arL A

lnLroducLlon
1hls currlculum ls founded on Lhe followlng asplraLlons for chlldren Lo grow up as compeLenL and
confldenL learners and communlcaLors healLhy ln mlnd body and splrlL secure ln Lhelr sense of
belonglng and ln Lhe knowledge LhaL Lhey make a valued conLrlbuLlon Lo socleLy 1hls currlculum deflnes
how Lo achleve progress Lowards Lhls vlslon for learners ln early chlldhood learnlng envlronmenLs lL ls
abouL Lhe lndlvldual chlld lLs sLarLlng polnL ls Lhe learner and Lhe knowledge skllls and aLLlLudes LhaL
Lhe chlld brlngs Lo Lhelr experlences 1he currlculum ls also abouL early chlldhood seLLlngs Learnlng
beglns aL home and early chlldhood programmes ouLslde Lhe chlld's own home play a slgnlflcanL role ln
exLendlng early learnlng and ln laylng Lhe foundaLlons for successful fuLure learnlng Lach communlLy Lo
whlch a chlld belongs wheLher lL ls a famlly home or an early chlldhood seLLlng ouLslde Lhe home
provldes opporLunlLles for new learnlng Lo be fosLered for chlldren Lo reflecL on alLernaLlve ways of
dolng Lhlngs make connecLlons across Llme and place esLabllsh dlfferenL klnds of relaLlonshlp and
encounLer dlfferenL polnLs of vlew 1hese experlences enrlch chlldren's llves and provlde Lhem wlLh Lhe
knowledge skllls and dlsposlLlons Lhey need Lo Lackle new challenges 1hls ls an early chlldhood
currlculum speclflcally deslgned for chlldren from Lhe Llme of blrLh Lo school enLry and lL provldes llnks
Lo learnlng ln school seLLlngs 1he learnlng envlronmenL ln Lhe early chlldhood years ls dlfferenL from
LhaL ln Lhe school secLor 1hls learnlng envlronmenL Lhe consLralnLs of age and Lhe speclal naLure of
Lhe early chlldhood years are elaboraLed on ln Lhls currlculum 1hls currlculum emphaslses Lhe crlLlcal
role of soclally and culLurally medlaLed learnlng and of reclprocal and responslve relaLlonshlps for
chlldren wlLh people places and Lhlngs Chlldren learn Lhrough collaboraLlon wlLh adulLs and peers
Lhrough gulded parLlclpaLlon and observaLlon of oLhers as well as Lhrough lndlvldual exploraLlon and
reflecLlon 1hls ls a currlculum for early chlldhood care and educaLlon ln new Zealand ln early
chlldhood educaLlon seLLlngs all chlldren should be glven Lhe opporLunlLy Lo develop knowledge and an
undersLandlng of Lhe culLural herlLages of boLh parLners Lo 1e 1lrlLl o WalLangl 1he currlculum reflecLs
Lhls parLnershlp ln LexL and sLrucLure

