"Walk softly on the Earth."

It's a philosophy that has seen Rotorua's Tiaki Early Learning Centre give 100 per cent to creating zero waste and revamp their menu from vegetarian to vegan.

It's also scooped them a New Zealand National Commission for UNESCO Award for Global Citizenship Education.

BENN BATHGATE/STUFF Tiaki Early Learning Centre chef Kaya Sparke keeps a watchful eye over the cracker making.

Tiaki chef Kaya Sparke said they adopted a vegetarian menu back in 2015 and realising that most of the kai they made was becoming more vegan, "decided to fully commit to that change".

Head teacher Katherine Maud said that key to the change was bringing the children, and their parents, on board too.

She said they also brought registered Heart Foundation nutritionist Jasmin Jackson on board to run the rule over their menus and speak to parents about the change.

BENN BATHGATE/STUFF Manakura Chadwick gets stuck into cracker making.

"If we could do it well, and meet the children's nutritional needs, we thought we should," she said.

When Stuff called, a group of the children were busy making crackers for later in the day. They also busied themselves harvesting spinach from one of the centre's vegetable patches.

It was obviously a task they enjoyed.

MARK TANTRUM Rafe Baldwin, grandfather Ralph Mosen, Jenny Salesa and Tiaki head teacher Katherine Maud in Wellington to receive their UNESCO award.

"It used to be a normal part of a child's life to help mum in the veggie garden," said Maud.

"There's also something really satisfying about growing the food you cook and eat yourself."

Sparke said going full vegan, and aiming to create zero waste, came with challenges at first.

BENN BATHGATE/STUFF Riley Leopard helps harvest the spinach.

"Growing our own veggies and fruit has been a great way to reduce waste, as well as making things like crackers, bread, hummus, biscuits, plant milks, etc from scratch to avoid packaging," she said.

"It's been quite a journey to get our kai to where it is today, zero waste, vegan and nutritionally sound whilst still appealing to two-six year olds, so we are very proud of what we've accomplished."

Maud said that now, it can take them three weeks before they need to put a rubbish bin out.

Jackson said that maintaining a plant based menu to the standard Taiki has achieved takes dedication - but she believes it's worth it.

"For the children at Tiaki, eating a plant-based meal each day while preschool is particularly beneficial," she said.

"They are being exposed to different tastes and textures at preschool, and they are developing a genuine liking for vegetables at a crucial period in their development.

"By learning to enjoy eating plants now, they are setting themselves up for healthy eating habits for the rest of their lives."