Research
Rangahau

Recent Publications
Piki te ora Strength and wellbeing
Editors: Arapera Herewini-Card, Jade Whaanga & Maru Te Hira
This pukapuka brings together whakatauākī written by our own pouako and these whakatauākī encourage us to see the world through a lens of compassion, respect and unity, whether we seek guidance, comfort, or a deeper understanding of Te ao Māori.
Whakatauākī serve as reminders of our connections to the land, communities and cultures. They encapsulate values like respect, unity and resilience. They’re more than just words – they’re living pieces of Māori culture that inspire and guide, encouraging us to navigate life with insight and grace.
Effective Leadership in early childhood services and primary school education in Aotearoa
Editors: Dr Rosina Merry & Dr Tracey Carlyon
Effective Leadership in Early Childhood Services and Primary School Education in Aotearoa New Zealand offers a collection of chapters examining effective leadership within specific contexts or sectors. While primarily aimed at early childhood educators and primary school leaders, this pukapuka is also valuable for secondary educators, initial teacher education providers, vocational training providers, and policymakers. The pukapuka is divided into three parts: leadership in different cultures and contexts, leadership in early childhood, and leadership in primary education. Each chapter, whether based on practical experience or empirical research, contributes to a comprehensive understanding of effective leadership. This pukapuka aims to support educators and leaders in Aotearoa New Zealand, offering theoretical and practical insights to inspire reflection, discussion, and action in educational leadership.
Does it take a superhuman to be a primary school principal in Aotearoa New Zealand?
Clark McPhillips & Dr Tracey Carlyon
Over twenty years ago it was suggested that in order to cope with the demands of the role, school principals needed to be almost “superhuman”. Unfortunately, this suggestion remains relevant today. While the expectations and workload of primary school principals has been given constant attention in Aotearoa New Zealand and Australia, it seems there has been little change. Our system of self-managing schools requires primary school principals to work dual roles – CEOs of their boards of trustees and leaders of learning in their schools. In order to lead their school in the twenty-first century the Educational Leadership Model (ELM) states that school leaders require knowledge and skills with respect to: systems, partnership and pedagogy. Yet, in reality these expectations continue to put primary school principals under pressure that requires them to work long hours in order to manage the workload, its complexities, and tensions between dual roles.
Pūrākau a māmā: Teenage Maōri mothers’ experiences of holistic support
Lisa Heke
The pūrākau presented in this article come from a narrative inquiry underpinned and guided by kaupapa Māori theory and research principles (G. Smith, 1997; L. T. Smith, 2015). This rangahau explored four teenage Māori mothers’ experiences of support in health, social, financial, education and whānau domains. The pūrākau presented here are the research participants’ experiences. The wider research project sought to ascertain which support systems were effective for strengthening holistic wellbeing and success for this group. This was achieved by overlaying Te whare tapa whā (Durie, 1984) pou upon the pūrākau. Each of the supports were explored in terms of their impact on the taha tinana (physical), hinengaro (mental and emotional), wairua (spiritual), and whānau (family and social relationships) health and wellbeing of wāhine. Research participants were sourced from one Teen Parent Unit (TPU), are Māori, and became mothers as teenagers. The research found health, social and financial support systems lacking. The young wāhine had mixed or variable experiences of support in each of these three domains. In contrast, education and whānau experiences of support were overwhelmingly positive. These two domains were found to be effective in supporting holistic wellbeing and success for each of the wāhine Māori who took part in the research. Further to this, research findings are made visible through each of the pūrākau shared below.
Whats in a name? A comparative literature review of disability within early childhood education
Debbie Rickard
Handicapped, special, or diverse? Segregated, mainstreamed, or included? The field of disability and difference within education, is vast and wide-ranging. This review of the literature highlights how, although we have come far in the last 40 years, there is still much to learn about effective inclusion of disabled children in early childhood settings. The article compares literature between two distinct decades – the 1980s and the 2010s – identifying the shifts within the field around language, social development of, and attitudes toward, disabled children in early childhood settings. Although international literature is used, the discussion focuses on the Aotearoa New Zealand context. The importance of teachers is acknowledged as a predictor of a positive and inclusive learning environment where disabled children can thrive and succeed.
Māori leadership and early childhood educational leadership in Aotearoa: A critical literature review
Sandra Tuhakaraina, Emma Haruru, Lesley Robinson, Tracy Dayman & Alison Warren
Five early childhood teacher educators in Aotearoa New Zealand explored a range of literature to respond to the question: What does literature tell us about Māori leadership and how are our findings relevant to leadership in early childhood education (ECE) in Aotearoa? The process of finding and reviewing literature sources about Māori leadership led us to think critically about how Māori values, concepts, and customs have been diminished or sustained in fields such as education and business. ECE in Aotearoa is shaped by the bicultural curriculum Te Whāriki and underpinned by obligations to Te Tiriti o Waitangi. Although education and leadership structures and processes in Aotearoa are overwhelmingly produced within Westernised perspectives, ECE curriculum and practice foregrounds Māori ways of knowing, being, and doing. Through the literature review process, we shared insights and critical discussions that enriched our perceptions of leadership by and for Māori, and of relevance to ECE leadership through shared values. The literature reviewed provided examples from education and business settings where Māori leadership grounded in values of whanaungatanga/reciprocal relationality originating in Māori traditional beliefs and societal structures has been sustained, remembered, and reclaimed through processes of navigating and negotiating present-day colonised contexts. Literature also provided examples of official programmes and policies that seek to acknowledge and enhance Māori leadership in education.