1PL u8CSL Anu S18uC1u8L Cl 1PL uCCuMLn1
1he purpose of Lhls documenL ls Lo provlde a currlculum framework LhaL wlll form Lhe basls for
conslsLenL currlculum and programmes ln charLered early chlldhood educaLlon servlces 1hls currlculum
applles Lo all chlldren ln charLered early chlldhood educaLlon seLLlngs lL seLs ouL Lhe prlnclples sLrands
and goals whlch are dlsLlncLlvely approprlaLe for Lhe early chlldhood years and provldes examples of Lhe
llnks beLween early chlldhood educaLlon and Lhe school years 1he Lerm currlculum" ls used ln Lhls
documenL Lo descrlbe Lhe sum LoLal of Lhe experlences acLlvlLles and evenLs wheLher dlrecL or lndlrecL
whlch occur wlLhln an envlronmenL deslgned Lo fosLer chlldren's learnlng and developmenL 1hese
experlences acLlvlLles and evenLs may be based on forward plannlng or may evolve ln response Lo a
parLlcular slLuaLlon 1he documenL ls dlvlded lnLo four secLlons lL ls lmporLanL however LhaL lL ls read
and used as an lnLegraLed whole 1he prlnclples sLrands and goals are common Lo all early chlldhood
servlces 1he ways ln whlch Lhey are puL lnLo pracLlce however may dlffer from servlce Lo servlce 1he
Lngllsh and Morl LexLs parallel and complemenL each oLher 1he Morl currlculum ls deslgned
speclflcally Lo provlde a basls for approprlaLe pracLlce ln ng khanga reo lL ls also appllcable wlLhln
oLher Morl lmmerslon programmes 1he Morl currlculum ls an lnLegral parL of Lhe documenL and
provldes a basls for blculLural early chlldhood educaLlon ln new Zealand arL A of Lhls documenL
descrlbes Lhe currlculum whrlkl and Lhe early chlldhood conLexL ln new Zealand arL A ouLllnes Lhe
lmporLance of meeLlng Lhe needs of speclflc groups such as chlldren wlLh speclal needs and Lhose ln
1agaLa aseflka early chlldhood cenLres lL also ouLllnes Lhe background Lo Lhe developmenL of Lhls
currlculum 1here ls a summary of Lhe prlnclples sLrands and goals of Lhe currlculum ln arL A 1hese
are furLher developed ln arL C arL A lncludes some lndlcaLors of broad sLages ln chlldren's learnlng
and developmenL and ldenLlfles processes of plannlng evaluaLlon and assessmenL and Lhe ways ln
whlch Lhese are relaLed Lo Lhe prlnclples of Lhe currlculum arL 8 esLabllshes Lhe parLlcular emphasls for
currlculum ln ng khanga reo 1hls secLlon wlll also be of use Lo oLher Morl lmmerslon servlces arL C
expands on Lhe prlnclples sLrands and goals and forms Lhe framework for lmplemenLaLlon 1he four
key prlnclples are descrlbed 1he sLrands are explalned boLh ln general Lerms and ln how Lhey relaLe Lo
Lhe prlnclples of Lhe early chlldhood currlculum lmpllcaLlons for adulL responslblllLles for managemenL
organlsaLlon and pracLlce ln early chlldhood seLLlngs are seL ouL for each sLrand Some of Lhe
expecLaLlons for chlldren as Lhey move from early chlldhood seLLlngs Lo school are also descrlbed Lach
sLrand has assoclaLed goals whlch ln Lurn have speclflc learnlng ouLcomes 1hese learnlng ouLcomes are
ldenLlfled ln arL C Lxamples of experlences LhaL wlll help Lo meeL Lhe needs of and achleve Lhe
necessary learnlng ouLcomes for lnfanLs Loddlers and young chlldren are suggesLed ln Lhls parL 1hese
examples are lnLended Lo promoLe dlscusslon and asslsL servlces ln developlng programmes LhaL are
clearly relaLed Lo Lhe prlnclples sLrands and goals of Lhe currlculum Lxamples of reflecLlve quesLlons
deslgned speclflcally for each goal provlde a furLher basls for dlscusslon SupporLlng resources wlll
provlde furLher asslsLance ln plannlng evaluaLlon assessmenL and lmplemenLaLlon arL u
demonsLraLes Lhe llnks each sLrand has wlLh Lhe essenLlal skllls and essenLlal learnlng areas of 1he new
Zealand Currlculum lramework for schools 1erms used wlLh speclflc meanlngs ln Lhls documenL are
deflned ln Lhe glossary whlch ls also ln arL u

