Early childhood education in New Zealand

Almost all New Zealand children now attend an early learning service for a sustained period of time. For a significant number, their participation begins in the first year of life. 

The services available are very diverse. They have a wide range of ownership and governance structures, as well as different philosophies and operating models. These different philosophies and models have emerged over time in response to changing social contexts, educational aims, parental values, and employment patterns. The diversity of services is a valued feature of early learning provision in New Zealand. 

Early ECE services included community-based kindergartens staffed by teachers, and parent-led Playcentres. These remain an important part of our educational landscape today. Over time, there has been large-scale expansion of early childhood education and care throughout New Zealand, including centre-based, home-based, and hospital-based services, which typically operate longer hours and accommodate wider age ranges. In addition, community-based, certificated playgroups can be found in many areas. 

Early learning services often belong to wider educational networks that include local schools and kura, and they work with others who support the health and wellbeing of young children and their families in their local communities. 

Parents and whānau choose from the available early learning services based on their needs and preferences. Accessibility, values, and cultural fit are often key considerations. Some children attend a number of different services during their early years. 

In this context Te Whāriki plays an important unifying role by providing principles for curriculum development, strands that describe valued learning, goals relating to the provision of a supportive learning environment, and learning outcomes. 

The expectation is that each ECE service will use Te Whāriki as a basis for weaving with children, parents, and whānau its own local curriculum of valued learning, also taking into consideration the aspirations and learning priorities of hapū, iwi, and community. 

Factors that may contribute to the distinctive character of this local curriculum include: 

• cultural perspectives, for example, those found in bilingual or language immersion services, such as ngā puna reo 
• the specific learning needs of individual children 
• structural differences, such as whether the service is sessional, school- or full-day 
• the age range of the children in the setting 
• environmental opportunities and constraints 
• the ethnic and cultural makeup of the community 
• organisational and philosophical emphases, such as Montessori or Steiner 
• the different resources available in urban and rural settings 
• the ways in which parents, whānau, and communities are involved. 

Ngā kōhanga reo

Kōhanga reo are licensed providers of Māori language immersion education and care services with a wider focus on whānau development. 

Starting in the late 1970s as a grass roots, whānau-led movement, kōhanga reo have led the revitalisation and sustenance of te reo and tikanga Māori. The first kōhanga opened in 1982 and others soon followed. Today, kōhanga are found throughout New Zealand in both rural and urban localities. 

Te Whāriki a te Kōhanga Reo outlines the curriculum for mokopuna in kōhanga reo.  

Pacific peoples services

The retention and transmission of Pacific peoples identities, languages, and cultural values was the driver for the emergence of Pacific peoples ECE services, with the first opening in 1984. Language-specific guidelines and implementation advice are available for each of the main Pacific peoples populations. These set out processes, methodologies, and approaches to be considered when working with Pacific children, parents, and ‘aiga. They include fa‘asamoa (the Samoan way), faka-Tonga (the Tongan way), faka-Tokelau (the Tokelauan way), faka-Niue (the Niue way), akano‘anga Kuki Airani (the Cook Islands way) and vaka Viti (the Fijian way). 

When used in this document:

Pacific peoples is a term that encompasses a diverse range of peoples from the South Pacific region who live in New Zealand and continue to have family and cultural connections to Pacific Island nations, particularly Samoa, Tonga, Cook Islands, Fiji, Niue, Tokelau, and Tuvalu. Pacific peoples may be recent migrants, long settled in New Zealand, or New Zealand-born.

See Materials that come with this resource to download Te Whāriki Early childhood curriculum: Early childhood education in New Zealand (.pdf)