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meet margie
Margie Blackwood started one of the earliest pre-schools in Auckland. She went to look for childcare for her daughter, as circumstances required her to return to work as a nurse. She could count on one hand the number of services available and of those, she was unable to find a good fit for her young family.
Margie went home and considered that she could provide a programme for very young children herself. Paediatric nursing provided an excellent back drop for Margie to start a service in her own home, licensed for children under the age of 2 yrs. In May 1988, Kids’ Kampus opened its doors.
It didn’t take long for a challenge to arise. On turning two years of age, children had to leave Kids’ Kampus and enrol in another service – of which there were not many.
So a few years later, the adjacent property was purchased and Kids’ Kampus was then able to provide seamless Preschool care for children from birth to around 2 years of age in Koru House and 2 years through to 5 years of age in the adjacent Kauri House.
Margie’s professional background is wide and varied. Her qualifications include:
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New Zealand Registered Nurse (General and Maternity)
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Certificate in Community and Social Work
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Intermediate Certificate in Counselling
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Bachelor of Education and Psychology
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Diploma in Early Childhood Education
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Montessori Diploma (London)
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New Zealand Registered Teacher
Beyond Kids’ Kampus, Margie is involved in charitable work focused on child health, wellbeing, and education in areas of deprivation.
She is passionate about supporting community health and helping to equip others with life skills through education.
Margie is the mother of four, stepmother to three adult children, and “Nonna” to nine grandchildren.
our values and goals
Our service is founded on Christian values. In practice, this means we actively promote qualities of character that enhance a sense of responsibility towards society and others. As we work in partnership with our families, we aim to realise the full potential in each child through the provision of a homely, nurturing, safe and stimulating environment where they develop and build self esteem, becoming confident and competent learners and communicators, identifying their natural strengths and gifts, while having a lot of fun along the way!
At Kid’s Kampus, our focus is more on children being given the tools to develop internal and social character –self-control, self discipline, personal safety, integrity, honesty, conscience, task completion, consideration of others, respect and self esteem. When children know who they are and have an understanding of their intrinsic value as young people, then the ability to learn naturally follows.
Children who leave Kids’ Kampus are confident and skilled to move forward into the next phase of their lives.
paying it forward
Kiwis for the Himalayas is a New Zealand based charitable organisation which works in partnership with a Nepali / Indian team in the north-east Indian state of West Bengal. The partnership began in the mid 1980s, and in that time a number of New Zealand individuals and families have supported the Kiwis’ practical programmes which are focused on three key areas:
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“Children Have Hope” - Feed, clothe and educate homeless or destitute children.
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Medical Dispensary - Provide medical care through a dispensary and mobile clinic, servicing thousands of villagers.
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“Women Take Heart” - Provide job opportunities for women caught in the poverty cycle.
The greatest strength of this organisation is working at the rock face with communities and local people, with whom we have built relationships over the last 25 years. Our greatest asset is people and therefore, we endeavour to use existing infrastructure and build to support them. For example, rather than construct orphanages, the children on our programme are sponsored into homes within their own village community, but their living costs are paid for by sponsors – enabling the need and cost for buildings and staff to be kept to a minimum.
"Poverty is not only about a shortage of money, it is about rights and relationships, about how people are treated and how they regard themselves; about powerlessness, exclusion and loss of dignity. Yet, the lack of adequate income is at its heart."
Author unknown