🍂 REANZ March Newsletter 2026

March 2026 Newsletter

Kia ora friends of Reggio Emilia Aotearoa New Zealand

With so much happening in the world right now, it isn’t always easy to remain positive and upbeat. One way we sustain ourselves is by reconnecting with the things that bring us joy — things that inspire us to make a positive difference.

Teachers do this every single day.

Each day offers an opportunity to light up a child’s life, to share a smile, to ease the load for a parent walking through the door. Teachers nurture hope, and keep possibility alive for others.

Who keeps the teachers’ lights shimmering? REANZ Trustees are committed to providing professional learning that replenishes, inspires, and reignites that flame.

One of our highlights in 2026 will be our Conference, held at Kristin School in Albany, Auckland — a gathering designed to uplift, challenge, and energise educators for the important work they do every day.

SAVE THE DATES!!!

The Mauri of Materials

Mauri Tū, Mauri Ora - Active guardianship to keep the life force thriving.

Raising our awareness of the life force of materials, through encounters that transform thinking

Friday 9th October, 5.00pm - 8.00pm

Saturday 10th October - 8.45am - 5.00pm

Sunday 11th October - 8.45am - 1.00pm

💻 Registrations open on 1 April 2026

This conference will explore the interface of children’s learning, teaching, and materials. Through dialogue and shared inquiry, participants will engage with the mauri of materials, and consider how relationships with materials are active, responsive and reciprocal.

Together we will engage with speakers from Aotearoa New Zealand, Reggio Emilia, and Australia. These encounters will be through dialogue, hands-on engagement with materials, and a shared view of participants as researchers of their everyday practice.

Cost:

Early Bird Rate before July 24th: $495.00 pp. (incl GST)

Rate after July 24th: $595.00 pp. (incl GST)

Melbourne Study Group – 1–6 September 2026

The Melbourne Study Group is a transformative professional learning experience. Teachers who have attended in the past say that the Melbourne tour shifted their perspective on what is truly possible in education.

Over six days, participants are challenged to rethink pedagogy, deepen their understanding of children’s capabilities, and reconsider their role as educators. The experience opens minds to new ways of thinking about learning, teaching, and the responsibility educators hold in shaping the landscape of possibilities for children.

More than professional development, it is an opportunity to reflect, question, and reimagine what education can be.

The draft costs of attending the study group range from $1785.00 (Share apartment and share a room) to $2260.00 (Share apartment - own room). Studio apartments are also available.

💻 Registration opens early in April and we are inviting expressions of interest now.

2026 Gets Underway

We began our year with the inspiring series “New Year – New Inspiration”, connecting with more than eighty teachers across Auckland and Palmerston North.

A highlight of the series was Adrienne Thomson from Magic Garden ELC, sharing precious insights during her presentation. One idea that deeply resonated was the invitation to shift our language — moving from terms like “loose parts,” “junk,” and “recycled materials” to speaking of resources as “intelligent materials”.

Such a simple change — yet so powerful.

When we change our language, we change our thinking. And when our thinking shifts, so too does our practice. Viewing materials as “intelligent” invites us to see their potential, their intentionality, and the rich possibilities they offer children.

We are deeply grateful to the early childhood centres and schools who generously opened their doors to visitors:

Little Doves ELC, Magic Garden ELC, Tots Corner, Peacocks - Rockfields, Hauraki Primary School, The Secret Garden (Feilding), Massey Child Care Centre

Your openness and generosity created meaningful opportunities for professional dialogue, reflection, and connection.

Imogen McBeth, co-owner of Tots Corner, shares her reflections on what it means to open your doors and invite teaching colleagues in to experience your work. She speaks to the vulnerability, the pride, and the rich dialogue that emerges when educators come together to learn from one another.

“Opening our doors and hosting a visit is both a privilege and a powerful professional experience. It invites us to make our passion and practice visible — to share not just our environments, but our thinking, values, and intentions behind the learning we document. Welcoming other teachers into our space creates opportunities for authentic dialogue, reflection, and mutual inspiration. It encourages us to look more deeply at what we do, articulate why we do it, and engage in meaningful conversations about children’s learning. Hosting a visit for us is not about showcasing perfection, but about fostering connection, professional growth, and a shared commitment to high-quality early childhood education. We are incredibly fortunate to have a passionate team who thrive on the richness that comes from sharing our practice and professional purpose with others. We equally value connecting with fellow teachers who question, challenge, and awaken our thinking. These moments of dialogue strengthen us as a team, deepen our reflection, and inspire us to continue evolving. It is through this exchange of ideas, perspectives, and shared passion that we grow — not only as teachers, but as a learning community, all with the goal to ensure the best learning outcomes for tamariki.

