Grow Active is a Christchurch early learning provider established in 2017 by business partners and friends Cathy Sherwood, Claire Rolls, and Rob Farrell, who combined their backgrounds in childcare, business, construction, and inner-city Christchurch commercial development. Cathy and Claire previously co-founded Launch Active early learning in 2016, bringing a combined 40 years of childcare industry experience, while Rob's background spans property, construction and banking, driven by a mission to help make Christchurch a more liveable city through authentic, community-adding spaces.
Grow Active is built around the concept of sustainability and active early learners, offering nurturing and engaging spaces designed around trusting relationships and consistency of care. The approach centres on creating secure, healthy and welcoming environments with a strong sense of belonging, using sensory-rich experience spaces, extended outdoor play areas, and natural environments to support curious, growing bodies and minds.
The centre now operates three Christchurch locations — Balfour Terrace, Welles Street, and Essex Street — each led by its own Centre Business Manager and offering the same weekday hours.
Grow Active was established in 2017 by three business partners and friends — Cathy Sherwood, Claire Rolls, and Rob Farrell — who brought together very different but complementary backgrounds to build the company. Cathy and Claire had already co-founded Launch Active early learning back in 2016, arriving with a combined 40 years of experience in the childcare industry, while Rob brought a commercial background spanning property, construction and banking, along with a personal mission to help make Christchurch one of the most liveable cities in the world.
Claire Rolls brings 25 years of experience in the early childhood sector, with a particular skill set around building learning communities, organisational culture, and successful teams. She's known for helping teachers recognise their own capabilities and step into leadership roles with confidence. Cathy Sherwood has spent 22 years in the ECE industry — six as a teacher and sixteen in management and consultancy roles — and has personally established and managed 10 successful early childhood centres across Hawke's Bay, Auckland and Christchurch. Rob Farrell, a 30-year Christchurch local, has spent the last 15 years working across the property, construction and banking sectors, and focuses on the strategic vision that helps the Grow community access quality educational and life opportunities.
Grow Active's guiding concept is right there in the name: sustainability paired with active early learners. The centres are designed as nurturing, engaging spaces that place real value on positive, trusting relationships between children, families and teachers — relationships the company sees as the foundation for lifelong learning.
That approach starts with creating secure, healthy and welcoming environments, and building a genuine sense of belonging for children and their families. Care is based on trusting, respectful relationships and consistency, rather than rotating staff or inconsistent routines. Within that framework, Grow Active places emphasis on Fundamental Movement Skills and Physical Literacy as named areas of focus, alongside sensory-rich experience spaces designed to inspire curiosity, foster creativity, and support discovery. Extended outdoor play spaces and natural environments give children plenty of room to move and explore, accommodating growing, inquisitive bodies.
Grow Active now operates from three Christchurch locations. Balfour Terrace, at 3 Balfour Terrace next to the Metro Sports Centre, is the newest of the three centres. Welles Street, at 12 Welles Street, is located within the Smith City car park. Essex Street sits at 29 Essex Street, just off Fitzgerald Ave. Each centre is led by its own Centre Business Manager — Kim Grant at Balfour Terrace, Jennifer Fisher at Welles Street, and Nikki Perkins at Essex Street — giving families a direct point of contact at their chosen location.
All three centres keep the same weekday hours, opening from 7:30am to 5:30pm, Monday through Friday.
Parents interested in learning more can reach out through the Grow Active website's contact page, or get in touch directly with their preferred centre. The site also covers parent information on spaces, nutrition, values, sustainability, the team, and fees and enrolment, giving families a fuller picture before enrolling their child.