Tino e Tasi is a Samoan language preschool on Shortland Street in Aranui, Christchurch, and it has been operating in the city for more than 20 years. The name means unity in one accord. The preschool teaches in gagana Sāmoa, the Samoan language, and builds its curriculum around aganu'u (culture) and Christian values. Children learn to be ta'ita'i, or leaders, in Aotearoa. The website says the business runs several preschools across the South Island, and that families are welcome to visit at any time under an open door policy. Enrolment takes about 30 minutes, and families need an identity document and their child's immunisation record. The phone number is (03) 981 5954.
The preschool says fees should not stop any family from using early childhood education, and that it does not turn a child away. It describes its fee structure and subsidies on its website. Open Locally lists one other childcare centre within a kilometre, Walnut Tree Preschool, which is 0.6 km away and rated 4.3 from six reviews. The centre's approach, with families and the wider community sharing governance and responsibility, is a rare example of cultural learning in the area.