The first New Zealand early childhood curriculum framework, Te Whāriki, was published in 1996. Te Whāriki presents quality in early childhood education as productive of a particular type of child. In this article the author argues that Te Whāriki is not about ‘best practice’ but about producing the ideal child. This child emerged at a time when New Zealand was deeply entangled in neo-liberal visions of globalisation. The type of child embedded in New Zealand's early childhood curriculum has the potential to affirm neo-liberal visions of the future global subject.