I have come from working in Medical Centres and...
Payroll Update
Christmas/New Year Pay 2021/2022 Deadlines for the following pay periods: Pay periods for 20/12/21-2/1/22 and 3/1/22-16/1/22 will both be opened on 23/12/21. This is to give time to submit and...
Policies and Procedures – December 2021
Feedback on the following policies this month Complaints Resolution Review, Research and Evolvement Previous Policies reviewed Policies mentioned in the previous Bulletins...
Trustee Board message
3 December 2021 Kia ora Playcentre Aotearoa Whānau This weekend saw the completion of the Playcentre Aotearoa reconvened 2021 AGM. We would like to thank the Representatives from...
Chief Executive Update – 5 November 2021
5 November 2021 Kia ora koutou It is a great privilege to serve Playcentre Aotearoa as Kaiwhakakahaere Matua and I have been humbled by the welcome I have received. My thanks go to...
Board shorts – message from the Trustee Board
Tēnā koutou te Whānau Tupu Ngātahi o Aotearoa, The Trustee Board acknowledge the passing of Dame Catherine Tizard. She was a staunch advocate and supporter of Playcentre throughout her life,...
Acting General Manager’s November Update
For almost two years New Zealand, like the rest of the world, has been dealing with the impact of Covid 19, and the impact of our government’s response. Over these two years phrases like...
Finance Update – November 2021
A big thank you to all the Treasurers for finalising their year end accounts. A special thank you for those who provided additional information for the auditors when requested. We can now get...
Education Update – November 2021
Wow – we’ve had a surge in enrolments for online modules for November. Ka mau te wehi! To meet demand, we have added groups starting 15 Nov for the following modules: B401 Kia Tākaro...
Health and Safety – November 2021
In October, Virginia Driver, our National Property Manager, has taken on an additional role of National Health and Safety Manager for a fixed term of six months. Playcentre Aotearoa is committed...
Lottery National Community Fund Results
Lottery National Community Fund Results We have once again been successful in getting $160,000 in funding from the Lottery National Community Fund. The feedback was that it was a strong...
Grants Update – November 2021
Funding for Playcentres Top Tip for November ** Apply early for your funding. Most funders have a funding advisor who reads the applications, makes recommendations and then passes them on to...
PLD Update – November 2021
We are offering new online workshops this term. The focus is on Naptime and Bedtime Learning Opportunities. These online workshops are delivered via Zoom and open to all Playcentre whānau – no...
Telecommunications Update – November 2021
How to request a telecoms upgrade Playcentre has been equipping each centre with a DIPH (Digital Island Phone and Hotspot) that provides a mobile phone as well as 1gb of hotspot data for every...
Board shorts – message from the Trustee Board
Tēnā koutou te Whānau Tupu Ngātahi o Aotearoa, The Trustee Board acknowledge the passing of Dame Catherine Tizard. She was a staunch advocate and supporter of Playcentre throughout her life,...
Property Update – November 2021
Property Communications For all general property enquiries please email [email protected], for specific regional property information please contact your Regional Property...
Board Shorts – message from the Trustee Board
Tēnā koutou te Whānau Tupu Ngātahi o Aotearoa, As we come to the end of term three we have once again seen Aotearoa and the team of 5 million pulling together to eliminate Covid-19. While...
General Manager’s Update – October 2021
Ngā mihi nui ki a koutou katoa Another month has passed and with it another chance to reflect on the weeks that have been. "Mehemea ka moemoeā ahau, ko ahau anake. Mehemea ka moemoeā...
Te Ao Māori Update – October 2021
New appointments Kia ora Te Whānau Tupu Ngātahi o Aotearoa, It is with great pleasure that the Kaihononga Māori team advise the appointments of our newest Kaimahi Māori. Deacon...
Grants Update – October 2021
Funding for Playcentres I am passionate about supporting centres with their grant funding applications. Some of the areas I can help with are - provide an affiliation letter or Spotlight report,...
Property Update – October 2021
Property Communications For all general property enquiries please email [email protected], for specific regional property information please contact your Regional Property...
MoE Clarification re Licensing maximum numbers
MoE Clarification re Licensing maximum numbers Recently the Ministry of Education confirmed your License Maximum is the maximum number of children allowed on site at your centre during session...
Introducing Louise Albert – Education Lead
Kia ora koutou Nō Pukekohe ahau He uri ahau nō Waikato Ko Louise Albert tōku ingoa. My journey in early childhood education began in 2006 at Kaiaua Miranda Playcentre in the Hauraki...
Finance Update – October 2021
Thank you to all the Treasurers who submitted their Year End questionnaire by the due date. This really helps us in putting the Group Accounts together that are required to be a charity and for...
Announcement: Appointment of Chief Executive
21 September 2021 Kia ora Te Whānau Tupu Ngātahi o Aotearoa, It is with great pleasure that the Playcentre Aotearoa Trustee Board advise the appointment of our Chief Executive David...
Property Update – September 2021
Property Communications For all general property enquiries please email [email protected], for specific regional property information please contact your Regional Property...
National Service Centre Update
Kia ora koutou e te whānau, While we have been in lockdown I have been attempting like many, to juggle work and home, and catch up on some outstanding tasks from my ever growing To Do List. I am...
General Manager’s Update – September 2021
Ngā mihi nui ki a koutou katoa Is it just me or the weeks flying by? The days seem to merge into each other while we’re in lockdown and not having to quantify which day of the week it is, is...
Grants Update – September 2021
Funding for Playcentres I am keen to share ‘Shout Out’s’ to any funder you would like to thank in future Bulletins. The Communications Manager and I would also be keen to feature some...
Te Ao Māori Update – September 2021
Te Ara o Te Aukati – Te Whakatūwhera i raro i te taumata whakatūpato tuarua. Re-opening Playcentre at level 2 Covid-19 using tikanga Māori Ahakoa he iti te matakahi, ka pakaru i a ia...
Telecommunications Update – September 2021
You're invited to join telecoms working party We need representatives from the 5 regions, both urban and rural centres, to join a telecoms working party to help define additional telecoms...
