Te Kōhanga Reo O Ruatahuna

1 Te Horopaki

Ko te ngahere te whakaruruhau, te pātaka kai o Ruatāhuna.

E tū ana Te Kōhanga Reo o Ruatāhuna ki te mārua o Ruatāhuna, ki Te Urewera. E noho ngākau nui ana te whānau ki te whakatairanga i ngā akoranga e pā ana ki te reo, ngā tikanga, me te taiao hoki o Ruatāhuna ki te kōhanga reo. Ki tā rātou titiro, e noho matua ana aua tūāhuatanga ki te ako a ngā tamariki me tō rātou tuakiri.

2 Ngā Whakaaturanga o te Aromātai

He pēhea rawa ngā tamariki e whakapuaki i tō rātou tuakiri me tō rātou toi whenuatanga?

E whanake ana te ngākau titikaha o ngā tamariki ki te whakapuaki i tō rātou tuakiri me tō rātou toi whenuatanga ki a Ruatāhuna.

Ngā Taumata Whakahirahira

E hāpaitia ana te ako a ngā tamariki i te reo Māori ake o Ruatāhuna. Ka tautoko te whānau i ngā tamariki ki te whakatairanga ake i tō rātou whakawhanaketanga reo mā ngā wheako ako ōkawa, ōpaki hoki. Ka whakamahi ngā kaimahi i ngā rautaki, pērā i te patapatai, te whakamihi, me ngā waiata, ki te whakawhānui ake i ngā puna kupu a ngā tamariki. E hāpai ana aua rautaki ki te whakawhanake i te tūmāia o ngā tamariki ki te kōrero i te reo Māori. Ka whai wāhi atu ngā tamariki ki ngā karakia, ā, ka taki hoki rātou i ō rātou pepeha i ia rā. E mōhio ana ngā tamariki ki ngā waiata me ngā mōteatea e whai pānga ana ki tō rātou iwi. He pai te māramatanga o ngā tamariki tuākana ki te reo Māori, ā, ka whakautu kōrero rātou mā ngā rerenga kōrero poto. E whanake ana te tūmāia o ngā tamariki ki te kōrero i te reo Māori.

Ka ako, ka tūhura hoki ngā tamariki i tō rātou taiao ake. Ko ngā mātauranga e whai pānga ana ki a Ruatāhuna te aronga matua. Ko te ngahere e karapoti ana i a rātou tētahi āhuatanga motuhake o ngā akoranga a ngā tamariki. Haere ai rātou ki ngā tūmomo pouwhenua whakahirahira, ā, ka rongo hoki rātou i ngā kōrero tuku iho e pā ana ki tēnei takiwā. Ka whakarato ngā kaimahi i ngā whai wāhitanga mō ngā tamariki ki te ako i ngā tū pātaka kai me ngā rongoā māori i tō rātou taiao. Ka whakarato te whānau me ngā kaimahi i ngā rauemi e hāpai ana i te ako a ngā tamariki, ā, e whakawātea ana hoki i a rātou ki te whakatau haere i ā rātou ake whiringa mahi. E ako ana ngā tamariki i tō rātou tuakiri me ngā tini āhuatanga e whai pānga ana ki tō rātou wāhi noho.

Te Whakamahere me te Aromātai

He tukanga ā ngā kaimahi mō te whakamahere i te hōtaka akoranga. Ka kitea ki ngā tuhinga mahere, ko ngā hononga ki Ngā Taumata Whakahirahira. E arahina ana ngā kaimahi ki ngā tirohanga whānui e pā ana ki ia wāhanga me ia rā. Ka tāutuhia ngā kaupapa ako mō ia wāhanga ako. Ka āwhina te whānau me ngā kuia i te hōtaka o ia rā. E whai wāhi atu ana ngā tamariki ki ngā akoranga e ahu mai ana i Te Whāriki.

