$10–$50 a month
Plant a seed
Steady support that lets us plan with confidence.
- A regular gift that adds up: $20 a month is $240 a year
- Covers the everyday: wool, beeswax, paints, seeds
- Easy to start, pause or stop at any time
Fossil Bay School & Kindergarten · Waiheke Island
Growing the humans the future needs
A small Steiner school and kindy in Oneroa, for children from birth to nine. Six children are confirmed for 2027. With eleven, our school can thrive. We’re asking our community to help us get there.
Fossil Bay from above
6 of 11
children confirmed for 2027
Five more places to fill. Every new family, and every gift, brings Fossil Bay closer to a full, sustainable school.
Oneroa Bay, Waiheke Island (Aotea)
Our place
Between the bush, the vines and the sea
Fossil Bay sits in Oneroa, on Waiheke Island, with vineyards on one side and the sea never far away. Our grounds hold gardens, ponds, a yurt and plenty of trees to climb.
This island is our classroom. Caring for it, kaitiakitanga, is part of every day.
Why it matters
Childhood, unhurried
The world our children are growing into is fast, loud and full of screens. At Fossil Bay, childhood moves at a different pace.
Here, children paint, build, garden, sing, bake and climb trees. They follow the rhythm of the seasons. They learn in small classes, without technology, in nature, with teachers who know each child well. Friday is our outdoor classroom.
Steiner education sets out to educate the head, the heart and the hands: the whole child. It cares not only about what children know, but about who they become.
We know an education like this is a privilege. We’d like it to be within reach of more Waiheke families, not fewer. That’s why we’re asking for your help.
“Receive the children in reverence, educate them in love, and send them forth in freedom.”
Rudolf Steiner (1861–1925)
Life at Fossil Bay
A day at Fossil Bay
The morning begins with a greeting at the door and a circle of song and verse. Then come hands-on main lessons, a shared morning tea, and long stretches of free play outside. There’s painting, handwork and stories, and time to simply be a child. On Fridays, the classroom is the bush, the beach and the garden.
The need
Where we are, honestly
Fossil Bay is small by design. Small also means every child counts. Our school is sustainable with around eleven children. For 2027 we have six.
To bridge the gap we need two things:
Five more children
to join us for 2027. This is the lasting answer. [5–7 families until the GM’s figures confirm]Around $50,000 for 2027
in support while we grow. Every new child who enrols reduces this.
Our early estimate, as at [date], subject to confirmation by the Trust’s financial statements. We’ll post updates here as children enrol and gifts arrive.
With six children
A pared-back year
- One teacher
- Four days a week
- Learning in our yurt
With eleven
Fossil Bay as it’s meant to be
- Two teachers
- A full week at the school
- Fridays outdoors
[Confirm with the GM and board before publishing, or delete this comparison.]
Ways to give
Every gift, at every size, matters equally to us
Choose what feels right. Monthly gifts matter most, because the need comes round every year.
$250–$1,000
Tend the garden
Fills the classroom with the things children learn through.
- Art and craft materials, paints and handwork supplies
- Musical instruments and singing resources
- Garden tools, seeds and outdoor equipment
$1,500–$5,000
Friday outdoors
Keeps nature at the heart of learning.
- Our Friday outdoor classroom: bush, beach and garden
- Ecology, gardening and kaitiakitanga of our island
- Practical skills, from fire-lighting to building
$3,900–$7,800
Open a door
Helps a new family join us who otherwise couldn’t.
- About $7,800 is one child’s fees for a year
- Awarded by the school to families in need, confidentially
- Every new child brings us closer to eleven
$25,000+
Create a legacy
Helps Fossil Bay stay here for the next generation.
- A multi-year scholarship fund
- Learning spaces and outdoor areas
- Long-term stability for the school
How we bridge it together
A plan for the 2027 goal: about 52 gifts, from many hands. [Figures follow the goal above; update once confirmed.]
| Gift | Gifts needed | Together | Roughly |
|---|---|---|---|
| $10,000 | 1 | $10,000 | A place for a year |
| $5,000 | 2 | $10,000 | A term and a half |
| $2,500 | 4 | $10,000 | About a term of fees |
| $1,000 | 8 | $8,000 | About five weeks of school |
| $500 | 12 | $6,000 | About two and a half weeks |
| $20 a month | 25 | $6,000 | A day of learning, every month |
| Total | 52 | $50,000 |
Online
By card, one-off or monthly, through the Trust’s [Givealittle] page. Works from overseas too.
