Kids, put down that playdough ... it's culturally offensive

Playdough, potato stamps and the use of other food for art and play has been banned by some kindergartens because it is considered offensive to Maori and other cultures.

Pre-school teachers say the ban is out of respect to Maori beliefs that food should be respected for its nutritional qualities and not used "as a plaything".

And with New Zealand's growing immigrant population, kindergartens were also finding some families from poor countries found it "repulsive" to waste food on children's play activities.

Gone are macaroni collages and potato stamps from kindergartens around the country. Some have even said no to playdough made from flour and water.

This comes just weeks after a Wellington City Council holiday programme co-ordinator was told not to use real eggs for egg and spoon races, partly because it offended "some cultures".

Kindergarten teachers gave the Herald On Sunday various reasons for banning food in play. One teacher said it was because many families struggled to put food on the table, let alone waste it on a collage. Another said it was to "honour the Treaty of Waitangi".

Auckland Kindergarten Association professional services manager Jean Elmer said most centres had stopped using pasta and potatoes years ago, substituting natural resources like fallen leaves and eggshells.

Maori academic Ranganui Walker said: "Food demands a certain respect. I never thought about it when I was young but I guess these days cultural things are coming to the fore as Maori culture asserts itself."

However, Dr Malcolm Brown, of AUT's social sciences department, said he was "hard-pressed" to come up with a culture that would have a problem with using food in play.

Auckland Somali Community Association chairman Mahad Warsame said a lot of people were "dying for food", and Muslims found it immoral to use food in ways other than eating it.

"But we don't want to say to New Zealanders, you can't do this."

- Herald on Sunday