Abstract
In this chapter, we consider how a collaborative research project between a university and two schools is contributing to global dialogue around socio-emotional wellbeing in schools, through the development of a coconstructed culturally and linguistically sustaining socio-emotional learning framework that is responsive to the New Zealand context. This research acknowledges the centrality of te reo Māori (Māori language), and the status of Māori as tāngata whenua (indigenous people of Aotearoa New Zealand). The use of te reo Māori within the project, and our descriptions of our work, aligns with te Tiriti o Waitangi (Māori version of the Treaty of Waitangi) and is an expected, and accepted discourse practice within educational contexts in New Zealand. At times, we forefront te reo Māori to acknowledge knowledge generated by, for, and with a Māori worldview to reflect this positionality. In this chapter we describe how we engaged with teachers and extended family groups to gather their culturally grounded views on social emotional wellbeing. We examine how this collaborative relationship has enabled teachers to draw upon these co-constructed understandings to develop pedagogical practices to promote the social emotional wellbeing of students. We conclude with reflections that can inform other international contexts.