1PL Cu88lCuLuM WPA8lkl lC8 nLW ZLALAnu'S CPlLu8Ln
1he currlculum ls provlded by Lhe people places and Lhlngs ln Lhe chlld's envlronmenL Lhe adulLs Lhe
oLher chlldren Lhe physlcal envlronmenL and Lhe resources 1he currlculum lnLegraLes care and
educaLlon and lncludes boLh speclflcally planned experlences and acLlvlLles and lnLeracLlons LhaL arlse
sponLaneously 1he early chlldhood currlculum has been envlsaged as a whrlkl or maL woven from
Lhe prlnclples sLrands and goals deflned ln Lhls documenL 1he whrlkl concepL recognlses Lhe dlverslLy
of early chlldhood educaLlon ln new Zealand ulfferenL programmes phllosophles sLrucLures and
envlronmenLs wlll conLrlbuLe Lo Lhe dlsLlncLlve paLLerns of Lhe whrlkl ulsLlncLlve paLLerns wlll come
from
culLural perspecLlves such as ln khanga reo or varlous aclflc lslands early chlldhood cenLres
sLrucLural dlfferences such as ln sesslonal or fullday programmes
organlsaLlonal dlfferences such as ln klndergarLens or chlld care cenLres
dlfferenL envlronmenLs such as ln homebased or cenLrebased programmes
phllosophlcal emphases such as ln laycenLre MonLessorl or 8udolf SLelner programmes
dlfferenL resources whlch are avallable ln urban and rural seLLlngs
Lhe ways ln whlch Lhe local communlLy parLlclpaLes
Lhe age range of chlldren ln Lhe programme
ueclslons abouL Lhe ways ln whlch blculLural goals and pracLlces are developed wlLhln each early
chlldhood educaLlon seLLlng should be made ln consulLaLlon wlLh Lhe approprlaLe LangaLa whenua

lncludlng Chlldren wlLh Speclal needs
Care and educaLlon for chlldren who have speclal needs ls provlded wlLhln Lhe dlverse range of early
chlldhood servlces 1he currlculum assumes LhaL Lhelr care and educaLlon wlll be encompassed wlLhln
Lhe prlnclples sLrands and goals seL ouL for all chlldren ln early chlldhood seLLlngs AcLlvlLles wlll be age
approprlaLe and developmenLally approprlaLe and wlll enable chlldren wlLh speclal needs Lo be acLlvely
engaged ln learnlng An lndlvldual uevelopmenL lan or lndlvldual LducaLlon lan (lu or lL) wlll be
developed for any chlldren who requlre resources alLernaLlve or addlLlonal Lo Lhose usually provlded
wlLhln an early chlldhood educaLlon seLLlng Cb[ecLlves for an lu or lL wlll be reallsLlc useful and of
value Lo Lhe chlld and famlly 1he programme wlll provlde acLlvlLles Lo meeL Lhe speclfled ob[ecLlves
and Lhe equlpmenL necessary Lo promoLe lndependence 1e Whrlkl ls deslgned Lo be lncluslve and
approprlaLe for all chlldren and anLlclpaLes LhaL speclal needs wlll be meL as chlldren learn LogeLher ln all
klnds of early chlldhood educaLlon seLLlngs 1he programmes of each cenLre wlll lncorporaLe sLraLegles
Lo fully lnclude chlldren wlLh speclal needs

ulsLlncLlve ConLexLs
1here are many dlsLlncLlve conLexLs represenLlng parLlcular klnds of early chlldhood care and educaLlon
each wlLh a speclflc ldenLlLy and focus All Lhe prlnclples sLrands and goals seL ouL ln Lhls currlculum
are deslgned Lo apply ln each conLexL 1wo dlsLlncLlve conLexLs speclflcally ldenLlfled ln Lhls documenL
are
Morl lmmerslon programmes
1agaLa aseflka programmes



