This special edition of Early Years draws on research from Aotearoa New Zealand and comprises six papers that shed light on both the policy context and the curriculum in action. This focus on New Zealand is timely as New Zealand has attracted world-wide attention in recent years for its curricular innovations at both the early childhood (Te Whariki, Ministry of Education 1996) and school level (New Zealand Curriculum, Ministry of Education 2007). There has also been a strong focus on early years research, funded through the current Teaching and Learning Research Initiative (TLRI) and the Centres of Innovation programme (which ran from 2003– 2009). A vibrant early childhood sector is providing new insights into learning and teaching, whilst also navigating a time of political change with challenges around funding. This introductory paper provides a brief overview of early years education in New Zealand, picking up on and extending some of background information provided by the contributors to this special edition.