The operation and administration of individual kōhanga reo is the responsibility of kōhanga whānau, in accordance with Te Kōhanga Reo National Trust Kaupapa (Policies) under the stewardship of the Te Kōhanga Reo National Trust Board.

The Ministry of Education recognises the Trust Board as the guardians of kōhanga reo kaupapa and as the stewards of the kōhanga reo movement.

Te Korowai

Te Korowai is the cloak that warms the kaupapa of kōhanga reo. The 4 Pou of Te Korowai cloak the dreams and aspirations of the Māori people for their mokopuna and for future generations.

The 4 Pou of Te Korowai are:

• total immersion in te reo Māori in te kōhanga reo daily operations
• whānau decision-making, management and responsibilities
• accountability
• the health and wellbeing of the mokopuna and the whānau.

Kōhanga Reo National Trust Board and the Ministry of Education signed Korowai on behalf of all kōhanga reo on 2 October 1995.

Te Korowai acts as the understanding between Te Kōhanga Reo National Trust Board and the Ministry of Education.

Tūtohinga

Individual kōhanga reo whānau are required to prepare a tūtohinga following guidelines set down by the Trust Board. The tūtohinga is signed by te kōhanga reo whānau and the Trust Board.

Licensed kōhanga reo are eligible to receive the ECE Funding Subsidy (whānau may recognise this as ‘Kaupapa Funding’) as well as 20 Hours ECE funding.

Licensed kōhanga reo are also eligible to receive Equity Funding and the Annual Top-up for Isolated Services (ATIS) from the Ministry of Education.

Principles of attendance in te kōhanga reo

Te kōhanga reo has important elements to ensure total immersion in te reo Māori and full participation of mokopuna.

One of these elements is that mokopuna attend kōhanga reo on a full-time basis.

Accountability

The third pou of Te Korowai is accountability. This includes accountability to the Government.

Accountability to the Government means that whānau provide good administration and financial accountability in expenditure of public funds, such as funding from the Ministry of Education.

Accountability to the Ministry of Education is achieved primarily through the maramataka. The maramataka is produced and administered by the Trust. Kōhanga reo whānau need to refer to the maramataka.

'Kaupapa funding' (ECE funding subsidy) quality funding rate requirement

Licensed kōhanga reo are eligible for licensed funding rates (these are called ‘standard’ funding rates by the Ministry of Education).

Kōhanga reo that can also meet the quality funding requirement below are eligible for quality funding rates.

• ⁱ Kaiako with attestation have been attested by whānau as to their competency in te reo Māori and their suitability to work with kōhanga mokopuna.

Contact the Trust

Contact the Trust for more information on how kōhanga whānau can meet the requirements of the quality funding rate.

Te Kōhanga Reo Trust

Record keeping requirements

Evidence of Whakapakari Tohu qualifications and/or final year status Maramataka.

Relationship between Te Kōhanga Reo and Te Whāriki

The foundation for learning programmes for mokopuna in kōhanga reo is Te Whāriki, the Ministry of Education’s curriculum for early childhood education.

Part B of Te Whāriki defines learning outcomes for mokopuna and sets out the ways in which the principles and strands of the curriculum can be put into practice in each kōhanga. It is the Māori section of Te Whāriki that is most relevant to kōhanga reo.ⁱⁱ

• ⁱⁱ Ministry of Education. Quality in Action Te Mahi Whai Hua. – Implementing the Revised Statement of Desirable Objectives and Practices in New Zealand Early Childhood Service. Wellington: Learning Media, 1998, page 9.

Qualification information

Tino Rangatiratanga Whakapakari Tohu is the teaching qualification recognised by the Trust Board for whānau involved in kōhanga reo.

The Ministry of Education acknowledges the right of the Trust Board to set the Tino Rangatiratanga Whakapakari Tohu as the teaching qualification for te kōhanga reo kaiako.

Kōhanga whānau are also supported to undertake training in Te Ara Tuatahi and Te Ara Tuarua to support the acquisition and use of te reo Māori by whānau in the home and in the kōhanga reo.

Attestation

Kōhanga whānau can also be attested.

Attestation was originally introduced as an interim measure for whānau who were for example native speakers: this was in order to give the Trust time to establish its own qualification (i.e. Tino Rangatiratanga Whakapakari Tohu).

Attestation should be continued to acknowledge the skills of whānau who enrol their tamariki in kōhanga reo.

He Whakaaturanga

Ngā kōhungahunga mai te kore ki raro mai o te ono tau e rumakihia ana i roto i te reo Māori me ōna tikanga. Ko te Kōhanga Reo tēnei. He Hōtaka Whānau Reo Māori tēnei.

Na wai ngā haepapa mō ngā whakahaere whānui o ia kōhanga whānau, mō ia ra, ia wiki, ia marama, ia tau? Nā ia Kōhanga whānau. Kei a wai te tino whakatutukitanga mō ngā (Kaupapa here) e hāngai ana ki ngā kōhanga whānau; kei Te Poari Matua o ngā Kōhanga Reo tērā; hei kaitiaki, hei tuari rātou mō te whakawhanaketanga o te paeroa mō ngā Kōhanga Reo whānau.

E tautoko ana te Tāhuhu o te Mātauranga i ēnei tikanga.

Te Korowai

He whakaruruhautanga te Korowai mō te Kōhanga Reo; He matakitetanga mō āneherā, mō te iwi me ngā whakatupuranga. Ngā Totorohanga o Te Korowai

• Ia ra; he toromitanga i roto i te reo.
• Ngā haepapa whānui katoa; mā te whānau e hāpai.
• Ngā whakahoki; mā te whānau e karawhiu.
• Ngā wāhanga tokotoru ā tinana; a te whānau me ngā mokopuna.

