A draft was released to early childhood centres in 1993, and Te Whāriki was published in 1996 as a bi-cultural curriculum following consultation with teachers.
[4] The publication was met with interest outside of New Zealand, with educators in Australia, Germany, Denmark, and Norway reviewing it while developing their own early childhood curriculum.
[7] An update was recommended in 2015, and in 2016 a team of writers began working on a revised edition.
The 2017 publication sought to make links between early childhood and school curriculums more explicit,[4] but upon its release it was criticised for a lack of consultation with the education sector and for changes in teaching methods.
The five strands of Te Whāriki are presented with dual English and Māori names.