Education Update – September 2021
Playcentre Education Update Well done to all of our ākonga | students participating in the Playcentre Education programme. Our end of August report indicated that participation this year is...
Finance Update – September 2021
Kia ora koutou It’s the end of our financial year – it finished on 31st August, which is a pretty rare date in my experience. My first job is to produce a set of accounts for the...
Acting General Manager’s Update
27 August 2021 Kia ora tātou katoa e te Whānau Tupu Ngātahi o Aotearoa In one of our online management team meetings this week, this whakataukī was shared: He pai te tirohanga ki nga...
AGM 2021 update on SGM
Kia ora e te whānau, The Playcentre Aotearoa AGM was held on 31st July 2021. No decisions were made during the meeting. The Trustee Board are currently operating under clause 11.4 of the...
Board shorts – message from the Trustee Board
Kia ora e te whānau, Due to unprecedented and unforeseen events at AGM we had to abruptly end the meeting. We apologise for any bad feeling this caused. It is never our wish to make our...
Acting General Manager’s Update – August 2021
Kia ora tātou katoa e te Whānau Tupu Ngātahi o Aotearoa During my time on the Trustee Board and as Co-President for Playcentre, I used this Whakataukī at many Playcentre hui: Ehara taku toa...
Policies and Procedures Update – August 2021
While there has been a gap of reviewing and updating policies in the last wee while we are getting back on the horse! This is going to involve some intensive bulk reviewing to get us back on...
MoE Licensing Criteria Update – nice to know
MoE Licensing Criteria - nice to know From 1 January 2022, services will also be required to have regard for the National Education and Learning Priorities (the NELP) in both their annual plan...
MoE Licensing Criteria – need to know – August 2021
Currently the Ministry of Education is reviewing the ECE Regulations, which impacts on the Licensing Criteria. Playcentre already does a lot, if not all that is included in the NELPs, it is...
HR Update – August 2021
Human Resources Update We are focusing on completing a full review of our recruitment processes at present and, as a consequence of this, the longstanding issue of reviewing Pay scales for...
Property Update – August 2021
Reminders Annual building and playground cleaning. Please make sure you schedule a time each year to wash down your building and playground. Please check FAQs below for further...
Grants Update – August 2021
Funding for Playcentres Top Tip for August ** It is important to acknowledge any funders who help you out. This can be done in a variety of ways such as a thank you on social media, sending a...
Te Ao Māori Update – August 2021
Matariki celebrations 2021 Celebrating Matariki will always be a great way to signify and practice good biculturalism, and this year was exceptional! Centres managed their celebrations with a...
Festival of Learning
Haere mai, nau ki te hui ahurei ākonga – the Playcentre Festival of Learning! The Playcentre PLD and Education teams, with funding from ACE Aotearoa, are bringing a series of Play Days and...
Education Update – August 2021
Calling for three members to review a shiny, new parenting book: Parenting in the Anthropocene The book “explores ways to ensure the health and wellbeing of the next generations…from tikanga...
Finance Update – August 2021
It is coming up to the 31st August, which is our Financial Year End, when we need to consolidate all Centres into our Group Accounts. You will receive your Year End Questionnaire at the end of...
RSV update
23 July 2021 Kia ora koutou We trust you had an enjoyable holiday with your whānau. Please see below for more information about RSV and funding implications from the Ministry...
Playcentre Messy Play – new event!
We are pleased to introduce a new event to our calendar. Messy Play is something truly unique to Playcentre. For the first time, at a national level, we are celebrating all the benefits that...
RSV information
9 July 2021 Late on 8th July the Ministry of Health released information and guidance on Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) for the current outbreak in New Zealand. We will email...
Clarification to the update regarding Group Supervision
8 July 2021 Clarification to the update regarding Group Supervision Following on from the latest Bulletin, here is some further information about the recent update to the Funding Handbook and...
Board Shorts – Message from the Trustee Board – July 2021
Staff Appointment As of today, Monday 5th July, Susan Bailey has agreed to take on the role of Acting General Manager while the recruitment of a permanent Chief Executive continues. The acting...
National Support Centre – Licencing Update
Tēnā koutou Playcentre Whānau, Thank you for your patience while Playcentre Aotearoa have been working through the details of the changes to our funding requirements and surrounding processes...
Grants Update – July 2021
Funding for Playcentres Top Tip for July ** Make the purpose of your application specific, but not too specific. If you ask for funding towards wages, consider calling it “Ongoing operational...
Property Update – July 2021
Property Communications For all general property enquiries please email [email protected], for specific regional property information please contact your Regional Property...
Hiring your centre
Hiring your centre As a community-based organisation and for fundraising purposes, we may hire out or allow access to our Playcentre environments outside of Centre sessions for non-Playcentre...
Discover Update – July 2021
Discover Update What can I do in Discover? Use Discover enrolments. Ensure ALL members are signing in AND out correctly using the tablet. With correct data recorded, Regional Funding...
Finance Update – July 2021
Finance Update Xero updates We are tidying a few things up in Xero at the moment. We’ve noticed that there are a lot of old User log-ins, which are probably ex-members, or at least...
Education Update – July 2021
Te Kete Ipurangi (TKI) Te Whariki Inclusive Practice one pager TKI offer open source of ECE-specific resources; usually one page maximum content and super handy for inspiring reflective...
The Playcentre Shop (Canterbury)
The Playcentre Shop (Canterbury) If you have not popped into the Playcentre Shop Canterbury before or have never even heard about them, then you are missing out on a great place to find quality...
Board Shorts – message from the Trustee Board – June 2021
Kia ora koutou katoa, As we move into winter and through the natural cycle of regeneration, the Operations team are also in a cycle of regeneration and rebirth. The objective of Phase Two is to...
Finance Update – June 2021
Concern over private money lending organisations We have become aware of some private money lending organisations (a.k.a. loan sharks) targeting ECEs struggling with cashflow between...
