The Two Women Behind Our Kindy

Anne Denham and Lynda Harris are a force to be reckoned with. Together they run the education consultancy AMA Associates and are the force behind Massey’s newest kindergarten. Anne’s son Mitchell spoke to them recently about their journey thus far.

The pair met years ago while working for Auckland Kindergarten Association.

“The more we worked together the more we realised that we valued the same things. We both have strong beliefs and philosophies about early years education,” Lynda explains.

“We both love nature, play, and championing curiosity and exploration,” Anne adds, “when we took the leap to start Ama Associates and work for ourselves, we found a synergy starting to form in the way we work together. Having the freedom to champion those ideals and use them as the foundation of our work is exciting and allows us to follow our passions.” Anne and Lynda both credit their upbringing for shaping what they value when it comes to early years education.

Lynda grew up in Oratia surrounded by the bush and older brothers..

“My past experiences absolutely shaped me as an educator. We spent days adventuring in the bush, capturing the biggest weta or spiders, and setting traps for wild pig.  Eels were caught during the darkest of nights and stars guided us back to the house.” Lynda reflects, “I was happiest outside, helping my Dad catch sheep and spending weekends riding horses across acres of untouched land. This is where my fundamental belief in the joy and importance of nature was born.”

For Anne, growing up in Invercargill has also been fundamental in shaping her views on early years education. “My mum is New Zealand European and my father Māori, so growing up in a predominantly European community helped me develop a strong sense of the importance of valuing difference and diversity, social justice, and fairness.”

Anne and Lynda trained as early years teachers in the 1980s where the influence of pedagogy from the likes of Piaget and Froebel could be seen across all aspects of early years teaching and learning.

“That was another thing that we connected over pretty instantly, a passion for the work of Froebel and feeling the need to promote his ideas and beliefs with kaiako around New Zealand.”

Anne and Lynda feel a particular alignment with Froebel’s strong sense of social justice and manifesting opportunities for all tamariki and whānau. Lynda found that early on in her career, she was often faced with challenging fixed mindsets - “children were put into developmental stages, and there were pre-determined expectations for their abilities,” she says.

“I have always been conscious of social justice and have a need to support those who do not, on their own, have the resources to support or make the changes needed to reach their potential. Every child has the right to explore, imagine, and be creative in their own terms.”

 For Anne, becoming an Early Intervention teacher and working with many families and children who were sometimes excluded from participating and learning was a key moment.

“These children were deemed ‘different’ and their difference is what excluded them,” Anne explains, “that’s definitely something I noticed and appreciated in what Lynda believes and demonstrates in her practice.”

When the opportunity to open Seven Stars was presented, Lynda says they didn’t hesitate.

“We have had such rich and diverse careers, in a range of different positions within early years education, that opening our own centre seemed like a bit of a no-brainer. Anne’s strengths and experience compliment my own and we work so well together.”

“Although we both have so much in common in terms of our values and beliefs, our individual careers have taken us different directions, and we have found that we bring that invaluable breadth of different skills and expertise to Seven Stars.”

 Both knew that they wanted to use Froebelian principles and philosophies to guide their work at Seven Stars Kindergarten.

Right from the start they wanted to highlight the importance of nature for the centre - the name Seven Stars connects with the Matariki, Māori New Year, which celebrates and acknowledges the deep and interwoven connection to nature.

Anne explains it is also symbolic of the new beginnings, nurture and growth of children.

“We Māori relied on the stars to guide and dictate our interactions with nature. There is also the underlying understanding that so much comes from nature, and we must both explore and honour that.”

 Anne has always loved the way that Froebel’s ideas and philosophies seamlessly fit into Aotearoa’s unique cultural identity.

“Froebel really emphasised the importance of nature and fostering both a love and a sense of guardianship from an early age. It’s surprising how much Te Ao Māori and Friedrich Froebel align.”

Lynda explains that a connection to nature is something fundamental in their work.

“The idea of connectedness is so important and reflecting on the whakapapa of the things around us is so valuable in respecting nature. For example, Froebel’s blocks being connected to the tree from which the timber was milled, and how this connects to nature, and encourages children to see a bigger picture is something that we always try to highlight in the way we operate. By allowing children to have a sense of wonder about nature and their environment, it can be the beginning stage of developing their curiosity and imagination.”

 For Anne, it was easy to weave in Froebel’s philosophies into values of kaitiakitanga (guardianship) and whanaungatanga (relationships). “The land, sea, river, planets, plants, and animals have a mauri (life force). Kaitiakitanga is the responsibility to maintain mana over precious resources and in doing so we ensure the wellbeing of the people whom the resources support.”

Lynda strongly believes that Froebel’s work remains vital in today’s times.

“We’re steadfast in our belief that in a fast moving, technologically adaptive and incredibly complicated world, offering children a calm, natural environment that is less of all those things will feed and grow their mind, body, and soul. Froebel was ahead of his time, and often seen as a radical thinker.

“We’re excited about continuing to grow Seven Stars Kindergarten under the guidance of Froebel philosophy and providing authentic and contextualised learning for our tamariki.”

-Mitchell Denham