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…

This paper discusses data from a survey of New Zealand teachers conducted in 2020 during the first months of the COVID-19 pandemic. It considers this data in the light of a series of contexts: Te Tiriti o Waitangi; social inequalities particularly in relation to the impacts of colonisation and neoliberal social and economic policies on Maori; the…

This paper reflects on the recent global youth climate change movement in relation to theoretical considerations of Indigeneity, post-Anthropocentricism and decolonial practices. It then highlights the perspectives of several young climate activists, before considering a range of factors ('elephants in the room') that lurk behind the incapacity of…

Pedagogies that reflect the eco-cultural literacies of local Indigenous peoples have potential to foster young children's empathy for our planet as well as for other humans and for more-than-human kin such as mountains, rivers, forests, plants, fish, insects and animals. This article explores some ways in which early years educators can implement…

In this article it is argued that notions of "quality" in early childhood education have been captured by neo-liberal discourses. These discourses perpetuate the western, individualistic, normativising and exploitative attitudes and practices that are contributing to the climate crisis currently imperilling our planet. Educators may…

Using data from an international, comparative study of civic action in preschools in New Zealand, Australia and the US, we consider some of the types of civic action that are possible when time and space are offered for children to use their agency to initiate, work together and collectively pursue ideas and things that are important to the group.…

This article offers a perspective from early childhood care and education in Aotearoa New Zealand. It draws from the data of four recent studies to demonstrate pedagogical practices informed by Indigenous (Maori) perspectives. Maori values, such as "manaakitanga" (caring, hospitality, generosity) and "whanaungatanga"…

Educators have an ethical responsibility to uphold the wellbeing of the children, families and communities that they serve. This commitment becomes even more pressing as we move into the era of the Anthropocene, where human induced climate changes are disrupting the planet's systems, threatening the survival of not only humans, but of eco-systems…

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…

This article draws upon a range of theoretical domains, first to outline the historical rationale for the urgent changes needed to challenge and transform the dominator culture which has justified exploitation of Indigenous peoples and the resources of the earth. It invites educators to reconsider the narratives that are either consciously or…

This article discusses some of the philosophical and pedagogical considerations arising in the development of a peace curriculum appropriate for use in early childhood education centres in Aotearoa New Zealand, with and by educators, parents/families and young children. It outlines contexts for the proposed curriculum, which include the history of…

Research Findings: This paper considers the position of tamariki Maori, the indigenous children of Aotearoa (a Maori name for New Zealand), in relation to the impact of colonization on their rights, including a focus on the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples and the current educational policy arena. It then provides an…

In Aotearoa, discourses seeking to address/redress the imbalances of the legacy of colonisation have often been couched in terms of "biculturalism", terminology cognisant of the two main cultures in this country: the indigenous Maori and the settlers of predominantly European ancestry, the Pakeha. This binary framing represents a…

Examined processes implemented within an early childhood teacher education program at the University of Waikato in Hamilton, New Zealand, that aimed to recognize the Treaty of Waitangi obligation to protect the Maori people. Describes key features of the bicultural development restorative process related to lecturers' aspirations, pedagogical…

Discusses "Te Whariki," the New Zealand Draft Curriculum Guidelines for Early Childhood Education, in relation to historical and cultural contexts. Addresses aspirations of the Maori people for their language and culture to be protected and sustained. Asserts a bicultural imperative for early childhood education curriculum. (BGC)