Transitions into early childhood education in a new country can be challenging for refugee and migrant children, their families, and teachers. This article presents pilot study findings that explored how two ECE centres, collaborating with a settlement centre, support positive transitions for families entering ECE settings. Research highlights responsive practices ...

Research confirms kaiako with disabilities promote diversity and inclusivity in ECE settings, yet face barriers limiting professional opportunities. This study surveyed ECE student kaiako and practising kaiako with disabilities about their preservice and inservice experiences. Analysis revealed accommodation types enabling success in initial teacher education and ECE settings. Findings emphasise ...

This qualitative study examined distributed leadership enactment within Whānau Manaaki Kindergartens in Aotearoa New Zealand, exploring effective practices, systems, and processes. Drawing on perspectives from teachers, positional leaders, and chief executives, findings revealed that intentional, values-based, supportive structures alongside clearly communicated leadership expectations enable effective distributed leadership. The article offers ...

The notion of children's working theories is an overarching outcome of Te Whāriki, Aotearoa New Zealand's early childhood curriculum. Growing research examines children’s working theories and teacher support strategies. This article draws on doctoral research to present the spiral of working theory development model, providing a framework for understanding working ...

Dame Iritana Tāwhiwhirangi (Ngāti Porou, Ngāti Kahungunu, Ngāpuhi) was born on 21 March 1929 in Wharekahika, East Coast, the daughter of Matenga Matuakore Thatcher and Winirangi Albert (nee Chelsey), and recently passed on 1 February 2025. This article chronicles four decades of dedicated struggle and visionary leadership in Dame ...

This article examines how government policies have undermined equity and access in early childhood care and education in Aotearoa. While flaxroots initiatives have historically fostered inclusive, community-centred, low- or no-cost early childhood models, recent policies favouring commercial providers have intensified disparities, particularly for Māori and Pacific communities. The analysis situates ...

Regulatory reform, recolonisation, and the fight for te reo Māori: This interview continues a vital thread from our previous issue’s coverage of Kōhanga Reo by situating the movement—and the political and pedagogical leadership of Associate Professor Mere Skerrett—within the increasingly fraught context of regulatory reform in Aotearoa.

Children’s inquiry is an approach where tamariki explore and research their own questions and curiosities over sustained periods of time with the support of their kaiako. This article explores findings from research examining how this approach has been interpreted and enacted by early childhood kaiako in Aotearoa New Zealand. The ...