Te Tai Rāwhiti

Te rohe o te Tairāwhiti stretches from Hicks Bay in the north, down the East Coast to Tūranga, out west to Te Aitanga a Mahaki, back past Rongowhakaata / Tamanuhiri and down to Mahia and Te Wairoa. In the beginning, the rohe extended down further to Mohaka. 

The Kōhanga Reo movement owes much to Ngoi Pēwhairangi who has been revered for her unrelenting work for the advancement of the Māori language and culture and the development of her idea of a bicultural nation in which Pākehā would help to ensure the survival of the Māori language. Ngoi saw te reo Māori as more than a language, but rather a defining point of Māori identity. 

When Kara Puketapu was appointed secretary of the Department of Māori Affairs in 1977, Ngoi was asked to assist in implementing the Tū Tangata programme. She was also consulted in the preliminary discussions which led to the emergence of the first Kōhanga Reo in Wellington. She then returned home to assist her whānau to open Kōhanga Reo not only in Te Ākau o Tokomaru, but up and down the Coast. 

There began Te Kōhanga Reo o Tauira Kōkiri, te Kōhanga tuatahi o te Tairawhiti. Since then, 82 Kōhanga Reo have been established across the rohe. As at March 2024, we have a total of 27 fully licensed and operational Kōhanga Reo.