These moments of dialogue strengthen us as a team, deepen our reflection, and inspire us to continue evolving. It is through this exchange of ideas, perspectives, and shared passion that we grow — not only as teachers, but as a learning community, all with the goal to ensure the best learning outcomes for tamariki.”

Photo courtesy of Tots Corner

Online Learning Community.

Thursdays 7.00 - 8.00pm. 12 March, 26 March and 9 April

Join us for this free online series focused on the Reggio Children book, Mosaics of Marks, Words, Material, for reflective conversations with educators keen to deepen their thinking and practice.

Each session will be facilitated by REANZ Trustees Kerri Wrigley, Diti Hill and Dr Anne Meade, who will create a space for thoughtful dialogue, shared insight, and professional connection. A short reading will be shared several days prior to each meeting and will provide a provocation for reflection and discussion.

Introduction to the Reggio Emilia Approach.

Wednesdays 7.00 - 8.00pm. 25 March, 15 April, 6 May, 27 May.

This series explores the historical context of the Reggio Emilia Approach, its theoretical underpinnings, and the key principles that guide their practice.

Participants will engage with stories from kaiako in early childhood settings and classrooms who have been influenced by this approach, offering authentic insights into how theory is translated into everyday practice.

Cost:
$70 – Individual registration
$200 – Group registration (up to four kaiako from the same centre or school)

Honouring Carla Rinaldi

REANZ will commemorate the passing of Carla Rinaldi, who died on 16 April 2025.

Carla came to Aotearoa to speak at a conference in 1995. Her presentation was recorded, as was the response that Brenda Soutar made.

REANZ Networks will be hosting members to listen again to this address and to join in discussion and dialogue. The messages from this time are as powerful and meaningful as they were when they were first spoken.

Keep an eye out on our website for further details.

Click and Connect - Primary Teachers

Next meeting - Tuesday 19 May - 3.30-4.30pm

Join our Primary Click & Connect - online sessions once a term where primary teachers come together in genuine dialogue, share classroom stories, and provoke each other’s thinking as we explore the possibilities of Reggio Emilia approach in primary settings in Aotearoa.

These informal zoom gatherings are designed to support teachers in transforming practice to reimagine environments, materials and pedagogy to strengthen children’s agency, voice, and citizenship in the primary classroom. Whether you’re just beginning or already weaving Reggio-inspired pedagogy into your practice, you are warmly invited to join us as we learn, reflect, and grow together on our next Zoom in Term 2.

Click here for more information and the ZOOM Link to join in.

Embracing Leadership Contradictions 4-Part Series

Thursdays 7.00 - 8.15pm

14 May, 4 June, 25 June, 16 July

Be inspired to reshape your role out of the overwhelming paperwork and ‘to-do lists’ into pedagogical leadership where you are the creator of organisational culture.

You are in a position to be an influencer of change
to shape the environment into a space alive with collaboration, curiosity, and positive energy.

Through your choices, your language, and your presence, you create the conditions where relationships flourish, ideas are valued, and possibilities unfold.

“A change is brought about because ordinary people do extra-ordinary things.” - Barack Obama

Speakers:

14th May: Guest speaker. Leanne Mits - Leanne is the Head teacher at Pope Road Kindergarten, Melbourne and a Committee Member of REAIE. Many New Zealanders have been fortunate to visit Pope Road kindergarten as part of the Melbourne Study Group and always come away uplifted and curious to know more..

4th June: Guest speaker. Kelly Goodsir is a New Zealand teacher, now working as a Consultant in Australia. She has a Masters in Educational Leadership and she is committed to drive transformative change in education.

25th June: Guest speaker Dr Vicki Hargraves. Vicki is the “Early Childhood Expert” at The Education Hub, where she has been creating and delivering professional development for teachers through this role. She earned her PhD by using philosophy as a lens to explore creative approaches to understanding education, combining theoretical insight with innovative thinking about teaching and learning.

We warmly welcome Vicki back to New Zealand and look forward to seeing more of her in our REANZ work.

16th July: REANZ Speakers

Cost: $195pp (incl GST) for the 4 x part series

Click here to register for ‘Embracing Leadership Contradictions’

Infant Toddler series

Wednesdays 7.00 - 8.15pm

29 July, 12 August, 26 August

This series features teachers from Magic Garden ELC, Daisies Education and Care Centre and Peacocks - Rockfield ELC, sharing their stories, their investigations, and their wonderings as they work alongside our youngest children.

