Teaching is a highly complex and political endeavour, and as teachers, we need to be courageous as we support children to make sense of the increasingly complex and diverse societies that we live in. My doctoral research highlighted a number of issues related to teachers and curriculum. Te Whariki, the Aotearoa New Zealand early childhood…

This article offers a historical analysis of the past sixty years of adult learning in Aotearoa New Zealand and critically appraises events which have shaped today's context. Drawing on a substantial body of research by key adult educators, researchers and scholars, the review assesses historical, socio-cultural, and political factors that…

Drawing on data from a phenomenological research study of Ako Matatupu/TeachFirst New Zealand (TFNZ), an affiliate of Teach for All, this article considers how differently positioned actors within New Zealand theorize the appeal of TFNZ as opposed to university-based pathways. Findings suggest that a multiplicity of factors influence the…

In this article I discuss how discourses of democratic early childhood education and care (ECEC) as a child's right, and enterprise discourses of ECEC as a commodity, have constructed teachers' work and professional identities in Aotearoa New Zealand over the past two decades. I illustrate two prevailing identity constructions of teachers emerging…

The intersection of multiculturalism and educational leadership, under a Social Justice (SJ) framework to understand diversity and equity issues, has received major attention in the academic world internationally. However, few is known about commonalities and differences between societies within this intersection. To address this gap, we reviewed…

This paper provides insights into political battles associated with the attempted introduction of a postcolonial bicultural dimension to the 'Health Physical Education in the New Zealand Curriculum' (NZHPE). Limited attention has been given to the gestation period of four years between the submission, release of the draft and the final publication…

The climate strikes of 2019, an extraordinary worldwide phenomenon, swiftly and succinctly showed the world the collective concern of youth. What insights might curriculum planning for climate-change education and classroom pedagogy gain from these climate strikes? Preliminary findings from this study identified four significant considerations in…

The social service sector in New Zealand is undergoing significant change with the Minister responsible for introducing a new Ministry for Vulnerable Children (now Ministry for Children) signalling a commitment to practice being child-centred and trauma-informed in the new era. There is no shared understanding of these terms or what they will mean…

Background: A focus on equity, democracy and social justice in HPE is pertinent in an era where there are growing concerns about the impact of neoliberal globalisation and precariousness of society (Kirk 2020). Although there is advocacy for teaching approaches in HPE that address issues of social justice, there is limited empirical research of…

Social justice has been steadily gaining traction in physical education (PE) and physical education teacher education (PETE) for more than 40 years. During that time, scholars have argued for the importance of explicating the hidden curriculum, educating pre-service teachers (PSTs) about equality, sociocultural perspectives and issues, and most…

The purpose of this review is to expand understanding of the ways culturally, ethnically, and racially diverse youth have begun to reimagine urban and rural spaces using digital storytelling and photovoice, two methods that often fall under the broad field of youth participatory action research. To explain the conditions under which these methods…

In this discussion of global citizenship education (GCED) in Aotearoa, I will be drawing upon my experiences teaching in international education, teaching the "New Zealand Curriculum," and my research in the field of citizenship-and social-justice education in Aotearoa New Zealand. I advocate approaching GCED as part of a broader…

Professionalism in early childhood teaching is shaped within contexts, relationships, and multiple discourses of professionalism, as well as historical and enduring maternalism. This article uses posthumanist ideas from Deleuze and Guattari to reframe professionalism as produced in relationships among human and other-than-human aspects of early…

In this article, we discuss the importance of developing the skills of ecological citizenship for teachers and students. In particular we consider how we can support teaching practice to develop the skills of social agency and ecoliteracy. We argue that these skills are essential for building teacher and student capabilities to co-create…

The goal of the Poutama Pounamu blended learning course is to promote contexts for change where equity, excellence, and belonging for Maori and all learners can be realised. In this article I share some key learnings from my own journey through this course. I reflect on my path towards honouring the Treaty of Waitangi, including the challenges I…