As such, it stresses the importance of viewing the child from multiple perspectives and of assessing one's practical knowledge and understandings against a range of critical frameworks,
The New Zealand early childhood curriculum document Te Whariki (MoE 1996) offers additional insights into these issues. It was borne out of a bicultural imperative to ensure that both Maori and Western' philosophies informed early childhood practice and thus highlights the political nature teaching through the priorities that we place on the values that inform our programmes and the day to day decisions that we make (Ritchie 1996: 28). The Te Whariki vision outlines the key experiences of early childhood programmes as ones which are humanly,nationally culturally, developmentally, individually and educationally appropriate (Ritchie 1996: 30). It is through these broader experiences, it is argued, that children will begin to feel that they are valued contributors to the early childhood community:
The curriculum is founded on the following aspirations for children: to grow up as competent and confident learners and communicators, healthy in mind, b and spirit, secure in their sense of belonging and in the knowledge that they make a valued contribution to society (MoE 1996: 9)