Whakatika ake ki runga rā, ki te keokeonga o ngā rangi e noho nei a Ngāi Taru o Tura. Heke iho rā ki ngā wai oriori o Te Kōhanga Reo, e pihi ake tonu ai ngā uri e mahi tonu nei i tā Te Reanga Morehu i wawatatia ai mō tātou. Hoki mai anō ki tō tātou kaupapa huia kaimanawa, te kaupapa e whāngai tonu nei i ngā tamariki mokopuna ki te reo Māori me ōna tikanga.

Toitū te reo!

Toitū te ira tangata!

Toitū Te Kōhanga Reo!
 

Building resilience has been a catch phrase over the last 3 years and is just as relevant now as it was then. When our Kōhanga Reo movement and whānau marched on the Terrace in Wellington to deliver its claim to the Waitangi Tribunal it was seen as a reflection of its resilience. This was the type of resilience that helped to initiate Kōhanga Reo from its original beginnings, with Te Hui Kaumātua and Te Wānanga Whakatauira.

Our mokopuna are a testament to that resilience, they have the benefit of growing up in an environment that is total immersive reo māori, is based on our values, tikanga and belief system that acknowledges people through whanaungatanga, aroha and manaakitanga.

These are the principles that set the foundation for our mokopuna, tamariki to thrive in an everchanging climate. Our commitment to Te Reo, Tikanga Māori and our whānau will not change, however, the way we do things and how we manage our business is changing. This is also part of being resilient - adapting to better ways of doing things.

We have communicated with you about the new Technology program with hardware and system upgrades for all districts and Kōhanga Reo rolling out shortly.

There is a Visual Identity upgrade to make accessing core information about the business side of Kōhanga Reo easier and more appealing through our website and online portals for our Kōhanga Reo whānau.

Our biggest piece of mahi however is Pay Parity and the release of our new course for Te Tohu Mātauranga Whakapakari Tino Rangatiratanga (Bachelors Degree) programme. This mahi has been designed to build resilience for our Kōhanga Reo through the recognition of the mahi by our Kaiako in Kōhanga Reo and those kuia kaumātua who paved the way.  This has been a huge milestone for the Kaupapa of Kōhanga Reo to pay our kaimahi in Kōhanga Reo what they are worth and deserve. Since the roll out last year there has been a huge uptake in the program. For some the change has been transformative, for others it is the beginning of a new era.

There is a lot going on and Aotearoa has been through a lot. I would like to acknowledge those who are still rebuilding from the effects of Cyclone Gabrielle a year on, I don’t even think the word ‘resilience’ captures the hard work, effort and sacrifice it takes to carry on following such a life-changing event, engari e mihi ana ki a koutou.

My intention for 2024 is to bring us back together as a whānau and kaupapa to ensure that we build even more resilience into the kaupapa of Kōhanga Reo as a steppingstone to Te Ao Māori. Kia maia te tū, kia pakari te tū, tū māori mai te Kōhanga reo.
 

Tātou ngā mahuetanga iho, kia haumaru, kia ora.

Angus Hartley 

Nō te 20 o Hanuere i te tau 2024 tū ai te Hui Kotahitanga o te iwi Māori ki Tuurangawaewae Marae. I tū tēnei hui hei urupare ki te karanga i puta i a Kiingi Tuheitia Pootatau Te Wherowhero Te Tuawhitu kia whakakao mai te iwi Māori ki te kōkiri i te ara whakamua e toitū tonu ai te Mana Māori Motuhake i raro i te Kāwanatanga hou.

Mārama kehokeho nei te kite i te tino take o te Kiingitanga, inara, e whakamahia ana ia ki te whakakotahi i ngā iwi o te motu, ka mutu, i whai wāhi ngā reanga katoa ki te whakawhanaunga, ki te whakawhiti kōrero me te wānanga i ngā take o te wā e aupēhi nei i a tātou.

Kei pōhēhē i hui tahi ai te Māori ki te amuamu me te komekome noa, engari kē ia, he nui ngā hua i puta i ngā kōrero i wānangahia ki Tuurangawaewae.

Hei tā Raniera Procter, Heamana o Te Kōhanga Reo; “Ko te hua mai o te hui ko te whakakotahi mai i ngā whakaaro o te iwi Māori whānui, otirā, he whakaū i te mōhio kei roto i ō tātou ringaringa te hua oranga. Ko te mahi o te Kiingitanga he whakapakari i te reo mā te kōkiri i te Hui Kotahitanga, e whakaaetia, e whakahonoretia hoki te reo Māori ki ngā hui maha ka tū ki te motu i ngā tau e heke mai nei.”

