This article reports on the second stage of the three-year Marsden-funded research project “Languaculture within Te Ao Māori: Learning from Infants, Whānau and Communities”, undertaken with Māori hapū in Aotearoa New Zealand. It presents the voices of kaumātua and whānau from the hapū speaking on their worldviews, values, experiences and practices related to naming tamariki. Their narratives of experiences provide insights into motivations, influences and understandings concerned with naming practices from traditional pre-European to contemporary times.

Mana and kaitiakitanga capture the relationships essential to Māori perceptions of wellbeing. These relationships reflect the interconnectedness and interdependence of humans with the people, places and things in their worlds, and the responsibilities associated with these relationships. Mana is critical for mokopuna, as is the requirement to action it, through kaitiakitanga (Marsden, 2003; Paul-Burke & Rameka, 2015). Kaitiakitanga recognises the place of humans, including mokopuna, to assume guardianship roles and responsibilities.

This article presents the findings from a 2014 nationwide online survey conducted with Māori and Pacific teachers working in Māori and Pacific early childhood services and language nests. The paper emphasizes that key to educational success for Māori and Pasifika children is the acknowledgement that they are culturally located and the recognition that effective education must embrace culture.