Te Kōhanga Reo o Taurangi

1 He Kupu Arataki

Kua mahi ngātahi Te Tari Arotake Mātauranga, ngā whānau, ngā kaiārahi, ngā kaimahi me ngā hapori ki te whakawhanake i ngā tirohanga aromātai e whai wāhi nui ai ki te hāpai i te kawenga takohanga me te whakapaitanga, ki te tautuhi i te ahu whakamua, ā, ki te whakapakari ake hoki i te āheinga ki te aromātai. Ka whakarato ngā pūrongo a Te Tari Arotake Mātauranga i ngā mōhiohio mātuatua mā ngā hapū me ngā iwi.

2 Te Horopaki

E tū ana Te Kōhanga Reo o Taurangi ki te marae o Tauwhara, ki Waimate, i te Tai Tokerau. Kua raihanatia te kōhanga reo mō ngā mokopuna 18, me te tokoono o rātou ki raro i te rua o ngā tau te pakeke i te wā kotahi. Ka whakatauirahia te reo me ngā tikanga Māori e ngā kaumātua. Nō nā noa nei te maha o ngā rerekētanga i pā ai ki ngā tūnga kaimahi, ā, kua wehe ētahi o ngā whānau, nā te whakawhitinga o ā rātou mokopuna ki te kura. He wā whakapakari tēnei mō te whānau. Nō te whakapuaretanga anō o te kōhanga reo i te tau 2019, tērā te maha o ngā take whakahaere, ngā tukanga me ngā pūnaha hei whakawhanake tonu.

I kitea ki te aromātai Mana Whakahaere a Te Tari Arotake Mātauranga i te Hui-tanguru o te tau 2022, tērā ngā āhuatanga o te marau, o te whakahaeretanga hoki o te kōhanga reo hei whakapai ake. He āhuatanga tonu ērā hei whakawhanake ake.  

3 Te Aronga o te Aromātai

He pēhea rawa te whakapuaki mai o ngā mokopuna i tō rātou mōhiotanga ki te reo Māori me ngā tikanga Māori?

E whanake ana ngā mokopuna i tō rātou māramatanga ki te reo Māori me ōna tikanga.  

4 Ngā Whakaaturanga – Mana Mokopuna

E whanake ana ngā mokopuna i te mōhiotanga ki ā rātou taonga tuku iho. Ka whai wāhi atu rātou ki te whānuitanga o ngā tūmomo tikanga e poipoi ana i te whakawhanaketanga ā-whatumanawa, ā-ahurea, ā-wairua hoki. Kei te harikoa, kei te mauritau hoki ngā mokopuna hei ākonga. E tino mōhio mārika ana te whānau ki ngā mokopuna, ā, he aroha, he atawhai hoki tō ngā taunekeneke. Ka whakamahi ngā kaimahi i ngā rauemi, hei whakatairanga i ngā whai wāhitanga mō ngā mokopuna ki te tūhura i ngā hononga ā-whakapapa. Ka ako ngā mokopuna i ngā hononga ā-whānau ki waenga i a rātou anō.

E rumakina ana ngā mokopuna ki te reo Māori me ngā tikanga o te marae o Tauwhara. Ka whakariterite taua tūāhuatanga i te tū me te whai kawenga a ngā mokopuna ā tōna wā hei kaitiaki o tō rātou marae. Ka kaha whakapuakihia e ngā kaumātua ngā kōrero tuku iho, ā, ka āta whakatauira hoki i te reo me ngā tikanga o Ngāi Tawake ki te Tuawhenua. Ka ako ngā mokopuna i te whai pānga nui me te whakahirahiratanga o ngā kōrero tuku iho. Ka whakamahi ngā kaimahi i te whānuitanga o ngā tūmomo rautaki, hei akiaki i te whakawhanaketanga reo o ngā mokopuna, pērā i ngā pukapuka, te whāngai kupu, ngā tohu ā-ringa, me ngā rauemi. Ko te rumakitanga ki te hōhonutanga o te taiao reo Māori e whai wāhi matua ana ki te whakawhanaketanga o ngā mōhiotanga o ngā mokopuna ki te reo, te ahurea, me te tuakiri.  

