Kaitiakitanga – Guardians of Nature
20/10/2023
“Traditionally, Māori believe there is a deep kinship between humans and the natural world. This connection is expressed through kaitiakitanga – a way of managing the environment.” (Te Ara, 2007)
At Beachcomber Kindergarten, we love spending time outdoors. Our wonderful garden kitchen is a busy hub where children explore with all senses as they pick different herbs, explore the smells, add water, shells and other natural materials to learn and play with. With gardens to look after, vegetables and fruits to tend to throughout the year, our tamariki (children) respect their environment and all of the creatures within it by looking after them daily in different ways.
A Kaitiaki is a person, group or being that act as a carer, guardian, protector and conserver. The gods of the natural world were considered to be the original kaitiaki.
At Beachcomber Kindergarten, our tamariki pride themselves on being Kaitiakis of our environment. They contribute and add to the running of our kindergarten through planting flowers, herbs and vegetables, watering them, harvesting them and taking them home to add to their meals. Weeding the garden. Looking after the creatures that live in our garden. Saving food scraps to feed to our worms in the worm farm. Taking responsibility with our physical environment by helping sweep up sand, tidy different spaces.
