Abstract
Kaupapa Māori early years provision (KM-EYP) is recognised as a cornerstone of community efforts to revitalise Māori language and culture. Surprisingly, little is known about how KM-EYP influences the lives of whānau who have engaged. Parents/grandparents (N=91) of tamariki who had attended a Taranaki-based centre (between 1994 and 2017) completed a survey designed to measure 20 aspects of whānau lives, which collectively align with an ao Māori view of wellbeing. Most participants agreed that their children’s learning, Māori identity and cultural capacity had been strengthened, as had their own capabilities. Comparisons between the year after exiting the Centre and the time of the survey (2019/2020) demonstrated sustained or increasing benefits, with the exception of relationships with other Centre whānau and the reo Māori capacity of tamariki. Our findings contribute to what is known about how whānau can benefit from engagement in KM-EYP.