The experience of the many autistic children who attend inclusive early childhood education settings is largely shaped by the knowledge and attitudes of the educators who support them. Autistic children from under-represented ethnic groups, such as autistic Maori, are likely to face additional challenges and educators need to consider strategies…

Te Whariki, the first bicultural early childhood education curriculum in Aotearoa New Zealand, gained national and international attention. While there was widespread acceptance of its bicultural intent, Te Whariki was not well understood and implemented as a bicultural curriculum. Early childhood education teachers lacked confidence and struggled…

This article draws on a master's study into programme decisions and processes of a Pakeha primary music teacher who sought to include matauranga Maori (Maori knowledge), tikanga Maori (Maori practices) and te ao Maori (a Maori way of seeing the world) in their teaching practice. The study investigated how children are enabled to experience…

This article reports findings from a study that used a process of document analysis to examine early childhood care and education responses to increasing superdiversity in the 'bicultural' legislative context of Aotearoa New Zealand. The New Zealand Education Review Office has described both Indigenous Maori children and 'children of migrants and…

Wellbeing is fundamental to an individual's ability to function and live well. Maori have some of the worst wellbeing statistics in New Zealand (Chalmers & Williams, 2018). From a te ao Maori perspective mana (power, authority) and kaitiakitanga (guardianship) encapsulate the critical relationships inherent in Maori understandings of…

The involvement of whanau in the teaching and learning process is important at every juncture of a child's educational journey. Rich understanding of the curriculum enables whanau to make deep and meaningful contributions to discussions about their child's development. It also presents an interesting challenge for educational settings to create…

Over a period of 4 years (2012-15) the kaupapa Maori research project Ka Whanau mai te Reo focused on how whanau reo Maori development is, or could, be supported as whanau move into, within, and beyond the compulsory education sector. Transition practices that prioritise te reo Maori would be a positive step forward in schools' support for reo…

Before the arrival of Europeans in Aotearoa, New Zealand and their subsequent settlement in the 1800s, there was no concept of a Maori identity. Over time, however, as a result of rapid colonisation, Maori became a minority population in New Zealand. Consequently, the term Maori as normal or usual, began to lose its meaning (Webber, 2008), and…

Belonging and being are inextricably linked. From a Maori perspective, belonging and being can be viewed through a number of interconnected historical and contemporary frames. One frame is derived from Maori perceptions of the creation of the universe and genealogical relationships to the universe and everything in it. Another frame of belonging…

Early childhood scholars in New Zealand have long lamented a rising dominance of neoliberalism. Correspondingly they suggest that there has been a lessening of socialist ideals and principles of Te Ao Maori after years of a right-wing government. With the 'refresh' of New Zealand's national early childhood curriculum, "Te Whariki" under…

Kaitiakitanga is promoted in the revised curriculum document "Te Whariki--He Whariki Matauranga mo nga Mokopuna o Aotearoa: Early Childhood Curriculum" (Ministry of Education, 2017). The authors give primacy to the Maori world-view of sustainable living through engaging with, and protecting, the natural environment. This article reports…

This paper offers an overview of complexities of the contexts for education in Aotearoa, which include the need to recognise and include Maori (Indigenous) perspectives, but also to extend this inclusion to the context of increasing ethnic diversity. These complexities include the situation of worsening disparities between rich and poor which…

Despite making major advances in educational provision, Maori and Pasifika children continue to lag behind other groups, in New Zealand, achieving disproportionately lower results on national averages. Key to educational success for Maori and Pasifika children is the acknowledgement that they are culturally located and the recognition that…

The New Zealand early childhood curriculum (Ministry of Education, 1996) is presented as a bicultural curriculum, namely one honouring an equal relationship between Maori and non-Maori. This article examines definitions of biculturalism, drawing on research into the implementation of early childhood curriculum in mainstream centres in Aotearoa New…

A primary task for refugee families and children who are resettling in a new country is to develop a sense of belonging in that place, time and context. This article theorises the "powhiri," the traditional Maori ceremony of welcome or ritual of encounter, as a metaphor for refugee families and children coming to belong in Aotearoa New…