{"id":249,"date":"2024-02-05T15:29:12","date_gmt":"2024-02-05T15:29:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.open.ac.uk\/blogs\/EarlyChildhood\/?p=249"},"modified":"2024-02-05T15:29:12","modified_gmt":"2024-02-05T15:29:12","slug":"waitangi-day-learning-in-collaboration-with-kaiako-educators-tamariki-children-and-places-in-two-early-childhood-education-ece-centres-in-new-zealand","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.open.ac.uk\/blogs\/EarlyChildhood\/index.php\/2024\/02\/05\/waitangi-day-learning-in-collaboration-with-kaiako-educators-tamariki-children-and-places-in-two-early-childhood-education-ece-centres-in-new-zealand\/","title":{"rendered":"Waitangi Day- learning in collaboration with kaiako (educators), tamariki (children) and places in two Early Childhood Education (ECE) centres in New Zealand."},"content":{"rendered":"

As New Zealand commemorates Waitangi Day,<\/em><\/strong> Karen Horsley reflects on learning in collaboration with <\/strong>kaiako (educators), tamariki <\/strong>(children) and places in two Early Childhood Education (ECE) centres in New Zealand.<\/strong><\/p>\n

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Waitangi Day is a national day in Aotearoa, New Zealand that commemorates the first signing of its founding document: Te Tiriti o Waitangi, The Treaty of Waitangi, on 6 February 1840 (https:\/\/www.waitangi.org.nz\/<\/a>). The historical, political and cultural significance of Te Tiriti o Waitangi, The Treaty of Waitangi informs the foundations of Aotearoa, New Zealand\u2019s bicultural and bilingual early childhood curriculum – Te Wh\u0101riki. \u00a0Te Wh\u0101riki honours M\u0101ori Indigenous knowledge, ways of being and Te Reo M\u0101ori language into culturally responsive provision that values\u00a0New Zealand\u2019s diverse communities, including from the Pacific Islands.<\/p>\n

Here are some of my reflections, that particularly struck me from my visit to two early childhood education (ECE) centres in different parts of Auckland, New Zealand. Both centres were teacher-led. The first centre serves culturally diverse communities that was originally set up to support the city hospital community. The second centre, was founded on the honoring and building of Samoan language and cultural values. The organisation built on the legacy of Samoan mamas (elders) who set up the original playgroups, whilst recognising the rich diversity of New Zealand\u2019s communities. The directors, teachers and practitioners in both settings highly value and embed Te Wh\u0101riki early childhood curriculum into culturally responsive practice. Te Wh\u0101riki is a living document in the sense that it is interpreted in ways that are meaningful for the particular contexts of ECE centres, their families and communities.<\/p>\n

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  1. AROHA \u2013 ALOFA (love):<\/em> Relationships are everything<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    \u201cFirst of all, it’s not me. It\u2019s an us, it\u2019s a we. It goes back to it takes a village to educate a child\u201d <\/em><\/p>\n

    \u2013 Liz, second centre, 2023<\/p>\n

    This sense of \u2018us\u2019 not \u2018me\u2019 shone out in the beliefs and practices of all of the teachers I met. I noticed the loving care with which babies and young children were gently carried, held and spoken with as they explored and played, or simply enjoyed a quiet moment together. Sometimes, the most intangible or fleeting of moments, communicated the deeply held feelings and values of Aroha \u2013 Alofa that respected children\u2019s rights and \u2018mana\u2019: including spiritual power, wellbeing and agency (Rameka et al., 2022). For example, teachers observed so closely to ask how and when babies would like to be held or picked up. They respected babies\u2019 and children\u2019s time and space to fully explore their environment, perhaps in the garden or park as babies crawled and walked barefoot over many textures and surfaces on offer to them (bark, paving, grass). Children and adults enjoyed playful moments and times of helping each other arrive at new theories, puzzling together. The children knew they would be listened to and their voices would be heard and this knowing led to a sense of collective learning, care and collaboration with the world. Pedagogies of Aroha \u2013 Alofa (love) and care meant that conditions were created for learning rather than adults feeling the need to \u2018teach\u2019. Teachers are confident for children to lead their learning and collective inquiry. Both centres cultivate a culture of true belonging and the courage to be real. Looking after relationships and others is very much at the heart of leadership and practice guided by intergenerational cultural philosophies, values and commitment to nurturing relationships and repairing them if this is necessary. ECE is infused with values such as Aroha – Alofa, service and respect, where teachers and leaders seek relationships of trust, collaboration and collective approaches. Rich M\u0101ori and Pacific Indigenous knowledge, spirituality and ways of being here speak to the \u2018we\u2019 and \u2018us\u2019 of leadership that support others to thrive.<\/p>\n

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    1. Collective over individual<\/em>: A culture of children, teachers, families and communities co-learners and researchers together<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

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      The Te Wh\u0101riki curriculum, research\u00a0 and practice reflects a blend of contemporary and traditional \u00a0Indigenous and non-Indigenous multiple perspectives, framed and centred around M\u0101ori philosophy. People doing things together, trusting one another, constructing new knowledge together reflects this. Trust, in one another and the children as leaders of their learning are highly valued in living, learning and researching together. \u00a0Teachers in New Zealand ECE are referred to as \u201ckaiako\u201d, which is inclusive of all those who care and educate children in ECE settings (i.e., qualified teachers, educators, parents, elders and communities). It also incorporates the M\u0101ori concept of \u201cako\u201d to acknowledge a reciprocal relationship between teachers and learners and learning from one another. A striking feature of the curriculum and practice was teachers\u2019 very high regard and respect for children as highly competent learners. Children are encouraged to explore first with adults observing as engaged listeners and participants. Kaiako truly followed the children\u2019s lead in their interests to develop theory making and threads of learning together in reciprocal relationships. They held back from talking and offering resources to see where children\u2019s interests took them. Sometimes these led back to journeying and playing with younger siblings in mixed age play, talk, stories, creative media of all kinds and rhymes in community languages. Family and community members are seen and heard in the centres as very much part of everyday living, learning and researching alongside one another. Cultures of inquiry lead to children\u2019s and teachers\u2019 deep reflection on their learning, interests and evolving theory making. Communities are very much part and parcel of everyday life that honours Indigenous M\u0101ori and Pacific contemporary and traditional knowledge and practice – past, present and future.<\/p>\n

      3. Bringing your whole self to your work <\/em><\/p>\n

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       <\/p>\n

      Bringing your whole to your work, including language, family values, beliefs, knowledge and experiences through many languages, song, stories, metaphors, research and everyday conversations are seen as strengths. There is patience with one another in puzzling out the inevitable challenges of highly complex and nuanced ECE practice. Regular and informal meetings in daily life and inquiry in the centres create contexts for paying close attention to one another and asking difficult questions of practice that embrace uncertainty and vulnerability to move forwards together. There are playful times and (un)comfortable silences for thinking, and depths of patience and awareness for emerging new lively perspectives and possibilities:<\/p>\n

      E t\u016btaki ana ng\u0101 kapua o te rangi, kei runga te Mang\u014droa e k\u014dpae p\u016b ana<\/em><\/p>\n

      The clouds in the sky gather, but above them extends the Milky Way.<\/em><\/p>\n