I tino rāngona ngā take e rerekē ana te ao Māori e noho nei tātou ki te ao Māori i nōhia e ō tātou pakeke i ngā tau kotahi rau kua pahure ake nei, ka mutu, he rerekē rawa atu te ao Māori i nōhia e ō tātou pakeke ki te ao Māori i nōhia e ō tatou tīpuna. 

Hei tauira, i te kōkiritanga o te kaupapa o Te Kōhanga Reo, i te tau 1982, i whakaae te iwi Māori, inā koa, ngā Rangatira o te hui whakatauira, kia noho te reo Māori hei kainga mō te hunga e ngākau whakapono ana ki te kaupapa, heoi anō, i ngā tau tata nei, whā tekau tau nō muri mai i te kōkiritanga o te kaupapa o Te Kōhanga Reo, ko te ara reo rua pea te ara e noho kainga nei mō te hunga ngākau whakapono. Kua roa ngā whānau Māori e mate ana ki te noho tawhiti i te kino o te taiōhanga i Aoteaora nei, ka mutu, hoki mai ana rātou ki te kainga, e hiakai ana ki te reo Māori me te noho ahikā anō. He aha pea te huarahi e ngawari ake ai tō rātou hoki mai ki te reo Māori me ōna tikanga? He aha pea te huarahi e matomato tonu ai te tipu o te ahurea Māori i roto i ngā kainga maha puta noa i te motu me te ao whānui? Koinei ētahi o ngā pātai i uia e te tini ngerongero ki te Hui Kotahitanga.

Mātua rā te kete kōrero a Kiingi Tuheitia Pootatau Te Wherowhero Te Tuawhitu, inara, hei tāna; “By turning up today, we have sent a strong message, and thus the message has been heard around the world. Today I started something new, and this is just day one. Our time is now, and kotahitanga is the way.”

In 2023, Te Kōhanga Reo National Trust achieved an outstanding 88.32% result for our Kete completions, surpassing our target of 82%. Hitting this mark ensures we meet TEC’s funding criteria and means we can keep delivering our training programmes to kaimahi and whānau in Kōhanga Reo  

A huge mihi to everyone involved – from the Kaiwhakamātau to the Kaiako and Kaiāwhina in Kōhanga Reo. Your support and guidance was instrumental in helping our ākonga complete their kete mahi and with the ultimate aim of graduating with their tohu at Korowaitanga.

Special mention to Kahungunu rohe, whose diligent efforts led to an impressive 95.43% result, while also having the largest ākonga cohort. Te Waipounamu and Waiariki/Tūwharetoa rohe also reached commendable results over 90%. Overall, though, we are proud of the results of each and every one of our rohe who all achieved results of 80% plus across the motu.

Here's the breakdown of the results across all of our rohe:

Our 2024 enrolments have officially closed. We started off the year with well over 840 enrolments, but unfortunately we have had a high number of withdrawals with our enrolments over the last two months.  This is something that we will need to review in preparation for enrolments on our 2025 courses.   It’s also exciting that 180 of these ākonga are enrolled on Te Tohu Paetahi, some of whom already have the Tohu Whakapakari Diploma and are upgrading their tohu to a degree; or are kaiako who are working towards the Tohu Whakapakari (Tohu Paetahi) to ensure that they are qualified kaiako when working with mokopuna in Kōhanga Reo. 

Our Pouako are already commenting about the level of rangahau and thinking that these ākonga are showing with their kete mahi – and are looking forward to a great year with them.

We also have over 300 ākonga studying towards Te Ara Tuatahi mō Te Reo Māori.  We congratulate these ākonga for taking the first steps to growing their te reo Māori skills, and particularly as this course is designed to help whānau to learn about the kaupapa of Kōhanga Reo, karakia, waiata, and kupu Māori that can be shared with mokopuna.

Heoi anō, here are a couple of things to keep in mind about training:

a) Ākonga have got a four-week window to decide if the programme that they are enrolled on is right for them.    This is called the ‘early withdrawal period’ and there are no financial or academic consequences if an ākonga decides to withdraw during this time. 

b) Attendance at set training sessions is important!  Ākonga should make sure they turn up for their classes whether they are face-to-face or online – this is all part of meeting the course requirements. 

c) Did you know that we offer ākonga ID Cards!  – these are free and could give you discounts on things like travel and buying stationery. 

d) We are also here to support ākonga who may have learning needs or any barriers that may prevent them from doing their kete mahi.   Talk to your trainer if you need this support.