Introducing Stephen O’Neil
Introducing Stephen O’Neil Tēnā koutou katoa, Ko Starveall te maunga te rū nei taku ngākau Ko Lee te awa e mehea nei aku māharahara Nō Nelson ahau Ko Stephen My name...
Grants Update – June 2021
Top Tip for June ** Make sure you allow plenty of time for your funding applications (at least 8 weeks and up to 6 months in the case of some grants) as no funder will cover a retrospective...
Education Update – June 2021 – Introducing Charmaine Thomson
Introducing Charmaine Thomson, Education Lead (she/her) Nō Te Whanganui-a-Tara ahau, no Tiamani ōku tūpuna, i whānau mai au kia Tapu-te-Ranga, i tupu ake au ki Aotearoa me Ahitereira, kei...
First Aid information – June 2021
We have had the following information confirmed by Ministry of Education regarding First Aid courses First Aid – Centre members can not be on site (at their centre) during licensed hours...
Clarification on centre drills
There have been queries about how many and what evacuation drills centres should be practising each term. Our licensing criterion HS8 Emergency drills requires these to be carried out with the...
Centre tablets
Centre Tablets Playcentre provided centres their first tablet in 2019, and stated it was up to the centres to: Buy their own cases and/or holders Keep them secure against theft Replace...
Te Ao Māori Update – June 2021
Matariki (Pleides), the bright whetū (star) cluster seen in the winter sky is a tohu (signal) of the Māori New Year. Some iwi observe the rise of the lone whetū Puanga or Puaka (Rigel) as...
Property Update – June 2021
Property Communications For all general property enquiries please email [email protected], for specific regional property information please contact your Regional Property...
PLD Update – June 2021
Introducing Lucy Sheppard as PLD Lead With the phase 2 reset underway, the Playcentre Professional Learning & Development Team is looking a bit different as we move forward into 2021. Kara...
HR Update – June 2021
Increase in sick leave entitlement From 24 July 2021, sick leave entitlements will increase to 10 days per year. Employees will get the extra five days when they reach their next...
Telecommunications Update – June 2021
This week we are re-initiating the Digital Island Phone & Hotspot (DIPH) programme and posting out 20 more phones! 200 centres are already up and running and that leaves just 170+ more to...
Notice of Annual General Meeting 2021 Booklet
Notice of Annual General Meeting 2021 Booklet The 2021 Annual General Meeting of Te Whānau Tupu Ngātahi o Aotearoa – Playcentre Aotearoa will be held as follows: Date: Saturday 31st...
AGM 2021 Timeline
The AGM timeline is below: AGM papers available: Monday 31st May 2021 (information will be emailed to centres) Regional Rōpū Māori online meetings: Friday 4th to Thursday 24th June, 2021...
Playcentre Aotearoa Annual Report 2020
Playcentre Aotearoa’s 2020 Annual Report is now available to be viewed. This annual report covers the performance of Playcentre for the period 31 August 2019 to 31 August 2020. It includes...
Board Shorts – message from the Trustee Board – May 2021
Tēnā koutou Te Whānau Tupu Ngātahi o Aotearoa Annual General Meeting 2021 timeline The 2021 Annual General Meeting of Te Whānau Tupu Ngātahi o Aotearoa – Playcentre Aotearoa will be...
National Service Centre Update – May 2021
Phase 2 staff Induction The Phase 2 reset of the Playcentre structure is well underway, with a high number of roles already appointed. As part of the reset, a national management working party...
Finance Update – May 2021
New page on the website for treasurers We have made a new addition to the website in the Finance section. A new page called ‘Handy hints for centre treasurers’. This contains handy tips from...
Introducing Ruth Jones
Tena koutou katoa, Ko wai au? Nō Ingarangi me Kōtirana ōku tūpuna Ko Alice Springs te kohanga toku pāpā Ko London te kohanga toku māmā Ko Stoke-on-Trent toku kohanga I tae mai ōku...
PR Update – May 2021
New email address for your PR and Communications queries We have set up a new email address to make it easier for you to ask about: Updating your centre profiles; branding; signage for...
ERO review update for 2021
We have been working with ERO regarding the introduction of their new resource, Te Ara Poutama (see December’s ‘Acting General Manager Pānui update'). Over the last month we have had further...
Clarification – visitors on full sessions
Licencing Update On a licenced session you can only have the maximum number of children on session as per your centre licence. The limit on the licence granted by the Ministry refers to the...
Property Update – May 2021
Property Communications For all general property enquiries please email [email protected], for specific regional property information please contact your Regional Property...
Grants Update – May 2021
Top Tip for May ** Wages can be difficult to source funding for, but many funders have relaxed their rules on this. You may not see wages listed as an option on the funder’s website, however...
Te Ao Māori Update – May 2021
The new Centre Advisors for Upper North Island region were welcomed with a beautiful pōwhiri to Awataha marae, into Tane Whakapiripiri Wharenui by he uri o Ngāti Awataha. A full day's learning...
New signage required for vaping
As per legislative requirement from 11th May 2021, all schools, kura, kohanga reo and early childhood facilities (ECEs) must display a notice stating that smoking and vaping within the premises...
Education Update – May 2021
A little snapshot of delivery in Term 1, 2021 We reported 1488 active students in our recent reporting to TEC. 398 people have made their first start in the Playcentre Education programme in term...
Board Shorts – message from the Trustee Board – April 2021
Tena koutou Te Whānau Tupu Ngātahi o Aotearoa Annual General Meeting 2021 timeline The 2021 Annual General Meeting of Te Whānau Tupu Ngātahi o Aotearoa – Playcentre Aotearoa will be held...
National Service Centre – April Update
We are pleased to announce the following staff appointments for the National Service Centre. We congratulate and warmly welcome: National Support Manager Ruth Jones Email...
Playcentre Open Week Campaign Summary
Thank you to everyone for all the effort you put in to Playcentre Open Week this year. We advertised online with Stuff, NZ Herald, Google adverts and had a large social media campaign. We also...
Finance Update – April 2021
CFO the final update Today is my last update for finance and by the time you read this I will likely have switched off and handed back my laptop. So I decided to use this post as...
