Supporting language, culture and identity using Pacific picturebooks

In Aotearoa New Zealand, populations of Pacific peoples increased by 45% between 2006 and 2018 (Statistics New Zealand, 2018). Consequently, teachers need to be equipped with knowledge, skills, and resources to be able to respond to Pacific learners and communities appropriately and effectively. This article presents findings from a research project that identified 90 picturebooks featuring Pacific peoples and stories published since 2013, and analysed them for representations of Pacific culture, values, and languages. In this article, we present a thematic analysis of 10 picturebooks exploring their potential as pedagogical resources to support early childhood education (ECE) teachers in developing cultural competencies for working with Pacific learners and their families.