Ngā Whakaritenga Matua ka Whai Ake

Kāhore te ako a ngā tamariki e āta aromatawaihia ana, e āta aromātaihia ana rānei. Ahakoa he pūkete e pā ana ki ia tamaiti, kāhore he tino mōhiohio o roto mō ā rātou akoranga. Kāhore e tino kite ana i te āhua o ngā mahi ki te aroturuki i te ahu whakamua a ngā tamariki, i te āhua rānei o te hōtaka ki te whakatutuki i ō rātou matea. Kāhore i ngā kaimahi me te whānau tētahi tukanga e whai hua ana ki te aromātai i te hōtaka akoranga, hei ārahi i te whakapai tonutanga. Me whiwhi te kaiako i te whakawhanaketanga ngaio me te tautoko ngaio i whakahāngaitia ai, ki te whakapai ake i ngā whakaritenga e pā ana ki te whakamahere, te aromatawai, me te aromātai ki te kōhanga reo. Tē taea te kounga o te ako a ngā tamariki, o tō rātou whakawhanaketanga hoki te āta whakatau.

Kāhore ngā mahi whakahaere a te whānau e whai hua ana. Kāhore anō te tūtohinga, ngā kaupapa here, me ngā tukanga kia arotakengia, ā, kāhore rānei e āta whakatakotohia ana. Kāhore he mahere rautaki, he mahere mahi hoki hei ārahi i te whakatutuki haere a te whānau i ā rātou kaupapa matua mō te pae tawhiti. Kei te heke te tatauranga o ngā tamariki ki te kōhanga reo. Kāhore anō kia whakatutukihia ngā arohaehae, hei tāutu i ērā o ngā mahi a ngā kaimahi e whai hua ana, i te tautoko ake anō hoki e tika ana mō rātou. Kua tae ki te wā kia arotake te whānau i te katoa o ngā kaupapa here me ngā tukanga, hei āta whakarite i te whakatutukitanga o aua tū āhuatanga i ngā herenga ā-ture o te wā. Me whai tautoko te whānau kia mātātoa ai tā rātou whai wāhi atu ki te whakahaeretanga o te kōhanga reo.

3 Te Whakatau a te Whānau ki ngā Wāhanga Tautukunga

I te wā o te aromātai, i whakamātauhia e Te Tari Arotake Mātauranga ngā pūnaha o te kōhanga reo ki te whakahaere i ngā āhuatanga i raro iho nei e whai pānga nui ana ki te waiora o ngā tamariki:

• te haumaru whatumanawa (tāpiri atu ko te ārahi mauritau, ko te ārai tamariki)
• te haumaru ā-tinana (tāpiri atu ko te mātakitaki tamariki; ko ngā whakaritenga whakamoe; ko ngā aituā; ko te whāngai rongoā; ko ngā whakaritenga akuaku; ko ngā kaupapa here me ngā tikanga haerenga whakawaho)
• te tū tika o ngā kaimahi (tae atu ki ngā taumata tohu mātauranga; te arowhai a ngā pirihimana; ngā rēhitatanga kaiako; me te tatauranga ki waenga i te kaiako me te tamaiti)
• ngā whakaritenga, tikanga hōneatanga e pā ana ki te ahi me te rū whenua.

Ko te tikanga, ka whakatairanga ngā kōhanga reo katoa i te hauora me te haumaru o ngā tamariki, me te arotake anō hoki i ia te wā i tā rātou whakatutukitanga i ngā herenga ā-ture.

I te wā o te arotake, i tāutuhia e Te Tari Arotake Mātauranga ngā wāhanga kāhore e tutuki ana e ai ki te ture. Kia tutuki i te whānau ngā herenga ā-ture, me tahuri rātou ki te:

• arotake me te whakahou ake i ngā kaupapa here me ngā tukanga katoa e pā ana ki te hauora me te haumaru, hei āta whakarite i te whakatutukitanga me te whakapūmautanga o ngā tikanga katoa e pā ana ki ngā akoako hōneatanga ohorere, ngā wā moe, ngā aituā me ngā maiki, ngā āhuatanga mōrearea, te ārai i ngā tamariki, me te whakahaere tika i te whanonga, hei painga mō ngā tamariki
  [R46 Ture Mātauranga (Kōhungahunga) 2008; HS1, 8, 12, 25, 28 Paearu Raihana mō ngā Kōhanga Reo kei raro i te maru o Te Poari Matua o Ngā Kōhanga Reo 2008]
• āta whakarite kia whai wāhi ki te whakatinanatanga o te marautanga, ko ngā mahi aromatawai, aromātai e tohu ana i te māramatanga ki te ako a ngā tamariki, ō rātou ngākau nuitanga, ō rātou whānau, me ngā tū horopaki anō hoki e puta ai i tō rātou 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 ka aromātai i te whai huatanga o te hōtaka akoranga
  [R43 Ture Mātauranga (Kōhungahunga) 2008; C7-10 Paearu Raihana mō ngā Kōhanga Reo kei raro i te maru o Te Poari Matua o Ngā Kōhanga Reo 2008]
• whakarite i tētahi tukanga arotake whaiaro ka haere tonu i ia te wā, hei hāpai i te kōhanga reo ki te whakapūmau me te whakapai ake i te kounga o ngā whakaritenga mā ngā tamariki, tae atu ki te aroturukitanga o te ahu whakamua ki te whakamahere rautaki me te whakamahere mahi
  [R47 Ture Mātauranga (Kōhungahunga) 2008; GMA6 Paearu Raihana mō ngā Kōhanga Reo kei raro i te maru o Te Poari Matua o Ngā Kōhanga Reo 2008]
• whakatinana i tētahi pūnaha hei arohaehae auau i ngā kaimahi i ia te wā, ā, me whakarato hoki i te whakawhanaketanga ngaio e āta tāutuhia ai, ā, e āta whakahāngaitia ai hoki
  [R47 Ture Mātauranga (Kōhungahunga) 2008; GMA7 Paearu Raihana mō ngā Kōhanga Reo kei raro i te maru o Te Poari Matua o Ngā Kōhanga Reo 2008]
• whakarite i tētahi mahere rautaki me tētahi mahere ā-tau e ārahi ai i ngā whakahaeretanga o te kōhanga reo.
  [R47 Ture Mātauranga (Kōhungahunga) 2008; GMA8 Paearu Raihana mō ngā Kōhanga Reo kei raro i te maru o Te Poari Matua o Ngā Kōhanga Reo 2008]

4 Ngā Taunakitanga

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

• toro atu ki te tautoko e whakaratohia ai e ngā kaimahi ā-rohe o te Poari Matua o Ngā Kōhanga Reo ki te whakatutuki haere i ngā āwangawanga e pā ana ki ngā mahi whakahaere a te whānau
• whakaritea te tautoko o waho auau mō ngā kaiako, kia āhei ai rātou ki te whakapai ake i te kounga o te hōtaka akoranga mā ngā tamariki.

Hei ā hea Te Tari Arotake Mātauranga aromātai anō ai i te kōhanga reo?

Ka aromātai anō Te Tari Arotake Mātauranga i Te Kōhanga Reo o Ruatāhuna i roto i te kotahi tau.

Lynda Pura-Watson

Kaiurungi Whakaturuki Arotake Māori

23 Whiringa ā-nuku, 2018

Ngā kōrero e pā ana ki te kōhanga reo

1 Context

Ko te ngāhere te whakaruruhau, te pātaka kai o Ruatāhuna.

Te Kōhanga Reo o Ruatāhuna is located in the valley of Ruatāhuna in Te Urewera. The whānau are committed to learning about the language, customs and environment of Ruatāhuna within the kōhanga reo. They believe these are fundamental to children’s learning and sense of identity.

2 The Evaluation Findings

How well do the tamariki express their identity and belonging?

Children are developing confidence to express their identity and belonging to Ruatāhuna.

Ngā Taumata Whakahirahira

Children are supported to learn te reo Māori that is distinct to Ruatāhuna. Whānau support children to enhance their language development through formal and informal learning experiences. Kaimahi use strategies such as questions, praise and waiata to increase children’s vocabulary. These help to develop children’s confidence to speak te reo Māori. Children participate in karakia and recite their pepeha each day. Children know waiata and mōteatea relevant to their iwi. Older children show a good understanding of te reo Māori and can respond in short sentences. Children are developing confidence to speak te reo Māori.