Morl lmmerslon currlculum
1he ldea of a Morl lmmerslon currlculum has emerged grown and been nurLured Lhrough khanga reo
and ls now developlng for schoolage Morl chlldren ln kura kaupapa Morl (Morl language lmmerslon)
schools and ln blllngual unlLs and classes 1hls documenL recognlses Lhe dlsLlncLlve role of an ldenLlflable
Morl currlculum LhaL proLecLs Morl language and Llkanga Morl pedagogy and Lhe LransmlLLlng of
Morl knowledge skllls and aLLlLudes Lhrough uslng Morl language 1agaLa aseflka aclflc lslands
early chlldhood cenLres Some groups of mlgranLs from Lhe aclflc lslands have esLabllshed early
chlldhood cenLres Lo keep Lhelr dlfferenL culLures and languages flourlshlng ln Lhelr communlLles ln new
Zealand 8ecause of Lhe dlverslLy of aclflc lslands culLures Lhere ls no slngle aclflc lslands currlculum
buL Lhere are hlsLorlc llnks ln language and culLure and Lhere ls a common geographlc herlLage
Lxamples suggesLed ln Lhls currlculum whlle focuslng on aclflc lslands early chlldhood cenLres also
demonsLraLe posslble models for oLher eLhnlc groups who wlsh Lo supporL Lhelr culLural herlLage wlLhln
Lhe early chlldhood currlculum

















Te Whariki
Te Whariki is the bicultural national curriculum statement for the early
childhood sector produced by the Ministry of Education. Playcentre follows
this curriculum and each Playcentre is reviewed by the Education Review
Office. t is founded on the aspirations that children: "grow up as competent
and confident learners and communicators, healthy in mind, body, and spirit,
secure in their sense of belonging and in the knowledge that they make a
valued contribution to society."
There are four broad principles:
Empowerment
Holistic Development
Family and Community
Relationships
These principles are interwoven with five strands:
Well-being - Mana Atua
Belonging - Mana Whenua
Contribution - Mana Tangata
Communication - Mana Reo
Exploration - Mana Aoturoa
Each strand has goals associated with it:
$9rand One - Well-Being
Children experience an environment where: their health is promoted, their
emotional well being is nutured; they are kept safe from harm.
$9rand Two - Belonging
Children and their families experience an environment where: connecting links
with the family and wider world are affirmed and extended; they know they
have a place; they feel comfortable with the routines, customs and regular
events; they know the limits and boundaries of acceptable behaviour.
$9rand Three - Con9ribu9ion
Children expereince an environment where: there are equitable opportunities
for learning, irrespective of gender, ability, age, ethnicity, or background; they
are affirmed as individuals; they are encouraged to learn with and alongside
others.
$9rand Four - Communica9ion
Children experience an environment where: they develop non-verbal
communication skills for a range of purposes; they develop verbal
communication skills for a range of purposes; they experience the stories and
symbols of their own and other cultures; they discover and develop different
ways to be creative and expressive.
$9rand Five - Explora9ion
Children experience an environment where: their play is valued as meaningful
learning and the importance of spontaneous play is recognised; they gain
confidence in and control of their bodies; they learn strategies for active
exploration, thinking, and reasoning; they develop working theories for making
sense of the natural, social physical and material worlds.

Weaving Te Whriki: Aotearoa New
ZeaIand's EarIy ChiIdhood CurricuIum
Document in Theory and Practice
When the Ministry of Education released the draft version of Te Whriki, Aotearoa New Zealand's early childhood
curriculum document, in 1993, the early childhood community greeted it with enthusiasm. This was a remarkable
achievement on the part of the writers of the document, given that the idea of a single national 'curriculum' for New
Zealand's diverse early childhood services was practically unheard of until the late 1980s.
Weaving Te Whriki draws together current perspectives on Te Whriki, ten years after it was first disseminated. The
book's chapters tell the story of its early development and some of the ways it has been used, as well as raising
important questions about its ongoing potential in a culturally and pedagogically diverse early childhood sector. The
book includes writing by some of the original writers of Te Whriki, as well as perspectives from beyond New
Zealand, reflecting the impact Te Whriki has had on ongoing debates about early childhood curriculum
internationally.
Early childhood teachers and teachers in training, teacher educators, and other academics will all find Weaving Te
Whriki a timely and scholarly source of ideas about Te Whariki and about early childhood curriculum in general.
Joce Nuttall is a senior lecturer in the School of Professional Development at the Christchurch College of Education.
Her research mainly focuses on in-service teacher professional development in early childhood education, particularly
teacher cognition and teachers' understandings of early childhood curriculum.