Pōwhiri: A framing to strengthen bicultural belonging for refugee children and families in early childhood education

Abstract

A crucial task for refugee families and children who settle in Aotearoa New Zealand is to develop a sense of belonging in that place, time and environment. Belonging is a basic human need. It is a driving force for learning how to be and behave in a new setting and a springboard for participation (Guo & Dalli, 2016; Sumsion & Wong, 2011). As a concept, ‘belonging’ is acknowledged to be multifaceted, culturally-determined, and complex. This article focuses on phase two of the Refugee families in early childhood education: Constructing pathways to belonging research project, which involved trialling and evaluating, with early childhood services, the pōwhiri (Māori ceremony of welcome) framing, developed in phase one of the research. The framing offers concepts to enable understanding of the phases and processes for refugee and immigrant families to develop a sense of bicultural belonging in Aotearoa New Zealand. Pōwhiri is the traditional Māori ceremony of welcome or ritual of encounter, performed across Aotearoa New Zealand, by the host people to welcome visitors to their region. Pōwhiri is explained in this article as a physical process following standard phases, with each phase including metaphorical understandings.