Te tuakiritanga, te reo me te ahurea

Identity, language, and culture

Read how identity, language, and culture play a vital part in tamariki wellbeing, sense of belonging, and identity as capable and competent learners.

kaiako with a group of children cooking together

Ehara taku toa i te toa takitahi engari he toa takitini.

I come not with my own strengths but bring with me the gifts, talents and strengths of my family, tribe and ancestors.

The identity, language, and culture of tamariki is fundamental to the ways they see themselves as ākonga (learners).

“In Māori tradition, children are seen to be inherently competent, capable, and rich, complete and gifted no matter what their age or ability. Descended from lines that stretch back to the beginning of time, they are important living links between past, present, and future, and a reflection of their ancestors. These ideas are fundamental to how Māori understand teaching and learning (Te Whāriki, p. 12).

When the learning environment is responsive to tamariki, their culture, and their whānau, they are empowered to be successful learners.

Thinking about identity, language, and culture
Why identity, language, and culture matter
Identity, language, and culture in practice
Stories of practice

Te Whāriki affirms the identities, languages, and cultures of all children, whānau, kaiako, and communities from a strong bicultural foundation.

Each early childhood service’s local curriculum whāriki recognises the place of Māori as tangata whenua of this land.
All children are given the opportunity to develop knowledge and understanding of the cultural heritages of the partners to Te Tiriti o Waitangi The Treaty of Waitangi.
The integration of kaupapa Māori concepts (Māori values and philosophy) and te reo Māori, supports cultural, linguistic, social, and environmental diversity.

Tamariki looking at and feeling a carving

There are an increasing number of migrants in Aotearoa New Zealand. As in any country with a multicultural heritage, there is a diversity of beliefs about child rearing practices, kinship roles, obligations, codes of behaviour, and the knowledge that is valued.

From a bicultural foundation, Te Whāriki:

affirms and celebrates cultural differences, and guides services to ensure children gain a positive awareness of their own and other cultures
enables all peoples of Aotearoa New Zealand to weave their perspectives, values, cultures, and languages into the early learning setting.

The kaupapa whakahaere (principles) of Te Whāriki highlight the importance of identity, language, and culture in all aspects of early childhood education.

Whakamana | Empowerment

By respectfully acknowledging and being responsive to the identities, languages, and cultures of the children who attend their services, kaiako create an environment where children develop self-esteem and confidence about who they are and their place in the world.

Whānau tangata | Family and community

Children’s learning and development is enhanced when there are connections across the settings in their lives, including their homes.

Kotahitanga | Holistic development

Identities, languages, and cultures are important aspects of children’s lives and their relationships with their worlds and others.

Ngā Hononga | Relationships

Relationships may acknowledge the past, present, and future, the importance of place and land, and engagement with people, places, events, and taonga. It requires understanding of, and respect for, whānau aspirations for their children.

Related resources

Supporting former refugee families
Resources to help build knowledge and experience for working with former refugee families.
Te Whariki: Early childhood curriculum from Samoan teachers' perspective
A master’s thesis. Salilo Ward interviewed Samoan teachers from two early learning services about their experience of implementing Te Whāriki through a Samoan lens.
Unteach Racism
The tools and resources of Unteach Racism are for teachers to self-reflect and identify where they may need to shift their own understanding of racism, in order to better support all ākonga to succeed.

Implications for leadership

One of the most significant implications for pedagogical leadership is the “how to” of weaving a Tiriti-based, local curriculum whāriki. This is where te reo Māori, tikanga Māori, and an understanding of Māori perspectives is clearly visible.

Leaders need to support kaiako to draw on and use a range of knowledge, strategies, and practices, including:

developing reciprocal relationships with local iwi, hapū, whānau, and communities
working collaboratively to achieve their aspirations
engaging in independent research and inquiry
using te reo Māori whenever and wherever possible.

The increasing complexities and diversity of families in Aotearoa requires consideration and reflection by leaders to ensure all whānau identities, languages, and cultures are visible and supported.

Leaders should ensure that curriculum experiences and resources are sensitive and responsive to the different cultures and heritages among the families of the children attending that service. These should also reflect the local community.

The provision of respectful, responsive practices may include:

ensuring each child can see their culture represented in the service
listening with openness and without judgement
developing projects that focus on the values and stories of communities
honouring rituals and celebrations
using community languages in the ECE setting, acknowledging Te Whāriki as "a place for all to stand".

A Kaiako sharing a book about Diwali with a group of children

Ngā pātai arohaehae, reflective questions

Use these questions in team discussions to guide you through the process of developing and maintaining a Tiriti-based, culturally responsive, local curriculum.

What do we know about the local iwi, history, and physical features of the region and the protocols, stories, celebrations, waiata, karakia, and whakataukī of the people?
What more do we need to know and where can this information be found?
How can we use this knowledge in practice? Explore Te Whāriki and Aotearoa New Zealand's histories (ANZH) for more.
How does our setting’s Tiriti-based whāriki provide the foundation for all cultures to stand?
How are we responsive to culturally diverse parents, whānau, and community aspirations and expectations for children’s learning in the setting’s whāriki?
In what ways do the environments and practices in the setting reflect the identities, languages, and cultures of the children who attend?

About this resource

This page looks at identity, language, and culture, why they matter, and what they look like in practice. Along with this are stories of practice (kaiako experiences in the field) and other resource suggestions to explore.