A primary task for refugee families and children who are resettling in a new country is to develop a sense of belonging in that place, time and context. This article theorises the "powhiri," the traditional Maori ceremony of welcome or ritual of encounter, as a metaphor for refugee families and children coming to belong in Aotearoa New…

Wellbeing is fundamental to an individual's ability to function and live well. Maori have some of the worst wellbeing statistics in New Zealand (Chalmers & Williams, 2018). From a te ao Maori perspective mana (power, authority) and kaitiakitanga (guardianship) encapsulate the critical relationships inherent in Maori understandings of…

Tuakana/teina is an important feature of a traditional Polynesian kinship model. Historically it referred to a pairing of older and younger male siblings and cousins, and older and younger female siblings and cousins. In contemporary early childhood education (ECE) contexts, tuakana/teina describes the practice of older, more expert children…

Before the arrival of Europeans in Aotearoa, New Zealand and their subsequent settlement in the 1800s, there was no concept of a Maori identity. Over time, however, as a result of rapid colonisation, Maori became a minority population in New Zealand. Consequently, the term Maori as normal or usual, began to lose its meaning (Webber, 2008), and…