Founder and co-director of Awhina, Bernadette Raichle, began work at the Hastings Rudolf Steiner School and was later instrumental in the beginning of the first satellite kindergarten in New Zealand in the early 1980s.  This was a community orientated kindergarten where many families met Steiner education for the first time. This later went on to become a school experience for most families.
Kindergarten hours were from 9 to 12.30pm, and the question arose, what were the children doing in the afternoon?

During her 10 years at the kindergarten a seed was sown for the possibility to provide all day child care from an anthroposophical perspective. This seed germinated  and Awhina was born.
In 1995 Bernadette opened Awhina Day Nursery in Havelock North.  

A beautiful home and garden was developed for the children and families who came to us however, we soon outgrew this site, and contemplating the future, in 1999 Awhina moved to its present home in Duart Road, where a property was found that would allow to serve Awhina well into the future.