ABSTRACT
This chapter discusses the challenges early childhood educators face when working with Te Whariki which is widely understood as being an inclusive and collaborative curriculum. The landscape of early childhood education in New Zealand stems from the Kindergarten movement which arrived in the new colony, via Europe, and the United States in the 1870s. By the 1970s early childhood and care had become a focus of campaigns associated with women’s rights, children’s rights and Maori rights. Te Whariki or “woven mat” is used as a metaphor for the Early Childhood Centre curriculum, in which several curriculum principles are interwoven with the several curriculum strands. The open framework of Te Whariki discussed later was not only obvious in practice but appeared overwhelming accepted by leaders and practitioners. The chapter explores the differing perspective of Te Whariki as a curriculum that has historical, social, cultural and educational guiding principles and shows its aspirations for children to develop as competent learners and communicators.