Te Ao Māori Update – April 2021
Whakatau The National and Regional offices have been welcoming kaimahi into the office through a whakatau process, which is starting to become a more familiar process across the...
Education Update – April 2021
Education Update - April 2021 Practicum requirements Being part of the ‘duty team’ on session counts as practicum requirements for students in the Playcentre Education programme. You are...
Grants update – April 2021
Generosity Generosity is a funding search engine that Centres can access using the membership of Playcentre Aotearoa. It has taken them some time, but they have now addressed many of the issues...
General Manager’s Update – March 2021
Kia ora koutou katoa Me mihi ka tika ki a tātau katoa. Ehara i te tau nei kua hipa he tau ngawari mō te ao whānui engari kei kōnei tātou ki te wāhanga o te raumati me aro atu ki ngā...
Board shorts – message from the Trustee Board – March 2021
Kia ora Playcentre Whānau The Trustee Board met last weekend for our first meeting of 2021. Our tamariki, centres and rōpu Māori were forefront in our minds as we went about our mahi during...
COVID-19 Update
As you will be aware, Auckland has shifted back into Alert Level 3 and the rest of the country will be at Alert Level 2 until Sunday 7 March. On the Playcentre website there is information to...
Volunteer of the month
We would like to thank everyone for all that you do for Playcentre. Our most valuable asset at Playcentre Aotearoa is our many volunteers. We are looking at starting a volunteer recognition...
Congratulations to our recent education graduates
It has been an absolute delight to see so many people have now completed the Level 4 Certificate in Early Childhood and Care – to all of our whānau who have recently attained this...
Playcentre Open Week 2021
This year the theme of Playcentre Open Week 2021 is a "celebration of storytelling". There were several reasons storytelling was chosen as a theme. It is consistent with the broader theme of...
Finance Update – March 2021
Bulk Electricity Discount Offer Meridian Energy has just recently revised its rates in the market have worked with our National team to offer our Playcentres a discounted rates as well as a one...
Te Ao Māori Update – March 2021
Ngā mihi o te Tau Hou Pākehā ki a koutou katoa. Nau mai hoki mai ki ō tātou kohungahunga, puta noa i te motu. Happy New Year, and welcome back to all of us in our centres across the...
PR Update – March 2021
Kia ora koutou For those of you whom I haven’t introduced myself to yet, I am Claire Gullidge the Communications Manager. I returned last week from maternity leave. I feel incredibly lucky to...
Education Update – March 2021
We are very excited to share the news of the first 32 graduates in the Playcentre Education programme for the NZ Certificate in ECE and Care Level 4. This is a significant milestone for these...
Grants Update – March 2021
Tēnā koutou katoa. Ko Tonya Bristow tōku ingoa. Nō Rangiora au, engari ka rere tōku whakapapa ki Woking; ko Ingarangi te iwi. No reira, tēnā koutou, tēnā koutou,...
HR Update – March 2021
Centre-paid employee If your centre has, or is thinking about having, a Centre-paid employee here are a few key points that you need to be aware of: If you are thinking of making any changes...
Property Update – March 2021
Property Communications For all general property enquiries please email [email protected], for specific regional property information please contact your Regional Property...
MoE first-aid contribution for centres
Minimising food-related choking risks first-aid contribution From 8 April 2021, centre-based services and kōhanga reo will be required to have one adult present that holds a current...
Easter Tuesday
This year Easter Tuesday is a school holiday but not an ECE holiday, therefore Playcentres are open as usual. If there is a difficulty with licensing due to school enrolled children being at...
Acting General Manager Pānui update – February 2021
February 2021 From Acting General Manager Thomas Tawhiri Kia ora I ngā tini āhuatanga o te wā nei. Nau mai hoki mai koutou ki te tau hou nei. Welcome back. As this pānui goes...
Update from CFO on Xero Packages
Two years ago we were incredibly lucky when we managed to negotiate a package that moved all our centres from Cashbooks edition to Standard plan Xero Subscription. Unfortunately, that contract has...
Covid-19 Alert Level Update
As most of you will have heard it has been announced that the Auckland Region will enter Level 3 for 72 hours (starting Sunday 14 February 2021) and the rest of the country will enter Level 2 for...
Acting General Manager Pānui update – 23 December 2020
23 December 2020 From Acting General Manager Thomas Tawhiri Kia ora anō tātou katoa e te Whānau Tupu Ngātahi o Aotearoa Me mihi ka tika kia tātau katoa ka tae ki te mutunga o tēnei tau....
Season’s Greetings from the Trustee Board
Tena koutou katoa / Kia ora koutou e te whānau, This has been a year for the history books in many ways and not just for Playcentre! We know it has been hard for many, and your Trustees want...
Lotteries Grant 2020
This year our Lotteries Grant application was successful and as a Group we received a total of $160,000. This was an increase from the $150,000 we received in 2019 but still substantially less...
Acting General Manager’s Update
Acting General Manager Pānui update Kia ora anō tātou katoa e te Whānau Tupu Ngātahi o Aotearoa Ka nui te mihi i tēnei wā o te wāhanga o te raumati me ngā mihi katoa o Kerimete. We...
CFO’s update
Finance CFO Update We have finally completed our preliminary year end results for the Group – thank you to all our Treasurers for doing your bit in this process. We are still following up a few...
Finance and Property Update
From CFO Marina Cook Year end results At I write, we are in audit and have some preliminary results for the Playcentre Aotearoa national organisation. The pre-audit figures show a loss of...
Education Update
From Tertiary Education Funding Manager, Glenda Caradus Education Update Education Chromebooks We secured funding from TEC to purchase Chromebooks to assist students who do not have a suitable...
General Manager’s Update
From Acting General Manager Thomas Tawhiri Kia ora koutou katoa Ka nui te mihi i runga I ngā tini āhuatanga o te wā. Welcome back everyone to Term 4 – the last term of a year that by any...