Ngā Whakaritenga Matua ka whai ake 

Me titiro wawe ki ngā mahi e pā ana ki te whakamahere, te aromatawai, me te aromātai. He hou ngā kaimahi, ā, e mōhio ana te whānau he mea nui ki te whakarato i te whakawhanaketanga ngaio, kia whiwhi ai ngā mokopuna i te hōtaka akoranga kua āta whakaritea, e aro nui ana ki a rātou, ā, e hāngai ana hoki ki Te Whāriki a Te Kōhanga Reo. E wātea ana te tari ā-rohe o Te Poari Matua o Ngā Kōhanga Reo ki te tautoko i te whakawhanaketanga o ngā kaimahi. He mea nui kia aro matua rā ki te take nei, kia whai hua ai ngā akoranga a ngā mokopuna.

E mōhio ana te whānau, me titiro ki te aromātai o roto. Ko ētahi o ngā kawenga a te whānau whakahaere, e kawea ana e tētahi komiti. He mea nui, kia whakawhanake te whānau i ngā tukanga pakari o te aromātai o roto, hei whakapakari ake i ngā mahi whakahaere a te whānau, me te aronga ki te whakapai tonutanga.

Ahakoa kei te māramahia e te whānau ā rātou kaupapa matua o te pae tawhiti, kāhore anō aua tūāhuatanga kia whakaōkawatia ki tētahi mahere rautaki, kāhore anō rānei kia whakamanahia i tētahi hui ā-whānau. Kua tae ki te wā kia whakaritea e te whānau tētahi mahere rautaki. Ka hāpai taua tūāhuatanga i tā rātou whakamahere mō ngā whakawhanaketanga ā meāke nei, hei āta whakatau i te rōnakitanga o te kōhanga reo. He mea nui anō hoki kia whakatinanahia e te whānau tētahi mahere ā-tau, hei āta whakatau i te whakatutukitanga o ngā whāinga me ngā kaupapa matua o tēnei wā tonu, o te pae tata hoki.  

5 Te Whakatau ki ngā Wāhanga Tautukunga

I te wā o te arotake, i tirohia e Te Tari Arotake Mātauranga ngā pūnaha ki te whakahaere i ngā wāhanga e whai ake nei, arā, ki:

• te haumaru ā-whatumanawa, tae atu ki te ārahi mauritau me te ārai tamariki
• te haumaru ā-tinana, tae atu ki te mātakitaki tamariki, ngā whakaritenga whakamoe, ngā aituā, te whāngai rongoā; me ngā kaupapa here, ngā tukanga hoki mō ngā haerenga whakawaho
• te tū tika o ngā kaimahi, tae atu ki te tika o ngā tohu mātauranga, ngā mahi arowhai a ngā pirihimana, me te tatauranga ki waenga i te kaiako me te tamaiti 
• ngā whakaritenga ohotata me ngā tikanga ohotata e pā ana ki te rū whenua, te ahi, te waipuke, te tai āniwhaniwha, me te mate urutā.

Hei whakatutuki i ngā herenga ā-ture, me tahuri rātou ki te:

• āta whakarite i te whakatinanatanga o te marau o te kōhanga reo mā ngā mahere, ngā whakapuakitanga, me ngā aromātai e tohu ana i te māramatanga ki te ako a ngā tamariki, tae atu hoki ki ō rātou ngākau nuitanga, ō rātou whānau, me te āhua tonu o ō rātou nā ao

[R43 Ture Mātauranga (Kōhungahunga) 2008; C2 Paearu Raihana mō ngā Kōhanga Reo kei raro i te maru o Te Poari Matua o Ngā Kōhanga Reo 2008]

• whakarite i tētahi tukanga o te arotake whaiaro, o te aromātai o roto rānei e whakahaerehia ana i ngā wā katoa, hei hāpai i te kōhanga reo ki te whakapūmau me te whakapai ake i te kounga o te mātauranga me te atawhai.

6 Te Taunakitanga

E taunaki ana Te Tari Arotake Mātauranga me te whānau o te kōhanga reo, kia mahi te whānau ki te taha o te tari ā-rohe o Te Poari Matua o Ngā Kōhanga Reo, ki te whakawhanake i tētahi mahere mahi kia whakatutukihia ngā take i tautuhia ai ki tēnei pūrongo.   

Darcy Te Hau
Toka ā Nuku
Te Uepū-a-Motu – Māori Services

22 Pipiri, 2022

7 Ngā kōrero e pā ana ki te Kōhanga Reo

1 Introduction

The Education Review Office (ERO) in collaboration with whānau, leaders, kaimahi and their communities develop evaluation insights that foster accountability and improvement, identify progress and build evaluation capability. This report reflects their systems, operations and management practices. ERO reports provide important information for hapū and iwi.