Children learn about and explore their local environment. Knowledge based on Ruatāhuna is a priority. The surrounding forest and bush is an important part of children’s learning. They visit significant landmarks and hear the stories of the area. Kaimahi provide opportunities for children to learn about food sources and natural remedies provided in their environment. Whānau and kaiako provide resources that support children’s learning and allows them to select their own activities. Children are learning about who they are and where they live.

Planning and Evaluation

Kaimahi have a process in place to plan the learning programme. Planning documents show links to Ngā Taumata Whakahirahira. Kaimahi are guided by term and daily overviews. Kaupapa ako are identified for each block of learning. Whānau and kuia assist with the daily programme. Children participate in learning that is based on Te Whāriki.

Key Next Steps

Children’s learning is not assessed or evaluated well. Although there are profiles for individual children, these do not contain useful information about their learning. It is unclear how children’s progress is monitored or how the programme meets their needs. Kaimahi and whānau do not have an effective process to evaluate the learning programme to guide ongoing improvements. The kaiako requires focussed professional development and support to improve planning, assessment and evaluation practices in the kōhanga reo. The quality of children’s learning and development cannot be assured.

Whānau management is ineffective. The charter, policies and procedures have not been reviewed and are not well maintained. There is no strategic and action plan to guide whānau towards achieving their long-term priorities. Roll numbers are declining. Appraisals have not taken place to identify what kaimahi do well and what further support they require. It is timely for the whānau to review all policies and procedures to ensure these meet current legislative requirements. The whānau require support to actively engage in the management of the kōhanga reo.

3 Whānau Management Assurance on Compliance Areas

During the evaluation, ERO looked at the kōhanga reo systems for managing the following areas that have a potentially high impact on children's wellbeing:

• emotional safety (including positive guidance and child protection)
• physical safety (including supervision; sleep procedures; accidents; medication; hygiene; excursion policies and procedures)
• suitable staffing (including qualification levels; police vetting; teacher registration; ratios)
• evacuation procedures and practices for fire and earthquake.

All kōhanga reo are required to promote children's health and safety and to regularly review their compliance with legal requirements.

ERO identified areas of non-compliance. For the kōhanga reo whānau to meet compliance requirements, they need to:

• review and update all health and safety policies and procedures to ensure requirements for emergence evacuation drills, sleeping, accidents and incidents, hazards, child protection and behaviour management are met and maintained for children
  [Regulation 46 (Early Childhood Services) Regulations 2008; HS1,8,12,25,28 Licensing Criteria for Kōhanga Reo affiliated with Te Kōhanga Reo National Trust 2008]

• ensure the curriculum is informed by assessment and evaluation practices that demonstrate 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]

• establish a process for evaluating the effectiveness of the learning programme
  [Regulation 43 Education (Early Childhood Services) Regulations 2008; C7-10 Licensing Criteria for Kōhanga Reo affiliated with Te Kōhanga Reo National Trust 2008]

• establish an ongoing process of self review to help maintain and improve the quality of practice for children, including monitoring progress towards strategic and action planning
  [Regulation 47 Education (Early Childhood Services) Regulations 2008; GMA6 Licensing Criteria for Kōhanga Reo affiliated with Te Kōhanga Reo National Trust 2008]

• implement a system of regular appraisal of kaimahi and provide well defined and targeted professional development
  [Regulation 47 Education (Early Childhood Services) Regulations 2008; GMA7 Licensing Criteria for Kōhanga Reo affiliated with Te Kōhanga Reo National Trust 2008]

• ensure there is a strategic and annual plan to guide kōhanga reo operation.
  [Regulation 47 Education (Early Childhood Services) Regulations 2008; GMA8 Licensing Criteria for Kōhanga Reo affiliated with Te Kōhanga Reo National Trust 2008]

4 Recommendations

ERO and the Kōhanga Reo whānau developed the following recommendations:

• to work with district kaimahi from Te Kōhanga Reo National Trust provide support to address concerns about whanau management
• to broker regular external support for the kaiako to improve the quality of the learning programme for children.

When is ERO likely to evaluate the kōhanga reo again?

The next ERO evaluation of Te Kōhanga Reo o Ruatāhuna will be within one year.

Lynda Pura-Watson

Deputy Chief Review Officer Māori

23 October 2018

Information about the Kōhanga Reo