'Trauma-informed' is fast becoming a buzzword, a term being used widely across health, education, and other sectors. Online technologies are enabling an increasing number of schools to have instant access to 'expert' trauma-informed approaches, practices and research, however, the ways in which this information is being used varies greatly. This…

The purakau presented in this article come from a narrative inquiry underpinned and guided by kaupapa Maori theory and research principles (G. Smith, 1997; L. T. Smith, 2015). This rangahau explored four teenage Maori mothers' experiences of support in health, social, financial, education and whanau domains. The purakau presented here are the…

The purpose of this study is to understand the current situation where practising New Zealand primary educators have utilised ChatGPT. More explicitly, the research considered how educators perceived the beneficial affordances and used them to support their classroom practice. Concurrently, negative implications of use are noted and an attempt to…

Handicapped, special, or diverse? Segregated, mainstreamed, or included? The field of disability and difference within education, is vast and wide-ranging. This review of the literature highlights how, although we have come far in the last 40 years, there is still much to learn about effective inclusion of disabled children in early childhood…

Universal Design for Learning (UDL) is a research-based theoretical framework that can be used to design teaching and learning opportunities that are more responsive to the variability of student need in any classroom, although a vast number of teachers appear to know nothing about UDL. One population whose needs are becoming increasingly visible…

There is considerable evidence supporting the success of the Incredible Years Teacher (IYT) Programme. Despite this, few studies in Aotearoa New Zealand have investigated teachers' ongoing use of IYT strategies once they have completed their training. This research examined whether teachers felt they had embedded the use of IYT strategies in their…

Mauri Tui Tuia is a professional development programme established by the first and second authors who are a Registered Arts and Dance Movement Therapist and a Registered Music Therapist respectively. Mauri Tui Tuia seeks to empower educators to develop a kete of tools to support children in building resilience and maintaining wellbeing, through…

The foundation of inclusive education is that every learner has the potential to contribute positively to society. A sense of belonging to society is vital to this contribution, and to the growth and development of autistic children and young people. New Zealand has made some positive progress towards inclusive education, with some education…

All children in Aotearoa New Zealand have the right to enrol in and receive a quality, inclusive education. Despite this, a recent report by the Education Review Office (ERO, 2022), the government's external education evaluation agency, identified numerous ways in which disabled akonga are excluded from and within the education system. This…

The Ministry of Education document "Action Plan for Pacific Education" 2020-2030 is a government commitment to transform outcomes for Pacific learners and their families. Key Shift 5 of this Action Plan focuses on valuing, growing, and retaining "teachers, leaders, and educational professionals with diverse Pacific heritages"…

This research paper asks what Maori educators want Pakeha outreach teachers to know when working with tamariki Maori on the autism spectrum with high, complex needs. A review of the literature noted a shortage of specialists who can speak te reo Maori and practice in a culturally responsive way. Three Maori educators participated in…

A diverse range of high school students dominate negative outcome data in Aotearoa-New Zealand, and a shift in how we support them is needed for outcomes to improve. Following PRISMA guidelines, a systematic review of published and grey literature was carried out to identify how research shows belongingness is an important element in improving…

Cerebral visual impairment is a high incidence visual issue with a prevalence rate of 3.4% of children in mainstream education (Williams et al., 2021). However, it is still a very unknown condition with very little awareness in the general public (Ravenscroft et al., 2021). The aim of this research was to better understand how CVI related visual…

This paper examines how kaiako (teachers) view professional learning and development training (PLD) in structured literacy (SL) in a Maori-medium immersion context. Through interviews with kaiako in a kura kaupapa Maori (Maori-medium educational setting) who teach students in Years 1-6, and images of the literacy environment to capture some of the…

The Universal Design for Learning (UDL) framework has the potential to enhance the inclusive practices of teachers with autistic learners in their classes. This study examines the extent to which the UDL framework is currently being used as a model for the inclusion of autistic learners in New Zealand primary schools. This study gathered data from…