Ong, Patricia2025-08-122025-08-122025-07-16Early Education, 2025, Vol. 70, Issue 1, xx-xx[Online First] ISSN: 1172 - 9211 https://eej.ac.nz/index.php/EEJ/issue/view/online-firsthttp://hdl.handle.net/10292/19666This opinion piece explores the complex journey of overseas-trained teachers (OTTs) entering New Zealand's early childhood education (ECE) sector. While these educators bring diverse professional experience and cultural capital, they face significant challenges aligning their practices with Te Whāriki and bicultural commitments grounded in Te Tiriti o Waitangi. This piece critiques current induction systems, highlighting gaps in cultural mentoring and relational support. It calls for a reimagined induction process that emphasises culturally sustaining pedagogies, iwi partnerships, and reflective practice. The paper advocates for reweaving rather than merely integrating OTTs’ knowledge into Aotearoa’s unique educational fabric, emphasising the transformative potential of well-supported international educators in strengthening culturally inclusive learning environments.This journal provides immediate open access to its content on the principle that making research freely available to the public supports a greater global exchange of knowledge. This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.Journal ArticleOpenAccess