96 | COMMUNITY BestStart Educare: Kokomea Best Start Shade Solutions Backed by 50 Years of Experience Creating effective shade is about more than simply providing cover. Well designed shade structures help create safer, more comfortable outdoor spaces where people can learn, work, and relax. For more than 50 years, Lidgard Shades has been designing and manufacturing high-quality shade solutions in New Zealand. Founded in 1973 by sailmaker Jim Lidgard, the company has built a reputation for combining proven expertise with durable, locally made products. Today, Lidgard works across education, commercial, and residential projects throughout New Zealand. Whether it's a school, childcare centre, or workplace, we design every shade solution with safety, durability, and long-term performance in mind. We believe in doing the right thing every time, because protecting people is always our priority. With more than 10,000 projects completed, Lidgard continues to apply decades of experience to create practical, long lasting shade solutions that help New Zealanders make the most of life outdoors. If you are planning a new shade project or upgrading an existing outdoor space, our team can provide advice on the most suitable solution for your site, budget, and requirements. Head to lidgardshades.co.nz to learn more. Talk to the Lidgard Shades team today to discuss your next shade project and arrange a no-obligation consultation. (09) 489 1111 info@lidgardshades.co.nz lidgardshades.co.nz T T Kim Newth New centre for youngest residents “Members of the community are regularly asking our teams about this new centre being built, so there’s certainly a great deal of excitement.” Taupō’s newest gateway community, Kokomea Park, will soon have a high-quality early learning centre to support local families. Penny Homes is building the new BestStart centre on a spacious, centrally located site within this thoughtfully planned lakeside subdivision. The new centre, which will be licensed for up to 80 children, is already generating a lot of local interest. With construction progressing well on-site, BestStart is looking forward to opening the doors as soon as possible. “Members of the community are regularly asking our teams about this new centre being built, so there’s certainly a great deal of excitement,” says Fiona Hughes, deputy CEO and GM of property for BestStart. “Penny Homes has been a great partner, and the collaboration has been positive from the outset. If everything continues as planned, we’re hopeful the centre will be open before the end of the year.” Having access to quality early childhood education alongside other essential services will be a huge plus for families moving into Kokomea Park. “We’re excited to become part of this growing community and look forward to supporting local families for many years to come,” Fiona says. For the community’s youngest children, BestStart at Kokomea Park will offer two nurturing spaces providing a calm and supportive environment with smaller class sizes. Classrooms for children over two years of age will be more socially interactive spaces, designed to support collaborative learning. BestStart centres are widely known, too, for their beautiful, functional outdoor learning environments and Kokomea Park will be no exception. “We work with specialist playground designers to create spaces that encourage exploration, safe risk-taking and active play, while also providing generous, shaded areas for wellbeing in warmer months. “The under 2’s group will have their own dedicated outdoor play space, designed to suit their stage of development with the older two classrooms sharing a larger space to burn off energy.”
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