Pacific Early Learning Services
Christchurch, New Zealand
Strategy and community impact within Pacific early childhood centres.
Strategy in Action
What began as bringing together the voices of our community and centres to shape a strategy has grown into the implementation of that strategy across multiple areas.
Teacher professional development event held in Ashburton.
Combined Samoan Language Week event at St Paul’s Trinity Church
Celebrating and showcasing the journeys of our amazing teachers within Pacific ECE centres.
OPPORTUNITY to serve
Pacific early childhood education providers were experiencing ongoing challenges in attracting, developing, and retaining a strong workforce.
While there was deep commitment within centres and communities, there was no clear, coordinated pathway to support Pacific participation; from entry into the workforce through to long-term development and sustainability.
KEPT was engaged to bring together the voices of centres, educators, and the wider community to better understand the challenges and co-create a strategy that reflected their realities, aspirations, and needs. This work is ever-evolving and we are committed to continuing this critical work.
What we delivered
We led a co-design process that moved from insight gathering through to practical, actionable outcomes — ensuring the strategy could be implemented, not just documented.
This included:
Facilitating engagement with centres, educators, and community stakeholders
Gathering qualitative and quantitative insights to inform decision-making
Identifying key challenges, gaps, and opportunities across the workforce pipeline
Developing a comprehensive workforce strategy grounded in community voice
Supporting the transition from strategy into implementation across priority areas
