Everyone should have equal opportunities, regardless of their cultural or ethnic background. Early childhood teachers play an important role in understanding and establishing the concepts of critical multiculturalism and intercultural pedagogy with the children and families attending their centers. The Treaty of Waitangi, signed between Maori chiefs and the British Crown, was the founding document that established New Zealand. as a bicultural state (Lee, Carr, Soutar, & Mitchell, 2013); however, migration led the state to quickly become a multi-ethnic state (Metge, 1990). Initially, migrants came from various British states (Philips, 2013, a). However, from the mid-1960s, the prospect of better employment opportunities attracted people from Samoa, Tonga, the Cook Islands as well as other parts of the Pacific Islands to the country. Additionally, a change in immigration policies in 1975, and again in 1987, to admit people on the basis of their qualifications rather than their ethnicity, led to an influx of migrants from Asia, from Africa and the Middle East (Phillips, 2013,a). immigration has contributed to multiculturalism. According to Phillips (2012, b), multiculturalism was originally a Canadian concept adopted in New Zealand and referred to migrants adopting the nationality of their new country, while retaining their own ethnicity, language, foods, their culture, their traditions and their “valuable elements”. of their own heritage” (Johnston, Gendall, Trlin and Spoonley, 2010, p.345). According to Phillips (2013, a), this was possible because new immigrants were now better educated and wealthier, and could dictate where they lived, especially with others of the same ethnic background, and found their "own churches, schools, restaurants and social activities......middle of article.......govt.nz/en/history-of-immigration.Ponciano, L. and Shabazian, A. (2012: Addressing diversity in). early childhood. Dimensions of Early Childhood, 40(1), 23-29. Rhedding-Jones, J. (2010). Critical Multicultural Practices in Early Childhood Education Florence, KY, USA: Routledge.Sullivan, K. (1994). . Bicultural education in Aotearoa/New Zealand: Establishing a Tauiwi side to the New Zealand Partnership, Annual Review of Education, 3, 191.222. Retrieved March 1, 2014 from http://www.victoria.ac.nz/education/research/. nzaroe/issues-index/1993/pdf/text-sullivan.pdfTerreni, L. & McCallum, J. (nd). Providing culturally competent care in early childhood services in New Zealand Part 1: Considering culture. Accessed March 4, 2014 from 1st http://www.educate.ece.govt.nz/~/media/Educate/Files/Referenc e%20Downloads/oldECE/consideringculture1.pdf