This special issue of the Waikato Journal of Education arose from a symposium held at The University of Waikato in June, 2009. The symposium, Initial Teacher Education and the New Zealand Curriculum–Te Marautanga o Aotearoa Symposium, was attended by delegates from all major initial teacher education (ITE) providers in New Zealand. ITE refers to pre-service teacher education, that is, programmes that prepare student teachers to become beginning teachers. Curriculum includes the school and the ITE curriculum.