PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to explicate the links between public pedagogy, ethics of care and storying as a methodology and method in Oceania.Design/methodology/approachThis paper explores the role of extended families as First Teachers in iTaukei and Indo-Fijian Early Childhood contexts in Fiji. Using storying as methodology, the authors, three Australian and four Fijian academics, present three portraits to make visible the pedagogical entanglements of public pedagogy research in diverse community contexts. These portraits reveal the intersection and integration of extended family with the authors' community–family–child–informed pedagogical approaches, and the advantages of culturally located standpoints when working with iTaukei and Indo-Fijian communities. This article's unique contribution lies in its demonstration of the importance of an ethics of care approach in site-specific and contextually emerging pedagogical encounters.FindingsThe findings demonstrate the traditional role of First Teachers and carers in iTaukei and Indo-Fijian Early Childhood contexts in Fiji who use arts-based approaches to teaching and learning within a public pedagogical framework.Research limitations/implicationsThe implications of the research highlight the need to address policy interventions that disrupt the value of First Teachers in community context and their role in values formations for young people in community.Practical implicationsThe implications of the research can be addressed at the policy and international level where considerations of educational arrangements need to be understood.Social implicationsThe social implications of this publication are the value of iTaukei and Indo-Fijian Early Childhood educators in Fiji, and their voices being heard and understood via a published academic journal.Originality/valueThis work is original and is a collaborative paper written between Australian and iTaukei and Indo-Fijian Early Childhood educators.
