At our Kindergarten we have a busy session with 50 tamariki enrolled on each day, and a diverse set of

learners with differing needs. Within that group we have a child (A) who is four years old and has diverse
learning needs. As a team we decided to have set times for morning tea and lunch time, as well as two
mat times. At these times I began noticing that A would often become distressed and try to move away
into quieter spaces. I recognized that these times were triggers for A, and I decided to raise this in a
team meeting to advocate for A. From there we developed an IEP for A, and I suggested that we arrange
the environment to have quiet retreat spaces that were accessible by A throughout the day. What was
important to me was that the routines and systems that worked for all children made space that
included A, and her needs. As a Kaiako I advocated for A and ensured her mana was upheld when she
did not want to join in group times and could not communicate these needs; I believe that every child’s
whakamana must be upheld within our early childhood environments and is a crucial element of our
teaching practices being informed by te whāriki. In addition, this advocacy embodied Te Tiriti o
Waitangi, as it fostered her participation in the curriculum and protected her rights to an inclusive and
support learning environment. We then decided that to be responsive to A’s needs we should be
empowering her to sit on a table next to the other Tamariki to eat her kai, so that she could still
participate in a manner that would not overwhelm her. After recognizing that A might need some
support and scaffolding to enhance her participation in kindergarten routines, I advocated for visual cue
cards to respond to how we know A naturally processes information. These visual cue cards gave A, as
well as other ākonga preemptive warning and prompts before transitioning into a routine time.
Importantly, these visual cue cards embodied Te Tiriti o Waitangi, as they fostered partnership.
Specifically, they were developed in collaboration with my teaching colleagues, support workers and A’s
whānau in IEP meetings to help A participate in areas such as toileting, mat times and kai time.

Building on Te Tiriti o Waitangi, partnership was also present with A’s whanau throughout the process of
developing cue cards and the IEP. I collaborated with A’s whanau, by checking in and ensuring our
responsive practices felt comfortable with them. I also ascertained their aspirations, and discovered
independence around routines was a strong one. I took great pride supporting in A with her whanau’s
aspirations, and I was particularly happy when they asked for a copy of the visual cue cards to take
home and support her with transitions at home. By engaging in partnership with A’s whānau, we helped
facilitate consistency throughout the home and kindergarten as stated in te whāriki: children feel
comfortable with the routines, customs and regular events, and relationships are fostered between
home and educational environments. This was especially important because A is Māori, and I recognize
that our Māori whanau have differing cultural aspirations. I believe that as Kaiako, we have a
responsibility to adapt our ways of being to meet Māori learners’ needs and aspirations. Moreover,
since implementing these changes we have seen significant progress for A, and what stands out to me is
that her well-being has been enhanced. She has been much happier throughout her days at
kindergarten. As I continued to scaffold A on her learning journey, I recognized that she was still
adapting to the toileting routine and decided to draw on her interest in Paw patrol to engage her. I
created Paw patrol cue cards in the toilet area to reinforce the established visual support with routines
that were fostering A’s participation, and she has begun to enjoy engaging in toilet time. Some Kaiako
struggled with this pedological practice and wanted A to follow routines in the same way as other
children. However, I advocated for A and ensured that she was given options to empower her autonomy
and agency over her learning, and participation in the curriculum. I believe that by extending my
learning pathways and participating in this early intervention course I will be able to use my newly
obtained knowledge to engage in ako alongside my fellow Kaiako, and local iwi hapu, and whanau Māori
through sharing my knowledge (i.e., workshops, general kōrero, and other medium).