Abstract
As part of honouring Te Tiriti o Waitangi, teachers in Aotearoa New Zealand are expected to embed te reo Māori in their teaching practice, and Te Whāriki, our national curriculum for Early Childhood Education (ECE) emphasises the importance of teachers weaving te reo Māori me ōna tikanga into their everyday curriculum. To support Te Tiriti-honouring practice, pre-service teachers are expected to develop Māori language and cultural competence skills throughout their programme of study. Research presented in this paper investigated a small group of pre-service and in-service teachers’ experiences of how te reo Māori me ōna tikanga is incorporated in ECE centres. The findings reveal that participants identified the need for more Māori speaking teachers, clearer leadership, and professional learning and development to support holistic integration of te reo Māori in ECE settings. The findings also emphasise the importance of taking a team approach avoiding tokenism and increasing teacher confidence.