ABSTRACT
The role of spirituality in early childhood education has been acknowledged in both Australia and New Zealand. In New Zealand the spiritual has been embedded in the early childhood curriculum, Te Whariki, since 1996 (Ministry of Education, 1996). In Australia spirituality has been included in The Early Years Learning Framework for Australia (EYLF) produced by the Australian Government Department of Education, Employment and Workplace Relations (DEEWR, 2009). This chapter is primarily written from a New Zealand perspective and highlights the importance of spirituality in that context. Research is presented from New Zealand and Australia and the historical and cultural connections between these countries are acknowledged. Also noted, are the reciprocal agreements and respect, despite disparities in size, population and wealth, that bind the two countries together as allies in the Pacific region. Narratives and discourses that construct understandings of spirituality in both places are described. These connections are emphasised in terms of early childhood education and spirituality, and a wider, more political view of children and childhood in these places is presented.
