Te Kōhanga Reo o Te Awa Kairangi

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. E hāngai ana tēnei pūrongo ki ā rātou pūnaha, ki ā rātou whakaritenga, me ā rātou mahi whakahaere. 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 Te Awa Kairangi ki Te Awakairangi, ki te rohe o Te Whanganui-a-Tara. Kei te kura takawaenga o Avalon te kōhanga reo, e poipoi ana i ngā mokopuna nō te hapori o Te Awakairangi whānui, ā, kua 30 tau e whakahaerehia ana.  

3 Te Aronga o te Aromātai

He pēhea rawa te whakapuaki mai o ngā mokopuna i ō rātou ngākau titikaha ki te reo Māori me ngā tikanga Māori? 

E tino tautokona ana ngā mokopuna e te whānau, kia whakapiki ake ō rātou ngākau titikaha ki te whakamahi i te reo Māori me ngā tikanga Māori.

4 Ngā Whakaaturanga – Mana Whakahaere

Ko te hāpai i te reo Māori me ngā tikanga Māori e whakahihiko ana i te whānau i roto i ngā mahi whakahaere o te kōhanga reo. Tū ai ngā hui i ia te wā, he kaha hoki te taetae atu, ā, e whakapakari ana aua hui i ngā wheako a ngā mokopuna me te whānau mā ngā whakawhitinga kōrero me ngā whakawhitinga whakaaro. E tautuhi ana te tūtohinga i ngā tukanga, ā, ka whakatakoto hoki i te aronga nahanaha me te huarahi whakamua mō te whānau. Ka noho mātua rā ko te reo Māori, hei pūtake e kōkiri ana, ā, e pou here ana i ngā whakaritenga katoa o te kōhanga reo, otirā, “Ko te reo te mauri o te mana Māori.”  Arotakengia ai, whakamanahia ai hoki te tūtohinga i ia tau, ā, ka whai wāhi hoki ki taua tuhinga, ko te hītori o te kōhanga reo me ngā mātāpono o Te Korowai. E tino tautokona ana ngā mokopuna i roto i te whakawhanaketanga o te reo Māori me ngā tikanga Māori.

Kua whakahoungia ngā kaupapa here me ngā tukanga ki te wā, ā, ka hāngai hoki ki ngā herenga ā-ture me ngā aratohu o tēnei wā. E āta arotahi ana aua tuhinga ki te waiora me te hauora o ngā mokopuna. E whai wāhi atu ana ki aua kaupapa here, ko te hauora me te haumaru mō te moe, ko ngā akoako hōneatanga, me te whakatutukitanga, te tuhi haere hoki i ngā arowhai i ia te wā mō ngā āhuatanga mōrearea. Kua pā tōraro ki ngā hui ā-whānau, ko te Kowheori-19, me ētahi atu māuiui horapa. Ka ū i ngā wā katoa ki ngā tikanga me ngā kawa, mā ngā karakia me ngā mihi ki ngā hui katoa. Kua whakatakotohia tētahi kaupapa here e pā ana ki te mate urutā, hei hāpai i ngā wero ka pā ki te hauora tangata. Kua werohia ngā kaimahi katoa ki te rongoā ārai mate, ā, he tukanga hoki mō ngā whānau kāhore e werohia ana. Pūrongotia ai, kōrerohia ai hoki ngā whakahaeretanga katoa e te whānau ki ngā hui ā-whānau e tū auau ana. Ko te waiora o ngā mokopuna tētahi o ngā aronga matua ki te kōhanga reo.

He pai te whakahaeretanga o ngā take kaimahi. Ka whakamihia, ka whakamaiohatia hoki ngā pūkenga me ngā mōhiotanga o ngā kaimahi e whakapuakihia ana ki ngā mahi whakahaere. Kua tutuki ngā arohaehae kaimahi. Whai muri i ngā arohaehae, ka whakatutukihia te whakawhanaketanga ngaio o ngā kaimahi, ā, ka whakawhiti kōrero, ka whakawhanake, ka whakatinana hoki i ngā whāinga āhua mahi i whakataungia ai. Ka arohaehaengia ngā kaimahi hou hei te whakatutukitanga o tō rātou tau tuatahi ki te kōhanga reo. Ko te kaha o te ngākau nuitanga me te tautoko o ngā kaimahi ki te tupu ngaio me te wānanga, tētahi pūmanawa o te kōhanga reo i tautuhia ai e te kaiwhakahaere ā-rohe o Te Poari Matua o Ngā Kōhanga Reo. E manaakitia ana, e tino tautokona ana hoki ngā mokopuna e ngā kaimahi ngaio e noho ngākau nui ana.

