Kaupapa Maori Early Years Provision and Whanau Wellbeing: A Retrospective Survey at a Taranaki-Based Centre

Kaupapa Maori early years provision (KM-EYP) is recognised as a cornerstone of community efforts to revitalise Maori language and culture. Surprisingly, little is known about how KM-EYP influences the lives of whanau who have engaged. Parents/grandparents (N=91) of tamariki who had attended a Taranaki-based centre (between 1994 and 2017) completed a survey designed to measure 20 aspects of whanau lives, which collectively align with an ao Maori view of wellbeing. Most participants agreed that their children's learning, Maori identity and cultural capacity had been strengthened, as had their own capabilities. Comparisons between the year after exiting the Centre and the time of the survey (2019/2020) demonstrated sustained or increasing benefits, with the exception of relationships with other Centre whanau and the reo Maori capacity of tamariki. Our findings contribute to what is known about how whanau can benefit from engagement in KM-EYP.