These educators illustrate the complex learning and meaning-making that infants and toddlers actively strive to construct. Their work highlights the depth of thinking present in the early years and the rich possibilities that emerge when we truly listen and observe.

You will see how multiple materials — and the opportunities they offer — invite exploration, experimentation, and deep pondering, supporting even our youngest learners to engage in powerful and meaningful inquiry.

All three sessions will involve sharing, question time and dialogue.

Cost: $195.00 pp (incl GST)

Click here to register for ‘Infants and Toddlers series’

There will be more events advertised later in the year, so keep an eye out for further REANZ Newsletters

Reggio Emilia Australia International Exchange (REAIE) also offers great professional development. You can see what’s on offer by going to this link https://reggioaustralia.org.au/reaie-pl-calendar-2026/

This symposium, ‘Educating for Peace and the Rights of Every Child’, is so timely at this time.

Book Reviews

Review by Chris Bayes

In preparation for the REANZ conference ‘Mauri of Materials’, I’ve been revisiting the ‘Art and Creativity in Reggio Emilia’ and the booklets from the Creative Collection ‘Reimaging Teaching Through the Arts’.

Vecchi, V. (2010). Art and creativity in Reggio Emilia: Exploring the role and potential of ateliers in early childhood education (1st ed.). Routledge.

Vea Vecchi in ‘Art and Creativity in Reggio Emilia’, gives her experiences as an atelierista from her many years working at the Diana school in Reggio Emilia. She delves into the contribution that art and creativity make to education and discusses the role of the atelier and the atelierista. This is a comprehensive book and gives insights into the pedagogy of Reggio Emilia along the way.

The Creative Collective. (n.d.). Reimagining teaching through the arts. https://www.thecreativecollection.org/ The Creative Collection.

In the introduction booklet ‘Reimagining Teaching Through The Arts’, explores many of the important elements that underpin our ideas when we “come into relationship with creativity.”

This book unpacks five threads of creativity — discovering, enjoying, expressing, thinking, and meaning making. It highlights the vital role of the teacher and the centrality of ‘listening’:

“We see listening in its complexity and as a way of relating together. We firmly believe underpinning our pedagogical approach to creativity is a heart and mind positioned toward listening. For us this means embracing the complexity and appreciating that listening is the window into possibilities.”

Kirsty Liljegren and Kelly Goodsir bring together their years of teaching and learning in these beautifully crafted booklets. You’ll also enjoy dipping into the other nine additional titles exploring paper, open-ended materials, clay, light, drawing, painting, digital media, wire, and textiles.

https://www.thecreativecollection.org/thebooks

Review by Diti Hill-Denee

Probine, S., Perry, J. and McAlevey, F.(eds) (2025) Children’s Inquiry in early childhood education in Aotearoa New Zealand. NZCER.

Children are born inquirers

This quote on page 7 captures the essence of the eleven chapters that comprise the content of this book. The seven contributors write in a heartfelt way about their thinking, their research with kaiako from six participating centres, and their vision of what matters in creating an environment for inquiring tamariki. The content, which is introduced as both a provocation and a practical guide (page 28) ranges from a historical overview of inquiry in early childhood education to an in-depth consideration of kaupapa maori as a unique way of enriching and deepening children’s thinking in Aotearoa. Other topics covered are the links between principles and practices when considering inquiry and the development of conditions for children’s inquiry. With direct research input from named kaiako and their centres, this very readable book is for teachers at all levels of experience. A longer review will be published on the website soon!

This book is available from the REANZ Library The REANZ library has a number of fabulous books for you to borrow: Check the books available and the instructions about how to order them, from the website; www.reanz.org

As we move into autumn — and for some of us, we’re already feeling the shift — we look forward to staying connected and meeting with you at our upcoming events.

Building knowledge of the pedagogy of Reggio Emilia is a journey that unfolds over time. It grows through conversation with colleagues, through shared reflection, and through participation in meaningful professional learning opportunities. It is sustained in relationship and strengthened in community.

This ongoing engagement is what keeps us invigorated — giving us the energy to continue the mahi and to make a lasting difference in the lives of children.

We hope to see you soon!

Kia kaha, kia maia, Kia ora manawanui - REANZ Trustees

Helen Aitken, Chris Bayes, Karen Liley, Lorraine Manuela, Diti Hill-Denee, Brenda Soutar, Kerri Fallon, Logan Burson, Lindi Newth, Kylie Morgan, Anne Meade, Rachel Denee, Chrissy Lepper