Conference presentation
Protecting and uplifting mana of early childhood teachers in a rapidly changing world
Birmingham City University International Week 2025 (Birmingham, UK, 01/04/2025–03/04/2025)
01/04/2025
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Abstract
Over the last three decades, New Zealand has experienced widespread systemic reforms and a proliferation of initial teacher education providers and programme options, transforming early childhood initial teacher education (ECE ITE) into a highly competitive space (Gunn et al., 2016). As of 2024, 22 providers offer 33 ECE ITE programmes, including Bachelor, Graduate Diploma, Postgraduate Diploma and/or Master of Teaching in ECE (Teachers Council, 2024). Despite this array of offerings, enrolments in university-based ECE programmes remain significantly lower than those in private training institutions. For example, in 2021, only 905 enrolments were in university-based programmes, compared to 2,570 private institutions (Ministry of Education, 2022). Intensified privatisation and marketisation in ECE have further exacerbated disparities in working conditions, pay, and professional recognition compared to primary and secondary educators (May 2019), diminishing the ECE profession’s appeal to prospective teachers. Ironically, these issues unfold amidst a chronic teacher shortage across the sector (New Zealand Government, 2018; Nordqvist, 2024).
This presentation draws on a qualitative study involving ECE student-teachers, teacher educators, and mentor teachers within a university-based ECE ITE programme in New Zealand. The study examines the critical role of ECE ITE in protecting and uplifting the mana1 of the ECE sector and elevating the profession’s status. Simultaneously, it addresses the concerns that discourses of advocacy, activism, democracy, and social justice—vital for such transformation—are often constrained within ECE programmes and institutions (Biesta, 2015; Kamenarac, 2019). Specifically, the presentation explores the potential for redesigning university-based ECE ITE to empower student-teachers as advocate-activists for socially just, sustainable, and equitable education and planetary futures (Gould & Kamenarac, 2024; Kamenarac, 2019). It invites critical reflection on rethinking ECE ITE in New Zealand and globally, proposing research-based and practical strategies for ECE teachers to become advocate-activists for equity, sustainability, and justice—ensuring mana1 of children, families, communities, and the ECE profession is protected and thrives in a rapidly changing world.
1The word mana is used throughout Polynesia to signify a core cultural force. Specifically, in Te Reo [the language of Māori - the Indigenous people of New Zealand) can be described as “the creative and dynamic force that motivates an individual to do better than others” (Mead, 2003, pp. 45–52). In English, the word is often rendered as power, authority, prestige and effectiveness (Boyce, 2011).
See attached file for reference list.
Details
- Title
- Protecting and uplifting mana of early childhood teachers in a rapidly changing world
- Creators
- Olivera Kamenarac (Author) - Southern Cross University
- Conference
- Birmingham City University International Week 2025 (Birmingham, UK, 01/04/2025–03/04/2025)
- Identifiers
- 991013272911002368
- Academic Unit
- Faculty of Education
- Language
- English
- Resource Type
- Conference presentation