Aotearoa New Zealand was originally devoid of human life.
The first two phases of migration were large scale and focused, many people of
very similar cultures making the transition. The Māori were largely
independent, while the British were united under the crown.
The partnership between the first two cultures who settled
here have defined a cultural identify for Aotearoa New Zealand which does
little to consider the cultures of other migrants.
Xenomorphic practice can be traced to both the divisions of
the Iwi themselves, and the British fascination with a deficit cultural
outlook. It was perpetuated by successive governments from the 1870s to the
late 1970s. It was perpetuated long enough to become part of the “Kiwi Culture”
itself.
Since the arrival of neo-liberalism in the 1980s, the
borders have relaxed and a wide range of cultures have chosen to move to
Aotearoa New Zealand.
Current political context
Immigration policy maintained by the current government is
almost identically reflected in 2 of the three major opposition parties. This
suggests that limiting immigration by quota and usefulness to the economy will
be a feature of New Zealand immigration policy for some time into the future.
Potential immigrants still require an expected level of
English competency to enter the country. This appears to be the only policy
which could be construed as culturally selective. The majority of the criteria
focus on; sought after skill sets and financially successful immigrants.
What does it all mean for early childhood professionals in Aotearoa New
Zealand?
Early childhood in Aotearoa New Zealand is guided by a
bi-cultural document which, although focuses on Maori and British interests,
acknowledges the presence of the diverse cultures within the community.
Educators are encouraged to embrace and affirm the cultures
of all within their community. This can be achieved by first understanding
their own historical background and secondly, developing their own
understanding of the cultures present within their community.
Hi Perry, Thank you for your blog. I found it to be stimulating reading.
ReplyDeleteI agree with your point about how educators should be embracing young children and their families from all cultures and backgrounds.
Immigration is of particular interest to me as my Mother was born overseas (albeit not too far from NZ) and when my great grandfather refused to become a priest at age 14, he ran away on a whaling ship from France. My great grandfather Ambrose Karst was dropped on at Akaora with a friend because of scurvy and the boat was never heard of again. There are some interesting artifacts about hime in the Akaora museum.
Children who come from various cultures and backgrounds offer rich'funds of knowledge' to the early childhood centre in which they attend and the teachers can learn and encourage them.