supporting tiriti-based curriculum delivery in mainstream early ...

contributions to decision making” (Ministry of Education, 1996, p. 39). It also
requires that Māori knowledge of spirituality, human development, stories, events,
activities, places and artefacts should be included in the curriculum. In order to
understand these principles and strands, each of the Māori concepts are described
below.
1.3.2 Description of Te Whāriki
Te Whāriki comprises four parts. Part A covers the purpose and structure
of the document for early childhood care and education, including links to home,
families and cultural diversity. Part B is written in te reo Māori and is designed to
provide guidelines for Te Kōhanga Reo and other Māori immersion programmes
and is not, therefore a translation of the mainstream early childhood curriculum
which is written in English and comprises Part C of the document. Part C outlines
the principles, strands and goals for the early childhood curriculum. Part D shows
connections between early childhood and primary curriculum (Ministry of
Education, 1996).
The principles and strands of Te Whāriki originated from Māori concepts
of childhood. These can be “woven” in different ways to reflect unique
programmes devised by teams of early childhood educators which reflect their
specific curriculum and philosophy. Although developed in partnership with
Māori, it must be clearly understood that Māori are not (and never have been)
homogeneous and neither are their child-rearing practices consistent across and
within iwi. Nevertheless, there are some common threads from traditional society
that are still relevant for many Māori today and these were used to inform Te
Whāriki.
Important concepts of Māori growth and development were selected to
become the principles and strands of the early childhood curriculum (May, 2003).
Because they are integral to understanding this thesis a summary of relevant Māori
concepts are presented below. These concepts, however, have not been critiqued
because they are „givens‟ which arise from Māori world views. They have already
been incorporated into Te Whāriki. These concepts are whakamana empowerment,
kotahitanga holistic development, whānau tangata family and community, ngā
hononga relationships, mana atua well-being, mana whenua belonging, mana
tangata contribution, mana reo communication, and mana aotūroa exploration
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