Early Years, Child Development, and Childhood Studies Hub

This hub aims to be a space of belonging, learning, and growth, an inclusive, intellectual home for its members. Underpinned by the concepts of whakawhanaungatanga and manaakitanga, the hub will provide a forum for stimulating conversations and networking opportunities relevant to the early years, child development, and childhood studies, leading to meaningful collaborations and projects for emerging and experienced hub members with each other and more widely.

Our diverse group comprises faculty members from the School of Learning, Development and Professional Practice. Our members teach across and direct the undergraduate and postgraduate programs in Early Childhood Education and Primary Teacher Education as Professional Teaching Fellows, Lecturers, Senior Lecturers, and Professors. Many members are also involved in the First Years Ngā Tau Tuatahi NZ Journal of Infant and Toddler Education and the Early Childhood Seminar Series.

• The Hub is led by Prof. Marek Tesar, who specialises in early childhood education in New Zealand and cross-country contexts. His academic work and consultancy focus on educational policy, philosophy, pedagogy, methodology, and curriculum, drawing on his qualified teacher background.
• Dr Maria Cooper teaches and researches early childhood education (ECE) on educational leadership from Western and Pacific perspectives, infant-toddler curriculum and pedagogy, teacher-family collaboration, and promoting success for Pacific children in ECE.
• Dr Kiri Gould's teaching and research interests focus on teachers' identities and understandings of professionalism, the policy and socio-political contexts in which teachers work, improving teacher work conditions and wellbeing, and early childhood leadership.
• Dr Justine O’Hara-Gregan’s teaching and research interests include hauora (holistic wellbeing), social and emotional competence, inclusion, social justice, respectful and compassionate pedagogy, and sustainability.
• Shareen Sapsworth has particular interests in educational leadership and online pedagogy and has expertise in educational leadership and management, human resource management, inquiry and review processes, and digital pedagogy in tertiary education.
• Dr Esther Fitzpatrick’s practice and research examine issues of identity and bicultural practice and decolonising strategies (methods and pedagogy). Esther uses various critical, innovative pedagogies, including writing as a method of inquiry, in her teaching and research.
• Dr Deborah Widdowson has experience conducting research and evaluation projects, working with children, young people and their families across education, developmental psychology, health and welfare.
• Kiri Jaquirey is a professional teaching fellow and is an experienced early childhood practitioner. Kiri works extensively in professional practice courses working closely with student teachers and sector stakeholders in Initial Teacher Education Programmes.
• Dr Angel Chan’s teaching and research aim to promote social justice and cohesion by supporting teachers to develop inclusive pedagogy to work with diverse families.