Kua whakaritea ngā mahere, te aromatawai, me te aromātai. Kua āta whai hanganga ngā mahere, ā, ka whai wāhi hoki ki ēnei ko ngā taumahi me ngā rauemi e hāpai ai i ngā akoranga. Whakaemihia ai e ngā kaimahi ngā tauira mahi a ngā mokopuna i ia te wā, ā, ka tuhi hoki i ngā wheako ako. Ka whakamōhiotia ngā whānau ki ngā akoranga a ā rātou tamariki. Whakatutukihia ai te aromātai hōtaka o ia wiki, ā, ka whai wāhi atu ki te whakapaitanga ake o te hōtaka e tuhia ai e ngā kaimahi. Ka whakaaro nuitia ngā matea o ngā mokopuna.

Ngā Whakaritenga Matua ka whai ake 

Kua tīmatahia e te whānau te tukanga mō te whakamahere rautaki, ā, e mōhio ana rātou he kaupapa tēnei hei whakaoti. Ka ahu whakamua anō te kaupapa i te wā e wātea ana tō rātou kuia ki te hoki mai anō ki te ārahi i a rātou i roto i taua mahi. Ko te whakaritenga matua ka whai ake, ko te aroturuki i te ahu whakamua me te whakatutukitanga o ngā whāinga o te whānau, me te pūrongo i aua tūāhuatanga ki te whānau.

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.

6 Te Taunakitanga

I whakawhanakehia e Te Tari Arotake Mātauranga me te whānau o te kōhanga reo te taunakitanga e whai ake nei, arā, kia:

• whakaoti, kia whakatinana, kia aroturuki, kia pūrongo hoki i ngā whāinga rautaki a te whānau, tae atu hoki ki ngā putanga.  

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

17 Huitanguru, 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 Te Awa Kairangi is in Lower Hutt in the Wellington region. The kōhanga reo is situated at Avalon Intermediate and services mokopuna from the wider Hutt Valley area, they have been operating for 30 years.

3 Evaluation Focus

How well do mokopuna express confidence in te reo Māori and tikanga Māori?

Mokopuna are well supported by whānau to increase their confidence and use of te reo Māori and tikanga Māori.

4 Findings - Mana Whakahaere

Support for te reo Maori and tikanga Māori are a motivation for whānau in the management of kōhanga reo operations. Regular and well attended meetings strengthen mokopuna and whānau experience through discussion and sharing. The charter defines processes and sets out a planned approach and direction for whānau.  It prioritises te reo Māori as the driving force that underpins all practices in the kōhanga reo “Ko Te Reo Te Mauri o Te Mana Māori”. The charter is reviewed and ratified annually and also includes the history of the kōhanga reo and the principles and of Te Korowai. Mokopuna are well supported in the development of te reo Māori and tikanga Māori.

Policies and procedures are up-to-date and reflect current legislation and guidelines. These are well focused on the wellbeing and health of mokopuna. These policies include health and safety around sleep, emergency drills and regular hazard checks which are all carried out and recorded. Hui whānau have been impacted by Covid-19 and other sicknesses. Tikanga and kawa are always observed through karakia and mihi at all hui. A pandemic policy is in place to deal with health challenges. All kaimahi are vaccinated and procedures for unvaccinated whānau are in place. All operations are reported on and discussed by whānau at regular whānau hui. Mokopuna wellbeing is a priority in the kōhanga reo.

Personnel matters are well managed. Kaimahi skill and knowledge are acknowledged and appreciated in managment practices. Kaimahi appraisals are completed. Kaimahi professional development is subsequently undertaken, discussions and further agreed performance goals are developed and implemented. New Kaimahi will be appraised after their first year of work in the kōhanga reo. Strong interest and support by staff for professional growth and wananga is a strength of the kōhanga identified by the district manager of Te Kōhanga Reo Trust. Mokopuna are cared for and well supported by passionate and professional staff.

Planning assessment and evaluation is in place. Well-structured planning includes activities and resources to support learning. Kaimahi regularly collect samples of mokopuna work and document learning experiences. Whānau are informed of their children's learning. Weekly programme evaluation is carried out and leads to programme improvement which is documented by kaimahi. Mokopuna needs are considered.

Key Next Steps

Whānau have begun a process of strategic planning and they are aware that it requires completion. This process will be progressed when their guiding kuia is able to re-join and provided guidance in this area. This key next step will include monitoring and reporting to whānau against the progress and achievement of whānau goals.

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.

6 Recommendation

ERO and the kōhanga reo whānau, puna reo, whare kōhungahunga/kura board) developed the following recommendation:

• complete, implement, monitor and report on whānau strategic goals and outcomes.

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

17 February 2022

7 Information about the Kōhanga Reo