Finance and Property Update
From our CFO, Marina Cook Tēnā koutou katoa Finance We have at the time of writing had almost 85 per cent of all finance packs submitted – great work! But as our audit date gets closer a...
General Manager’s Update
From Acting General Manager Thomas Tawhiri Kia ora tātou katoa e te Whānau Tupu Ngātahi o Aotearoa Ka nui te mihi ki a koutou katoa ahakoa nō hea, nō tēhea takiwā o te motu. He mihi...
General Manager’s Update
From Acting General Manager Thomas Tawhiri Tēnā koutou katoa Phase Two Today our staff have been told that due to a range of circumstances, including the need for our General Manager, Sean,...
Finance and Property Update
From our CFO, Marina Cook Finance We have now crossed our year-end so it’s time to get your finance packs done. So far, at the time of writing, we have already received moe than a quarter...
General Manager’s Update
Tēnā koutou katoa September is a special time of the year when we celebrate the Māori language. This year is the 45th anniversary of Te Wiki. Enthusiasm for Māori Language Week...
Finance and Property Update
From CFO Marina Cook Property Update With the departure of John Manning, our Property Manager, I am covering the role for a period and my first observation is that Centres don’t find it easy...
General Manager’s Update
Tēnā koutou katoa COVID-19 information Clarification on funding in Level 2. As Centres in Auckland prepare to re-open on Monday, we’ve had some questions around funding implications. It...
General Manager’s Update
Tenā koutou katoa With the Government due to review the latest COVID-19 restrictions today, we may have more of an idea about how long the current Alert Levels will remain in place. In the...
Finance Update
Tēnā koutou katoa Year End 2020 It’s almost my favourite time of the year again – year end! And, that’s no joke. As a numbers geek I get a real thrill from pulling over 400 sets of...
General Manager’s Update
Tēna koutou katoa Thinking today of all our Auckland whānau whose Playcentres are closed for the next two weeks under Alert Level 3. Please remember that our Virtual Village remains on the...
General Manager’s Update
Tēnā koutou katoa COVID-19 The Government has announced that the Alert Levels imposed on the country this week will continue for another 12 days. That means Auckland remains on Level 3 and the...
Telecommunications Update
From Accounts Manager, Karen Flattery Kia ora koutou Regarding Playcentre's move to Spark as our preferred telecommunications provider, I want to thank you all for your feedback, which has been...
General Manager’s Update
Tēnā koutou katoa I’m sure we all share the same disappointment about the re-emergence of the COVID-19 transmission in Auckland and the move to Alert Levels 2 and 3. This development...
General Manager’s Update
Tēnā koutou katoa School-aged children Following the Communications Update last Friday, there were a number of comments on Facebook about the issue of school-aged children at Playcentre...
Finance Update
From Chief Financial Officer, Marina Cook Tēnā koutou katoa Valuing our volunteers Something someone said a few weeks ago about our biggest asset got me thinking. Was it property? Was...
Education Update
From Glenda Caradus | Kaiwhakahaere Pūtea Mātauranga | Tertiary Education Funding Manager Tēnā koutou katoa EDUCATION UPDATE Welcome back to a new term and a post-lockdown world where a...
Communications Update
From Communications Manager Gael Woods. Tēnā koutou katoa As Sean is on annual leave and has no update this week, I thought I would take his space to introduce myself. I would say I’m the...
General Manager’s Update
Tēnā koutou katoa The Ministry of Education recently sent a reminder to ECEs that children who are enrolled at school are not allowed to attend early learning centres, including Playcentre....
Finance Update
Tēnā koutou katoa A new way for treasurers to get support As we get closer to the end of the year, we are getting some turnover of team members - both Centre treasurers and here in our...
General Manager’s Update
Tēnā koutou katoa I hope everyone has enjoyed the break over the school holidays and Centres will be opening for the third term next week with a sense of renewed energy. At the national...
General Manager’s Update
Tēnā koutou katoa I had an interesting meeting recently with folk at the Education Review Office. As you will be aware this year ERO have developed new indicators of quality for...
General Manager’s Update
Tēnā koutou katoa I have spent some time this week reflecting on my recent meeting with Ministry of Education officials. As I told you this was only our first meeting with the ministry since...
General Manager’s Update
Tēnā koutou katoa Yesterday I had a meeting with officials from the Ministry of Education to discuss the details of the funding grant announced by the Government last week. This was only our...
Sheltering in Place
During the recent shooting of a police officer in West Auckland, Catherine & Jade (Facilitators for Massey Babies & Beyond) had to shelter in place at Massey Playcentre with 15 babies...
Finance Update
Tēnā koutou katoa As stated in my last update, I have receiving a lot of questions from Centres regarding funding. In order to communicate with you more regularly and in light of your...
General Manager’s Update
Tēnā koutou katoa It was wonderful to meet with the Associate Education Minister, Tracey Martin, this week and learn that the Government is to provide an urgent boost to our funding. It is...
General Manager’s update
Tēnā koutou katoa Over the past 12 weeks, I have provided daily updates so that Playcentre staff and whānau have been kept informed of all the many directives coming from the Ministry of...
Updates relating to COVID-19 and lockdown levels
To access the updates specifically related to COVID-19 and lockdown levels please click here. Playcentre Aotearoa takes the health and well-being of its children and members very seriously and...
COVID-19 update – 23 March 2020
Kia ora whānau As you will be aware, the Government has announced the country has moved to Alert Level 3 and will move to Alert Level 4 by midnight on Wednesday. Playcentres...
Scheduled Review of Playcentre Structure Decision Announcement
As we are all aware these are unprecedented times, but we are all in this together. We are unsure of how things will evolve over the coming weeks and perhaps months so I have made the decision to...
COVID-19 – Update 16 March 2020
As you will no doubt be aware, COVID-19 (novel coronavirus) has now been declared a pandemic. The Ministry of Health has reinforced that this doesn’t change anything for New Zealand and our...
Licensing announcement
As announced in the March Bulletin we have now had it gazetted that Course 3 will remain as a Person Responsible qualification after the end of 2020. The Ministry of Education has now approved...