Give onlineBank transfer
Straight to the Trust’s account. For a monthly gift, set up an automatic payment.
- Account name
- Waiheke Island Rudolf Steiner Education Trust
- Account number
- [00-0000-0000000-00]
- Reference
- APPEAL 2027 + your surname
A conversation
Thinking about a larger gift, a scholarship or a bequest? We’d love to talk, and we’ll report back plainly on what your gift made possible.
Get in touch →A word to
For grandparents, philanthropists and families
Grandparents and whānau
You may be near or far away, on the island or across the world. Either way, you’ve seen what this place gives the children you love. A gift to Fossil Bay is a gift to their childhood: unhurried days, muddy knees and songs they’ll carry with them. A monthly gift is a lovely way to stay part of their school life, wherever you are.
Those who invest in what matters
Around the world, families and educators are looking for healthier ways to raise children: slower, closer to nature, less mediated by screens. Fossil Bay is a small, real example of this on Waiheke. Your support here is unusually direct: a larger commitment can help secure the school while it grows to a sustainable size.
Start a conversation →Our families, past and present
If Fossil Bay has shaped your child, or your family, you already know why it matters. You can help in two ways. Give what feels right. And tell one family about us: a friend with a little one, a newcomer to the island, a parent looking for something different. One conversation might bring the next child through our gate.
Scholarships
Open a door
We’d like Fossil Bay to reflect the whole of Waiheke, not only the families who can afford it.
Gifts to our scholarship fund help families who would love a Steiner education for their child but can’t stretch to the fees. Scholarships are awarded by the school, privately and with care, on need. Donors don’t choose the recipient. [Confirm the Trust’s scholarship policy.]
If your family would love to join us but cost is in the way, please talk to us. Conversations are confidential and there’s no obligation.
Beyond a gift
Other ways to help
Lend your skills
Carpentry, gardening, accounts, photography, design: we’d love your help.
Offer help →Give in kind
Materials, tools, garden supplies or services. Please check with us first.
Get in touch →Questions
Good to know
Who is behind this appeal?
We’re the parents of the children confirmed for 2027 at Fossil Bay School & Kindergarten, volunteering our time. We’re running this appeal with the authorisation of the Trust Board [date of resolution]. Fossil Bay is run by the Waiheke Island Rudolf Steiner Education Trust, a registered charity (CC24137).
Where does the money go?
Every gift is received directly by the Trust, never by an individual. Donations go to the Trust’s general fund to support teaching and the full programme in 2027. Gifts to the scholarship fund are held separately and used for fee assistance, as the Trust decides. If a purpose can’t be met, the Trust may use the gift for its general charitable purposes. [Confirm with the Trust.]
Can I claim a tax credit?
We are confirming the Trust’s donee status with Inland Revenue. Tax-credit details will be published here once confirmed. School fees, and payments that benefit your own child or a named child, don’t count as donations.
Can I give monthly?
Yes. Choose “monthly” when you give online, or set up an automatic payment to the Trust’s account with the reference APPEAL 2027. You can change or stop it at any time.
Can I give anonymously?
Of course. Choose “anonymous” when you give online, or let us know, and we won’t publish your name.
I live overseas. Can I still give?
Yes. The online page accepts international cards. [Confirm with the platform.]
What if the goal isn’t reached?
Every gift still helps the school through 2027, and every new enrolment changes the picture. If enrolments close the gap first, gifts roll into 2028 and the scholarship fund. [Confirm with the board.]
Room for five more
Help us make room for five more
Small schools are fragile, and they’re worth tending. With your help, Fossil Bay can keep offering what it does best: small classes, unhurried days, the whole child, learning in nature. Give what feels right, share this with someone who’d care, and if you know a family who’d love it here, please send them our way.