'Not [just] for a name that we plead' : fashioning the ideological origins of early kindergarten in Dunedin and Wellington, New Zealand, 1870 – 1913

This study is about the processes of intellectual transmission of kindergarten pedagogy and its organisational implementation in two geographical sites in colonial New Zealand between 1870 and 1913. It takes as its focus the contribution of women pioneers in shaping kindergarten provision and pedagogy. The central question asked is how, and to what extent, did the genesis of early kindergarten in New Zealand and its role in education and/or social reforms evolve, with particular reference to women's individual and collective work? Much of the research data is drawn for the first time from women's personal manuscripts and organisational records.