If you are not sure about something, then check with your trainer – they are there to help you or point you in the right direction.

Nō te tuaono o Pepuere hui tahi ai ngā iwi o te motu ki runga o Waitangi, ki te whakanui i te rā i hainatia e ō tātou mātua tīpuna te Tiriti o Waitangi i ngā tau kotahi rau waru tekau mā whā ki muri.

I muia te rohe e te tini ngerongero, i rāngona te hiamo ki ngā mahi whakahirahira o te rā, ka mutu, i rāngona hoki te wairua wero, inara, koinei te rā o Waitangi tuatahi nō muri mai i te kuhunga atu o te Taniwha Ūpokotoru ki te whare mīere, hei Kāwanatanga hou mō Aotearoa.

Ko tā te iwi Māori e kite nei kua noho wahangū a Tama Potaka te Minita Take Māori o te wā, ka whakaaro ake mā wai kē atu ka take o te iwi e whakatairanga ake, e whakariterite i te ara rongoā i ngā tohe me ngā auē a te Māori. Nō Tama hoki te whiwhi nui, kua oti kē i a Kiingi Tuheitia te whakakotahi i te iwi Māori, te whakatakoto hoki i ngā kaupapa nui hei tautoko, hei kokiri hoki mā Tama. 

Hei Tā Timoti Karetu, Heamana ō mua o Te Kōhanga Reo; “Kāore nei he paku kupu kia taka mai i tana waha kia mōhio ai tātou he aha ana whakatau, he aha te huarahi e takahia ana e ia kia ora tonu ai te reo, kia whānui ake ai te kōrerotia, kia whānui ake hoki te whakaaro i roto i ngā kura.”

Hāunga ngā wero me ngā kūrakuraku mō te Kāwanatanga, i tino kitea te kotahitanga o te iwi Māori me te pirangi nui kia toitū te Tiriti, kia toitū te reo Māori, kia toitū hoki te Mana Māori Motuhake ā haere ake nei.

I hurō te tini, i ngahau te mano, ka mutu, i whakanuia te Mana Māori motuhake e te iwi Māori i runga tonu i te mōhio e kore tātou e tuku kia riro te reo Māori, ngā tikanga Māori me te ahurea Māori ki te Kāwanatanga whakapono kore, ki a wai ake rānei.

It has been over a year since Cyclone Gabrielle wreaked havoc over the east coast and north island. The effects are still being felt in our communities up and down the country and the slow repair of infrastructure such as roads and the need for housing that keeps our whānau vulnerable.

However, in the true spirit of resilience, Ngāti Kahungunu and the people of Te Wairoa, Hastings and Napier held commemoration days in their region to acknowledge the efforts of the volunteers who did the hard yards to get their communities up on their feet and moving again.

Bringing hope to hopelessness and the inspiration to carry on no matter what. In this effort, all peoples came together to help each other and no matter how small or big the contribution the sense of community it created was felt across the nation. It also showed and was a reflection of the empathy and kindness that people had for each other in times need.

Te Kōhanga Reo o Wharekauri is our most southern Kōhanga Reo and is on the Chatham Islands. Rekohu or Wharekauri is one of the most isolated of our Islands and has a population close to 700 people.

Last year Te Kōhanga Reo o Wharekauri celebrated its forty year celebration with its original Kaiako Nanny Lillian Tuta and some of its original Manu Pīrere who made the trip back home.

Te Korowai Manaaki and the Whāriki team delivered te Paetuku kōrero with Trustees and Head office Staff in attendance.

We were fortunate with our Manu Pīrere  and Co-Chair Raniera Procter and our camera person Te Kawai Winiata who captured images and kōrero about the celebrations.

What’s happening with technology in 2024?

2024 is a big year for improving the tools and systems Kōhanga Reo use every day! We have kicked off our Technology Programme and there are several exciting changes coming as part of this mahi, including a new website and new devices for Kōhanga Reo.

For more information, check out the Technology Implementation page on our website. It’s open to everyone and will be a place where we can share information about what’s happening, when, and what these changes mean for Kōhanga Reo. We’ll be keeping this page updated as the mahi progresses. 

Technology Programme - Te Kōhanga Reo (kohanga.ac.nz)

If you have any pātai about this mahi, we’d love to hear from you - please contact Katherine Rive, Technology Programme Change Manager, at [email protected]