New Early Childhood Service To Open In Glenorchy

Kōwhai Valley Crèche Trustees are delighted to announce the Ministry of Education have issued a licence to operate an early childhood education service from the existing Glenorchy Playgroup premises on the Glenorchy School grounds.

The Crèche will open to enrolled children based in Glenorchy on Monday 27 January 2025.

The Crèche will fill the immediate needs of the Glenorchy community, open 3 days a week for 12 children each day. As a nonprofit trust, fees are kept low with profits put towards quality staffing at full pay parity, maintenance and resources.

This unique collaboration was initiated by Playgroup parents in May 2024, and the nonprofit entity Kōwhai Valley Crèche Trust was established in June 2024 to operate the service, consisting of parents and senior early childhood educators from around the region.

Philippa Hasselman, chair of the new Trust, wishes to acknowledge the support of the Playgroup Committee, Glenorchy School, Queenstown Lakes District Council, and the Ministry of Education Southern Lakes Centre. Hasselman says, “There are a multitude of benefits to operating on School land, so we are grateful for their support. Without the overhead of commercial rent, we can offer early childhood education that is affordable for everyone, and will lead to equitable education outcomes for Glenorchy children.”

A Huge Community Effort

In August 2024, volunteer trustees of the Crèche led by trustee and local builder Damian Orman, called for help from a number of local businesses and contractors to renovate the existing Playgroup premises. The building had become unsuitable for any future use and required at least $50,000 work to be completed before a licence could be sought, including spatial reconfiguration, code of compliance, playground safety certification, double glazing, public health, FENZ, plumbing, and electrical upgrades.

Orman, director of Falcon Developments, personally sponsored a massive in kind renovation and reconfiguration assisted by Dart Plumbing, Voltedge Electrical, Tahuna Heat Pumps and Carpet Court. As a parent of an active preschooler, Orman felt it was important to lead the effort with his skills, connections and resources. Orman says, “Action creates motion. The rest will follow."

Glenorchy’s First Licensed Early Childhood Service

Kōwhai Valley Crèche is named for its location in the heart of Tāhuna Glenorchy, which was once a thriving kōwhai valley.

Local parent and experienced early childhood educator Leah Orman will take the lead as Head Kaiako of the Crèche, supported by a second registered kaiako, relievers and parent help. Orman says, “I am so excited to share my love of teaching and learning with my community. This is a long held dream come true and I can’t thank all the talented individuals enough for their unwavering belief that we could really make this happen in Glenorchy.”

Trustees acknowledge that Glenorchy has never had a licenced early childhood service, relying on community collaboration and whānau-led services such as Playgroup and home-based care. The Crèche will safely support the expanding population of families in the area, with enrolment enquiries already up to 20 in a matter of days.

Financial Support Essential to Success

LIcensing the Crèche has involved a quick turn around fundraising effort from Crèche and Playgroup Treasurer Chloe Geoghegan, who sought help from a range of groups that immediately recognised the long term positive outcomes. She says, “We were looking at straightforward costs to complete this project innovatively and quickly. We are grateful for the support of so many donors that saw the value of our collaborative approach, and felt our project fitted their purpose for giving. Early childhood education is a proven way to mitigate negative impacts for children and whānau and this is what our community needs now.”

Supporting Playgroup to upgrade their premises and facilities came from: Glenorchy Community Trust, Central Lakes Trust, Community Trust South playgrounds fund, SkyCity Queenstown Community Trust and the Queenstown Lions Club. These grants benefit the Playgroup as well as the Crèche as subtenants in the same building.

Supporting the Crèche in licensing costs and resources came from: the Olive Hutchins Charitable Trust, Dick and Diana Hubbard Foundation, the Dotcom family, Hugo Charitable Trust, the Bordewieck family, and Altrusa Queenstown.

Businesses that have supported with materials and services include: Queenstown Insulation, Discover by Xplor, Evolve Mobiles, Flock Creative, Todd & Walker Law, Mitre10 Queenstown.

Special thanks to: Fran MacNamara and Zig Zag Zoo, Rakiura Rugrats, Queenstown Preschool & Nursery, Mary Phillips, George Watts at Winton and Wakatipu Community Foundation.

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