Te Rawhiti Kindergarten - Te Rawhiti Kindergarten 162 Wellington Road

Waldorf education has developed out of educational ideas initially given by Rudolf Steiner. The intention is to educate the children’s body, soul, and spirit in a gradual and purposeful process of development. The educational indications given by Rudolf Steiner form the basis of the special character of Waldorf schools around the world and are further developed through going study to ensure they are integrated within the respectives contexts of our time and places.

Anthroposophy is a path of knowledge developed by Rudolf Steiner. In his words, it “seeks to lead the spiritual in the human being to the spiritual in the universe”. While anthroposophy is part of the school ethos, it is not taught to the children.

Waldorf education has the healthy development of the individual child as its central impulse and aims to support and enhance the holistic development of each student. This impulse guides teaching and learning in every class, from kindergarten to our senior classes. Our curriculum gives equal importance to nurturing the physical, emotional, and intellectual aspects of the child, and aims to bring developmentally aligned learning experiences to the students as they move through the school.

The Waldorf special character is not confined to any single aspect of the kindergarten and school’s activity. It is expressed in educational aims, curriculum content, teaching methods, organizational structures and in details of the social and physical environment of the school.

Waldorf education is Christian in its broadest sense, free of dogma or sectarianism, and includes the celebration of Christian and seasonal festivals.

New Zealand Steiner/Waldorf schools are part of a global education movement. There are currently over 1,000 Waldorf schools and 1,600 Kindergartens in 60 countries worldwide. The principles that are fundamental to our education are accessible to, and are adapted to, the needs of different ethnicities, cultures, and religions. Curriculum content allows for the exploration of a wide variety of cultural traditions and world views.