Early childhood care and education in the cultural context of Aotearoa (New Zealand)

© 2018 Taylor and Francis. Early childhood care and education in Aotearoa (New Zealand) has been celebrated through the international interest in the innovative sociocultural curriculum, Te Whāriki: He whāriki mātauranga mō ngā mokopuna o Aotearoa (New Zealand Ministry of Education, 1996). This document is now 20 years old, and is at the time of writing being updated by the New Zealand Ministry of Education. 1 In this chapter, a brief overview of the historical and cultural contexts of early childhood care and education leads into a discussion of some key cultural constructs and values that are recognised in Te Whāriki; in particular, those of the Indigenous people, the Māori. Discussion of the narrative assessment models that were developed to support the implementation of Te Whāriki is followed by an outline of implications for teacher education. The chapter ends with some reflections on aspirations for the future of early childhood care and education in Aotearoa.