PAUA -Our Story

PAUA (Preschoolers At-home Uniquely Achieving) was born out of a desire to provide a quality home based early childhood education service that would reflect our personal Christian values. Our charter with the Ministry of Education said:

PAUA Early Childhood Home Based Care Service is based on Christian philosophy and will reflect those principles and values. It will seek to provide a quality early childhood service to all families/Educators, a service to any family where a need is identified and where the requirements of the Education Home Based Care Order are able to be fulfilled.

PAUA Early Childhood Home Based Care Service will always take account of individual family culture and ethics in all aspects of its programme and will seek to eliminate any barriers to enrolment in its service.

PAUA was born in Whanganui on 17th November 2003, and as we approach our 20th birthday, we can reflect on the changes and developments we have seen in the Home Based ECE sector. Managing Director and PAUA founder Raewyn Overton-Stuart has served on several Ministry of Education working groups in relation to Home Based ECE. Raewyn is a past executive member of the New Zealand Home Based Association, and a founder director of HELO, the Home Early Learning Organisation.

PAUA’s initial growth was in Whanganui, Manawatu and the Taupo/Turangi area. Since then, the company has expanded significantly, and at the time of writing (August 2021) supports Home Based Educators in Waikato, Bay of Plenty, Taupo, Turangi, Taranaki, Whanganui, Manawatu,  Tararua district, Wairarapa and Canterbury.

In 2012, we purchased Poppetts, an Auckland-based Home Based ECE, Nanny and Babysitting service, joined the PAUA whanau in 2012.

Raewyn’s passion for providing quality learning resources to PAUA tamariki has meant the sourcing of the best educational products has been especially important to her. Educators and parents started asking to buy these resources for their families, leading to our first “Christmas Buying Evenings” being held throughout the PAUA world in 2008.

A retail educational toy store, PAUA Products, opened in Whanganui in 2009, followed in 2010 by an online store that is constantly being developed and improved. This allows more Kiwi children to enjoy the educational benefits of these high quality toys and resources.

In late 2015, the Whanganui shop and PAUA head office moved to bright new premises at 9 Park Place in Whanganui. 

It hasn’t all been plain sailing, and the Covid-19 pandemic lockdowns in 2020 had a significant effect on PAUA and on the ECE sector in general. Whilst Raewyn and the team have had to change aspects of the business, PAUA’s commitment to excellence remains, and is a vital part of our kaupapa.

August 2024 saw us again on the move, this time to 185 Victoria Avenue.  Another bright new shop with offices for PAUA ECE as well.

So what does the future hold for PAUA? We aren’t 100% sure, but one thing we do know…. God does and He’ll let us in on the secret in due course!!