Despite a large body of international literature on emotional labour in various occupations, there is a paucity of research related to Early Childhood Education (ECE) teachers with not a single research study conducted in New Zealand. The purpose of this research thesis is to explore the role of emotional labour in the work of ECE teachers in Auckland. The research aims to understand how ECE teachers experience emotional labour in their work. A qualitative research methodology was applied to explore the research question and data collection was in the form of semi- structured interviews, narratives and reflections written by the ECE educators identified as participants in the study.
