At Levels 4 and 3 the Community Nursery is closed to all visitors
At level 2 the Southland Community Nursery is closed to large groups of visitors (including schools). We will open for small groups of 10 - please book below. While the education centre is closed, our educator can come and visit you and your class at school, if your school requirements allow this. Contact tracing, physical distancing rules, hand hygiene etc will be followed. To ensure group size restrictions are met please use the emails below for any proposed visits, plant purchases (contactless) or workshops.
At level 1 the Southland Community Nursery is open to all visitors (Friday volunteer mornings and school visits).
Please follow this process prior to your visit to the Southland Community Nursery (at alert levels 1 and 2):
All visitors to the Nursery by prior arrangement only please. Email Chris at
For schools wanting to visit, arrange with Bronwyn at
Please stay away if unwell, or if you have been unwell in the last 48 hours prior to the nursery visit.
Upon arrival, please use hand sanitiser provided
A QR code is displayed – please use the contact tracer app. Or alternatively sign in and out of the nursery session – using the sign in sheet in doorway of education centre. Please include your name, contact phone number and email address. For schools visiting, one contact person shall sign in and keep attendance records of students.
Hand washing facilities are to be used. Remember to wash your hands for 2 minutes before you eat, or use the hand sanitiser provided.
Bring your own gloves (if possible), food and drink, including a cup or mug
Please advise us if you become unwell after visiting the nursery.
During the periods of lockdown we will be posting activities you can do at home on the website and facebook page - watch this space!
The Southland Community Nursery’s Inspired by Nature activities set up alongside Lloyd Esler’s In the Wild at Kidzone this year. Lots of fun was had by adults and children alike creating at the nature art table, looking closely at insects…with responses varying from “eww luck” to “that’s cute”, having some laughs and giggles pinning the tail on the piwakawaka, working out how your adventure score, and the most popular of all the leaf rubbing activity! A big thanks to the lovely volunteers making fun for families. The highlight was seeing dads, mums, grandparents, aunts, uncles and older siblings or cousins spending time together with their children.
Cost for attendance of each workshop is $20 cash per person with an additional $6 per grafted tree (which you take home) for the Grafting workshop.
Bookings to
Workshop Location – Southland Community Nursery Education Centre – please park at 183 Grant Road and follow signs through the orchard and garden to the Centre. The workshop will go ahead regardless of the weather.
Sheltering under trees, and dodging hail we still managed a morning of bug searching and ticking items off our scavenger hunt list. We found spiders, weta, slaters, hoppers and a centipede. We spent a lot of time noticing closely the different habitats or homes that these creatures live in. We looked at bark, through cabbage tree leaves, in bug hotels and under logs. All the leaves of the trees were different - some rough, smooth, long or round - and some trees didn’t have leaves! We even saw worms - in the worm farm! In between outside excursions we looked at bugs, did the floor puzzles, counted the legs of different bugs, listened to the noises of different birds using the puppets and books, looked closely at bird nests, listened to a Matariki story and had some kai.
It was great to be a part of the first mirco investigators hui at SIT. Students got to share their findings of their microplastics data collection from their local awa/river and take part in a range of fun activities. Huge thanks to Christine Liang and her team at SIT. It was encouraging to hear riparian planting being suggested by students as one solution to the wider view of river pollution. To find out more check out https://microinvestigators.nz/