Information for ex Associations regarding IRD Amalgamation
We have noted that several Associations have received notices from IRD for the tax year ending March 31 2020, please ignore these if received. We have completed our end of the IRD Amalgamation...
General Managers Update – March 2020
Tēnā koutou katoa Over the last few months we have worked with the Ministry of Education to adjust the qualifications that are able to be recognised as a Person Responsible in a Playcentre...
Information from the Trustee Board – March 2020
Tēnā koutou centre members, Thank you to the 67% of centres who have voted on the life membership nomination circulated prior to AGM in November 2019. For this process to be completed we...
Finance Update – March 2020
Support for Treasurers on our website With the new year it’s a good time to remind our treasurers of the resources available on our website under the finance section that will come in really...
Education Update – March 2020
A quick look back as we move well into 2020 Progress in the C-series There has been a great response to the beginning of the C-series modules. 178 C405 module workshops have taken place with...
Understanding the Group financial Statements
Understanding the Group financial Statements With the new structure proposal circulating I felt it would be a good time to give the full update of our financial position, how its broken down and...
Discover Update – March 2020
Online Enrolment forms are now active! New members can enrol online – either at the centre or from home. The forms can be found on your centres page, on the Playcentre website. This does mean...
Licensing Announcement regarding Course 3
We have now had it gazetted that Course 3 will remain as a Person Responsible qualification after the end of 2020. We are still working with the Ministry to finalise what combination of...
General Managers Update – February 2020
Tēnā koutou katoa Welcome back to the start of the 2020 Playcentre year. Already I have seen the excitement via social media of many Centres announcing the start of their sessions for this...
Minimum Wage
As from 1st April, 2020, the minimum wage in New Zealand will rise from $17.70 per hour, to $18.90 per hour. If you have any centre-paid employees who are currently being paid at the minimum...
Website refresh
It is a year since our new website went live. Since then we have had over 800,000 page views. A 91% increase on the previous year. We are currently refreshing the website to include; a new...
Policies and Procedures Update – February 2020
As discussed last year we have made changes to the Policies and Procedures, based on feedback from centre members, employees and external stakeholders such as the Ministry of Education and ERO. We...
Discover Update – February 2020
All centres should be using tablets to sign in on session by the end of February at the latest. The update to enable parents to sign in at the same time as their child/ren has been rolled out....
Education Update – February 2020
The Online Experience The first group of online learners have come to the end of their C405. Jodie Moore from Otumoetai who was in this group said, “I found the content was interesting. I...
Finance Update – February 2020
Group Accounts are Available on our Website I am so pleased to announce that our Group accounts were done, audited and dusted before Christmas! This is a record achievement for Playcentre...
Annual Report 2019
Playcentre Aotearoa's 2019 Annual Report is now available to be viewed. This annual report covers the performance of Playcentre for the period 31 August 2018 to 31 August 2019. It includes our...
COVID-19 (Coronavirus) Information
Last updated – 5 March 2020 Kia ora Playcentre whānau, Unfortunately, we need to begin the year with advice regarding the rapidly evolving situation concerning the coronavirus. This is a...
General Manager’s Update – December 2019
Tēnā koutou katoa As we count down towards the end of the year I again want to acknowledge those who have contributed feedback to the work we are undertaking with the Ministry of Education and...
Education Update – December 2019
Congratulations Congratulations to Rachel Sadler from the Waikato and to Toni Mitchell from Tamaki on the completion of the Playcentre Diploma in Early Childhood and Adult Education. Finishing...
Finance Update – December 2019
Thank you to our Treasurers! I want to start with an enormous thank you to our Treasurers for the year just gone, not only have you all given your time and supported your centres but its official...
Christmas Payroll Processing
Thank you to those of you who responded to our request for information to inform the team’s planning for Christmas Payroll processing. The salary/wages payments for the 9-22 December pay period...
Clarification on Public Holiday Entitlements during a Closedown
There has been some confusion over whether employees who are not working over the Christmas period are entitled to be paid for the statutory holidays. If you are an employee, who is subject to...
General Manager’s Update – November 2019
Tēnā koutou katoa As we begin the final term of the year Playcentre Aotearoa is as busy as ever and I especially want to acknowledge those who have contributed feedback to the work we are...
Education Update – November 2019
Our warmest congratulations to Rosemary Goodger from Waikato who has just completed the Playcentre Diploma in Early Childhood and Adult Education (Course 6). Rose becomes the 3rd person to...
Finance Update – November 2019
Year end 2019 - When will Audited Accounts be available? I have been getting quite a few questions asking when the consolidated accounts will be available. Creating these accounts is a huge job...
Policies and Procedures Update – November 2019
Thank you for all the feedback, queries and suggestions regarding the Policies and Procedures. We will do some initial updates and reviews over the Christmas break, and will release these in...
New webinar for treasurer’s – how to balance your GST accounts to the Balance Sheet at year end
We have had some Treasurers requesting information on how to balance their GST accounts to the Balance Sheet at year end so we have worked with Xero to produce a webinar on best practise for...
Proposed changes to food related choking risks in ECE centres
The Ministry of Education are proposing to amend the licensing and certification criteria to minimise the risk of young children choking on food. Have your say: take the short survey about...
Discover Update – November 2019
Centres should be starting to use the tablets over this term and getting used to signing in and out on these. The tablets must connect to the internet each morning to update the enrolments list,...
Branded Merchandise – about our preferred suppliers
We have three wonderful preferred suppliers of Playcentre Aotearoa branded merchandise. Find out more about them here. Fundraising Idairz When fundraising Idairz is working for you we find...
Officer Holder Zooms
As centres have completed AGM's over the last couple of months there will be a lot of people in new officeholder roles. It is exciting taking on a new role, but also a little scary and you may be...
General Manager’s Update – October 2019
Tēnā koutou katoa I would like to thank those individuals who have taken the opportunity to let me know their views on the broader issues that they think should be considered in our discussions...
