This is a Ph.D. and Ed.D. Education Doctoral Thesis Directory.
The Education Doctoral Thesis Directory shows theses completed in NZ, or through a NZ tertiary education institution, that are relevant to young children’s care, health, and education.
An education masters thesis directory is also available if you would like to search for
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Anyone thinking about getting a job in ECE working in ECE or thinking about moving to a different service will find clear, practical information in this article about pay rates, employment conditions, and what to expect in different roles. It explains everything from starting salaries and pay‑step calculations to workplace rights, benefits, and how to recognise a supportive, professional environment.
Discover the key organisations and sector groups shaping early childhood education in New Zealand – who they are, what they do, and how they influence the services, policies, and people at the heart of the ECE sector.
Getting a job. How can my ECE qualification help me to get a job? With an early childhood teaching qualification you may find yourself attractive
Hon Chris Hipkins, Minister of Education. By email. 2 May 2022 Tēna rā koe, Minister Hipkins, E kore ngā pūtake e mākukungia e kore
Licence downgrades in early childhood education are set to become harder to apply.
The change is driven by a claim that the Ministry of Education relies too heavily on provisional and suspended licences to address non-compliance.
That claim formed the basis of the advice presented to, and accepted by, Cabinet, which was told that the current system penalises services too readily, even for minor breaches.
Recent serious child health and safety incidents in which the Ministry took no licensing action raise a legitimate question: has the regulatory response, at times, been too lenient rather than overly punitive.
To understand the basis for the Ministry for Regulation’s claim of over reliance on provisional licensing, we asked it to provide the evidence underpinning its conclusion. Here’s what the evidence showed…
Strong relationships are essential in ECE, especially when someone in a senior role begins to dominate, micromanage or undermine others. This piece helps leaders shift their focus to building healthy, respectful working relationships through clear boundaries, trust and effective communication.
Packing a lunch‑box can feel overwhelming when you’re trying to meet ECE food‑safety rules and still send food your child will happily eat. This guide gives you clear, practical tips that remove the guesswork and help you feel confident your child’s lunch is safe, nutritious, and fully ECE‑ready.
Te Whāriki states that infants in particular should experience “unhurried and calm caregiving practices for feeding, sleeping and nappy changing.”
So despite the barriers for some early childhood services such as large numbers of children and poor adult-child ratios, if you can implement a system of primary caregiving it is a very effectiv
FULL REFERENCE: Summers, T. & Kamp, A. (2023). Female social justice leaders in the early childhood profession: A narrative inquiry on the origins of leadership. NZ International Research in Early Childhood Education Journal, 25, pp. 29 – 43.
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ABSTRACT: Sonja Davies, Kai Tahu, 1923-2005, was dedicated to social justice in Aotearoa New Zealand (Aotearoa) across various arenas, including early childhood education. She received the Queen’s Service award in 1987 and was a member of Parliament from 1987 to 1993. This article, drawn from kaupapa Māori, narrative research, investigates Sonja’s life with a focus on her upbringing, family, and contributions to early childhood. Sonja’s story, compiled from autobiographies, interview and document sources, was analysed thematically to explore the origins of her leadership. The analysis revealed that the origins of Sonja’s leadership are found in role models, personal struggles, mana wahine and social norms. Her leadership had a cost and was influenced by gender and generational contexts. Sonja’s leadership skills, combined with the social, economic, and cultural context that existed for her generation, enabled her to address inequities and to achieve change in the social justice sphere. Sonja’s story is important due to its place in time and history and because female leaders are underrepresented in the leadership literature. Drawing on Sonja’s story and the literature this article argues that the origins of Sonja’s leadership offer insights for the development of current and future leaders in early childhood education and beyond.
KEY WORDS: Sonja Davies, early childhood leadership, social justice, politics of childcare.
INTRODUCTION
Lyman et al (2012) states that “there is no universal understanding of social justice leadership amongst scholars” (p.4). Despite this lack of common understanding, the importance of leadership is acknowledged in the early childhood education sector in Aotearoa. Scholars also recognise that historical narratives of early childhood leaders have the potential to make an important contribution to leadership and practice (May et al., 2021). Sonja Davies has influenced early childhood education from a historical perspective in Aotearoa, New Zealand. When Sonja learned about her Māori ancestry and discovered her whakapapa (see Glossary for Māori terms) later in life she learnt the importance of identity for supporting her leadership. Given Sonja’s identity as a Māori woman the research reported on in this article draws on Māori leadership literature and reflects a kaupapa Māori perspective. The focus on Te ao Māori in this article also reflects the context of Aotearoa as a bicultural nation and the researcher’s identity as a wahine Māori.
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