2 Context

Te Kōhanga Reo o Taurangi is located on Tauwhara Marae in Waimate North in Te Taitokerau. It is licensed to cater for 18 mokopuna including six aged less than two years at any one time. Kaumatua provide modelling of te reo and tikanga Māori. Recently there has been a number of personnel changes and some whānau have left as their mokopuna have graduated to kura. Whānau are in a rebuilding stage. Having reopened the kōhanga reo in 2019, there are a number of operational matters, processes and systems requiring development.

ERO’s February 2022 evaluation of whakahaere practices found improvements were required to the curriculum and to the operation of the kōhanga reo. These continue to require development.

3 Evaluation Focus

To what extent do mokopuna express their knowledge of te reo Māori and tikanga Māori?

Mokopuna are developing their understanding of te reo Māori me ōna tikanga.

4 Findings - Mana Mokopuna

Mokopuna are developing an awareness of their ancestral heritage. They participate in a variety of tikanga practices that foster emotional, cultural and spiritual development. Mokopuna are happy and settled learners. Whānau know mokopuna intimately and interactions are loving and gentle. Kaimahi use resources to promote opportunities for mokopuna to explore whakapapa relationships. Mokopuna learn whānau connections to one another.

Mokopuna are immersed in te reo Māori me ngā tikanga o Tauwhara Marae. This prepares mokopuna for their future roles and responsibilities as kaitiaki of their marae. Kaumatua provide a wealth of historical stories and provide strong modelling of te reo and tikanga of Ngaitāwake ki te Tuāwhenua. Mokopuna learn the importance and significance of kōrero tuku iho. Kaimahi use a variety of strategies including, books, prompts, hand gestures and resources to encourage mokopuna language development. Being immersed in an enriched te reo Māori environment provides a vital role in developing mokopuna knowledge of the language, culture and identity. 

Key Next Steps

Planning, assessment and evaluation require immediate attention. As kaimahi are new, whānau acknowledge the importance of providing professional development to ensure that mokopuna experience a well-balanced responsive learning programme that aligns with Te Whāriki a Te Kōhanga Reo. The local district office is readily available to support the kaimahi development. It is important that this is prioritised to benefit mokopuna learning.  

Whānau acknowledge that internal evaluation requires attention. Some of the whānau whakahaere responsibilities are shared by a committee. It is essential that whānau develop robust internal evaluation processes to strengthen whānau whakahaere to ensure it is improvement focused.

Although whānau are clear about their long-term priorities, these have not been formalised into a strategic plan nor endorsed through a hui whānau. It is time for the whānau to establish a strategic plan. This will enable them to plan for their future developments to ensure the sustainability of the kōhanga reo. It is also important that whānau implement an annual plan to ensure immediate and short term goals and priorities are attended to. 

5 Assurance on Legal Requirement

During the evaluation, ERO looked at systems for managing the following areas:

• emotional safety including positive guidance and child protection
• physical safety including supervision, sleep procedures, accidents, medication, excursion policy and procedures
• suitable staffing including appropriate qualifications, police vetting, ratios
• emergency procedures and practices for earthquakes, fire, flood, tsunami and pandemic.

To meet compliance requirements they must: 

• ensure Te Kōhanga Reo curriculum is informed by planning, implementation and evaluation that demonstrates an understanding of children’s learning, their interests, whānau and life contexts.  [Regulation 43 Education (Early Childhood Services) Regulations 2008; C2 Licensing Criteria for Kōhanga Reo affiliated with Te Kōhanga Reo National Trust 2008]
• ensure there is an ongoing process of self-review or internal evaluation to help the kōhanga maintain and improve the quality of its education and care.
  [Regulation 46 Education (Early Childhood Services) Regulations 2008; GMA6 Licensing Criteria for Kōhanga Reo affiliated with Te Kōhanga Reo National Trust 2008]
• ensure there is a process to implement and monitor the progress of key aspects of the annual plan of operations.
  [Regulation 47 Education (Early Childhood Services] Regulations 2008; GMA8 Licensing Criteria for Kōhanga Reo affiliated with Te Kōhanga Reo National Trust 2008]

6 Recommendation

ERO and the kōhanga reo whānau recommends the whānau  work with the Kōhanga Reo District Office to develop an action plan to address the issues identified in this report. 

Darcy Te Hau
Toka-ā-Nuku – Director
Te Uepū ā-Motu – Māori Review Services

22 June 2022

7 Information about the Kōhanga Reo