Finance Update – October 2019
Finance pack update Thank you for the huge co-operation of so many of our wonderful Treasurers who have completed our finance pack this year. I would also like to acknowledge what a huge...
Policies and Procedures Update – October 2019
Thank you for the further feedback that has been coming through. We will not be making any changes to policies until Term 1 next year, but in the November Bulletin we will provide you with a...
Information Sharing Guidance
New guidance has been developed to support early childhood services such as Playcentre in applying the information sharing provisions of the Oranga Tamariki Act 1989 in an education...
Education Update – October 2019
10 members from West Melton Playcentre and two from Darfield Playcentre started the PIA (Playcentre Introductory Award) in late July. When they reached the end of the first module (Let’s Play)...
Notice of Annual General Meeting 2019
The 2019 Annual Conference will begin with both the Tangata Tiriti hui and Hui ā-Tau Māori on Friday 22nd November 2019 at 1.45pm, the meeting will conclude at 1:00pm Sunday. As previously...
General Manager’s Update – September 2019
Tēnā koutou katoa I started my update last month noting that winter appears to have finally arrived and now one month later it is officially Spring. Always a busy time and very much so for Te...
Measles Outbreak – update as at 5 September 2019
As you will no doubt be aware the current outbreak of measles in New Zealand has spread significantly, particularly in the Auckland area. Click here for a document from the Auckland...
Policies and Procedures Update – September 2019
Policies and Procedure folders should now have arrived at every Playcentre. Please take some time to go through them and become familiar with them. Unless a form notes that you may use it, then...
Discover Update – September 2019
The tablets for using Discover should be with Centre Admins by the 13th September. Centre Admins will bring the tablets out to Playcentres when they visit and support members with starting to use...
Financial Update – September 2019
Yearend pack reminder By the time centres read this we will have crossed year end. In order to ensure we get our accounts done in a timely manner so our centres can use these for their Grant...
Education Update – September 2019
Moving along in the NZ Certificate in ECE and Care L4 programme You are strongly urged to do your assessments around the time you complete the workshops in a module. The learning material is best...
Space in Otago
Southern South Island Region welcomed Space back to our Otago centres, with the new Mosgiel programme beginning this term. The session opened with a karakia, mihi and waiata from our regions Te...
General Manager’s Update – August 2019
Tēnā koutou katoa Winter appears to have finally arrived so I hope all those in the path of the snow storms have managed to stay safe and warm. Since our last bulletin there has been a lot...
Financial Update – August 2019
Budgeting tool This year we have put together a budgeting tool to help centre prepare for their AGMs. We have created both GST non GST versions so please select the one that best relates to your...
Education Update – August 2019
Congratulations to Liza Macartney from Rotorua who has completed the Playcentre Diploma in Early Childhood and Adult Education (Course 6). Finishing this qualification is a very significant...
Finance Pack 2018/19 is now available
This year we are using an online pack, there are a few things you will need to do before you can fill it in so here is a breakdown of the questions and some FAQs to review before you start. We...
Discover SMS update
The rollout of the Discover SMS for tamariki enrolments and attendance is well underway with the July centres now officially on Discover, and the August centres about to changeover. It is...
Policies and Procedures Folder
Policies and Procedures for the amalgamated Playcentre Aotearoa are in the final stages of printing and preparation. A Policies and Procedures hard copy folder will be sent directly to each...
Billing of centre paid staff
Review of centre paid on charge for consideration Over the past 12 months we have been working hard to refine our processes around the on billing of centre paid staff. We have found that the 8%...
Gifts and Koha
Throughout the year and particularly as we come up to AGM, centres may wish to recognise their volunteers with small gifts or koha. Centres need to take care to ensure that these items are small...
For Playcentre Aotearoa staff: timesheet reminders
Timesheet reminders I would like to start by saying a huge THANK YOU to all our staff who have responded so well to our roll out of TimeFiler and the most recent conversations over how to submit...
General Manager’s Update – July 2019
Tēnā koutou katoa A quick update as you head into the term break. As you will see from this update there is a lot of work going on at the national and regional level as we start to bring...
Preparation for centre AGM and amalgamation message from your Trustee Board
Preparation for centre AGM The amalgamation is here and we would like to remind everyone that the Playcentre Aotearoa constitution is now active. Please ensure that you are familiar with...
Financial Update – July 2019
Funding update During the month of May we saw the Wellbeing budget released providing for more money for our school teachers rather than the early childhood sector. We were not completely...
Education Update – July 2019
Winding down the old programme Congratulations to students working in the old programme – more than half of those who at the beginning of the year were still to complete have now done so. Of...
Discover – more information about the new Student Management System
Discover – there was a recent announcement on 1 July about changing the way we collect and record information. We are moving to a new electronic system that records enrolment and attendance...
Special Announcement – Discover
Playcentre Aotearoa is changing the way we collect and record information. We are moving to a new electronic system that records enrolment and attendance information. The programme is called...
General Manager’s Update – June 2019
Tēnā koutou katoa TE WHĀNAU TUPU NGĀTAHI O AOTEAROA – PLAYCENTRE AOTEAROA. A new name, a new constitution – we have turned the corner but where to next? Amalgamation means many things...
Easy ways Centres can improve their Revenue without a Sausage Sizzle
From our Chief Financial Officer. Over the past few months I have been increasingly asked how centres can improve their revenue without doing more fundraisers. So I thought I would touch on a...
Group Reporting – What is it? Why do we do it? Should we join the Group?
As we are getting closer to year end I have had several questions about Group Reporting so I thought I’d just give another run down of what this means and why I personally recommend all centres...
Education Update – June 2019
C-series modules Once you have finished the Playcentre Educator Award you can apply to enter the C-series. C405 “Theory guides practice” is the largest module and must be done first. It is...
Introducing Nancy Green – Northern North Island Regional Manager
Kia ora tēna koutou katoa My name is Nancy Green and I am delighted to be joining the Playcentre team. I have a degree in Organisational Communication and bring 20 years of corporate training...
