Whenuatanga: Our places in the world

This article draws from a 2-year TLRI-funded research project looking at how four early childhood centres constructed positive outcomes for children from migrant families. The research questions focused on how the people, places, and practices in early childhood settings support a sense of bicultural belonging to Aotearoa New Zealand, sustain children’s connections to homelands and people, and enable them to contribute important cultural aspects from their home country. This article focuses on one of the research settings that participated in this study, Pakuranga Baptist Kindergarten. Observations and staff reflections revealed the ways teachers used the visual arts, storytelling, and play to value children’s and their families’ cultural funds of knowledge and foster children’s sense of belonging in New Zealand.