How did Eruera Pare Hongi--who had an impact on New Zealand's pre-Treaty constitutional and literacy history--come to get his name? Eruera Pare is a transliteration of Edward Parry, a famous Arctic explorer, also known as Admiral Sir William Edward Parry. Why would a young Ngai Tawake man from Waimate, in the north of New Zealand, take the name of…

This paper reports the findings of a research project that sought to understand how a group of 19 graduating physical education teacher education (PETE) students' biographies served to mediate their understanding of the messages of their PETE programme, which was underpinned by a critical pedagogy philosophy. We use the Bourdieuian concepts of…

The focus of this article is the first cohort of academic women who carved out an intellectual space for themselves in the Department of Home Science at the University of New Zealand. I begin with an overview of emerging appointment patterns of academic women against a backdrop of contemporary concerns about the higher education of women. I then…

Aligned with the development of human capital, in-service teacher education is globally conceived as a key lever in economic development. However, teacher education is also a critically important process to leverage teacher political awareness and social justice. This article provides a socio-materialist account of continuous professional…

At the end of the nineteenth century, music was an accomplishment that many women were encouraged to pursue. For some, this was merely an additional "ornament" to enhance marriage prospects, but a growing number took the opportunity to turn musical ability into a career option. A small group of musically educated women in New Zealand at…

In Aotearoa New Zealand the importance of life story books is outlined in the policy of our statutory care and protection agency Child, Youth and Family. Many children in care do not have access to such a resource, however, suggesting that social workers view this as an optional extra or "nice to have" rather than integral to good…

Miss Isabel Little was a Scottish infant teacher who immigrated to New Zealand in 1912. She was described as a "Froebel trained Scot from Edinburgh" and known around Wellington education circles for her "modern methods". In contrast to known Froebelian pioneers, Miss Little's historical footprint is light but the few glimpses…