Amalgamation Update for Playcentre
Tēnā koutou katoa On 4th June 2019, Playcentre will be legally amalgamated by the High Court. Playcentre Aotearoa will now be a single consolidated charitable trust. This could not have...
Planned Teachers’ Strike – Wednesday 29th May 2019
Planned Teachers' Strike - Wednesday 29th May 2019 Primary school teachers plan to strike on Wednesday 29th May 2019. This will impact on Playcentre in 2 ways: - parents with primary school...
General Manager Update – May 2019
Tēnā koutou katoa Welcome back to Term Two. I hope you all enjoyed the break. I am excited to provide an update from the recent NZPF Trustee Board meeting. The NZPF Trustee Board...
Financial Update – May 2019
Xero Training for Treasurers Exciting news for our Treasurers, Xero have kindly offered to host our very own bespoke Playcentre Treasurer Webinar! This will be set up to answer your questions and...
Education Update – May 2019
A huge congratulations to Annie Zhang from North Shore who recently completed the requirements for Course 6. This is only the 6th Playcentre Diploma in Early Childhood and Adult Education to be...
Updated Programme for Associations Financial Amalgamation
Please note the important correction to the advice given in the email titled “Amalgamation update for Associations” sent on 27 March. GST Contrary to earlier advice, Associations should not...
Community Organisation Grants Scheme (COGS) Funding Update
Community Organisation Grants Scheme (COGS) Funding Update As many of you are aware the criteria for COGS funding has changed and information about this was sent out in February...
General Manager Update – April 2019
Tēnā koutou katoa This past month has been a busy one for all of us and I expect you will be looking forward to the term break. The brevity of this update owes more to the fact that things have...
Tāngata Tiriti hui – Registrations
Registrations for Tāngata Tiriti hui will close 9am Friday 19 April 2019. Registration link: tangatatiritihui2019.lilregie.com A reminder that Tāngata Tiriti hui is limited to 40 delegates. We...
Financial Update – April 2019
As we have now completed our year end process across the entire Group without having to all dig into the details of our accounts I thought I’d draw your attention to some of the highlights. As a...
Education Update – April 2019
Old Courses - our advice - don’t wait, finish now! Old Courses must be completed by 1 Dec 2019 - absolutely NO EXTENSION to this deadline is possible. You are strongly advised to complete them...
Measles Outbreak Advice
Kia ora koutou, As you will no doubt be aware there has been an outbreak of measles in New Zealand, which appears to be spreading. Click here for a document from the Ministry of Health which...
Big news for treasurers!
We have some great news that we’re excited to share with you! Xero is being upgraded to business edition for every centre at no extra charge. Using Xero helps to streamline tasks and increase...
General Manager Update – March 2019
Tēnā koutou katoa As I write this Playcentre Awareness Week is in full swing. This has been an opportunity to showcase the uniqueness of each and every Centre. The willingness to share...
Hui ā-Tau Māori 2019 – Papers and Programme
Registrations will close 9am Monday 22 April 2019 Registration link: https://hui-a-tau-maori-2019.lilregie.com/ ‘2 spaces’ have been set aside for each Rōpū Māori. Budget and...
Tāngata Tiriti Hui 2019 Registrations and Timeline
As mentioned in the February Playcentre Bulletin, registrations for Tāngata Tiriti Hui are now open. Cluster delegates register by clicking here tangatatiritihui2019.lilregie.com. Registrations...
Hei ā mua: Mahere Rautaki 2020 | A Future: Strategic Plan 2020
Tēnā koutou katoa, This year we are reviewing our Strategic Plan and we need your help to develop a new plan moving forward over the next five years and beyond. We held a Strategic Review...
Playcentre Awareness Week – Review
Thank you for sharing your enthusiasm about Playcentre Awareness Week. We have seen you take up the promotional material we provided and spread it around your communities and throughout social...
Financial Update – March 2019
Upgrade to Xero Business Edition for ALL centres! Over the last few months we have been working with Xero to come up with a great package to allow all our centres to upgrade from Cashbooks and...
Education Update – March 2019
Can I do the PIA and PEA modules in any order? The PIA (Playcentre Introductory Award) has two modules B401 and B402. It is OK to do either of these two modules first and the other as your second...
The Draft Early Learning Strategic Plan
He taonga te tamaiti, the draft strategic plan for early learning, is now open for consultation until 15 March 2019. The consultation process involves a survey that is available for all...
Playcentre Awareness Week – Update
It is good to see so many people getting behind Playcentre Awareness Week so enthusiastically! This year, as you know, the focus is about encouraging potential members to visit their local centre...
Promotional Material – new editable files
It is great to see so many centres already utilising the new promotional material. As these are so popular we are adding more and providing you with options on editing some of the flyers...
Amalgamation Update
We are currently finalising the amalgamation process and tidying up the loose ends. All but two associations have completed the documentation to support the amalgamation and we are supporting...
COGS Information
Changes to the application criteria for the Community Organisation Grant Scheme (COGS) have been released by the Department of Internal Affairs. Centres who were past applicants to the...
Tāngata Tiriti Hui 2019
Kia ora Playcentre whānau We look forward to spending quality time with representatives at 2019 Tāngata Tiriti Hui at Tapu Te Ranga Marae in Wellington, 14- 16 June, 2019. Budget: Our budget...
Hui ā-Tau Māori 2019
Registrations are LIVE! He aha te mea nui o te ao? He tangata, he tangata, he tangata! Te Whare Tikanga Māori is a group for whānau Māori within Playcentre. Te Whare Tikanga Māori, is a...
Additional Qualifications for Person Responsible
On Monday 28th January, the Ministry of Education gazetted some additional qualifications that can be used to meet the Person Responsible requirement in a Playcentre. This notice can be found...
Financial Update – February 2019
The NZPF Parent Financial Statements for the 2017-18 year have been signed, these are available for view here The Group Financial Statements for Playcentre Aotearoa are currently in Audit and...
Education Update – February 2019
New programme B403 Positive Relationships and B404 Te Kakano - Te reo Māori me nga tikanga are now available. There was very positive feedback from the first of these workshop sets run in...