I te tau 1995 i te rua o ngā rā o Whiringa-ā-nuku ka hainatahitia mō ngā Kōhanga Reo; Te Korowai, e Te Poari Matua mō ngā Kōhanga Reo me te Tāhuhu o te Mātauranga.

He whakaetanga aratohu Te Korowai mō te Poari Matua me te Tāhuhu o te Mātauranga.

Tūtohinga

Ka oti te Tūtohinga o ia Kōhanga Reo whānau; e ai ki ngā aratohu o te Poari Matua, ka haina ā tahitia e rātou.

Ka āhei te whānau te tona raihana; mai i te Tāhuhu, i muri mai i te hainatanga o te Tūtohinga. Ko te tikanga; kua whakatutukihia katoa, ngā hiahia i waenganui i Te Kōhanga Reo whānau me te Poari. Nō reira, nā te mea kua whiwhi te Kōhanga Reo whānau i tō rātou tūtohinga me tō rātou raihana, kua wātea rātou ki te tono pūtea i raro i ngā Kaupapa kua whakaritea mō ēnei tūmomo pūtea. Mai te Tāhuhu e āhei katoa ana ngā Kōhanga Reo kua raihanatia ki te whiwhi Pūtea whakaōrite me ngā Pūtea tāpiri ā tau mō ngā ratonga tūhāhā.

He mātāpono mō te urunga ki ngā Kōhanga Reo

E hūanga-nui anō tā Te Kōhanga Reo kia āhei tonu ai te whakarumaki i roto i te Reo Māori, ā, kia pūmau rawa te urunga o ngā mokopuna. Kotahi o ngā hūanga nei e mea ana me mātua ū te pumautanga ō te haere tonu o ngā mokopuna mō ia wā, mō ia rā.

Tona ake whakataua

Me hoatu anō ki te kāwanatanga tōna ake; e ai ki tētahi wāhanga o Te Korowai. Ko ngā haepapa mō ngā whakahaere me ngā pūtea i anga mai i te kāwanatanga ara i te Tāhuhu o te Mātauranga hoki.

Mā ngā aromatawaitanga hāngaitia ai ki te maramataka, e mōhio ai te Tāhuhu o te Mātauranga pēnā kō tika te Kaupapa ki wā rātou hiahia. Kō te Poari e hanga ana i te maramataka, ko rātou hoki kei te whakahaere. Me tirotiro anō Te Kōhanga Reo i te maramataka.

Pūtea Kaupapa Tātai (Tāpiri Pūtea)

E toru ngā tairite pūtea mō ngā Kōhanga Reo. E āhei ana ngā Kōhanga whiwhi tūtohinga ki te tono utunga itiiho kore. 

(He whakatau pūtea paerewa) te ingoa te Tāhuhu o te Mātauranga mō ngā whakatau pūtea raihana e āhei ai ngā kōhanga kua raihanaita ki te whiwhi. 

Ka āhei ngā Kōhanga Reo ki te whiwhi whakatau pūtea kounga ina ka taea e rātou ngā hiahia pūtea kounga kei te whārangi atu i tēnei; me tono ki te Poari mō ngā mōhiohio.

Pūtea Kaupapa (Pūtea Tāpiri) whakatau (ka haere tonu)

• ⁱⁱⁱ Kua aromatawaitia e te whānau ngā kaiako whiwhi Tohu Whakamana mō tā rātou tohungatanga i te reo Māori me tā rātou pai ki te mahi me ngā mokopuna o te Kōhanga Reo.

Ngā pīrangi pupuri mauhanga

He kitenga mō ngā whiwhingā Tohu Whakapakari me/te tūnga rānei mō tetau mutunga.

He maramataka.

Te whanaungatanga i waenganui i te Kōhanga Reo me Te Whāriki

Kei te wāhanga B ō Te Whāriki e whakaaturia ana ngā tohutohu mō ngā mokopuna e whakatakotohia ana ngā huarahi e whakatinanahia ai ngā mātāpono me ngā whenu o te marautanga ki roto i ngā Kōhanga. Ko te wāhanga Māori o Te Whāriki e hāngai nui ana ki ngā Kōhanga Reo^iv.

• ^iv Te Tāhuhu o te Mātauranga. Te mahi whai hua – He whakatinanatanga o ngā kōrero whakapaihia anō mō ngā mahi me ngā whainga e hiahiatia ana me ngā Ratonga kōhungahunga o Aōtearoa. Whanganui-ā-tara: Te Pou Taki Kōrero, 1998, whārangi 9.

Mōhiohio Tohu

Ko te Tohu Whakapakari Tino Rangatiratanga te ritenga akoranga e whakaetia e te Poari Matua ngā whānau o ngā Kōhanga Reo. Ko te Poari Matua e whakarite ana i te Tohu Whakapakari Tino Rangatiratanga hei ritenga akoranga mō ngā Kaiako o Te Kōhanga Reo.

Kei te tautoko te Tāhuhu o te Mātauranga i tēnei tikanga. E tautokohia ana ngā whānau o Te Kōhanga Reo kia uru atu ki ngā kura whakangungu ā Te Ara Tuatahi me Te Ara Tuarua hei āwhina i te whakawhanaketanga mō te kōrero i te reo Māori o te whānau ki roto i ngā kainga me ngā Kōhanga Reo.

Tohu whakamana

Ka tae te whānau Kōhanga te whiwhi Tohu Whakamana.

Ko ngā mea matatau i te Reo i whakawhiwhia ki te Tohu Whakamana hei timatanga noa iho kia whai wā te Poari ki te hanga i tō rātou ake tohu (aianei, ko te Tohu Whakapakari Tino Rangatiratanga tērā).

Me haere tonu te Tohu Whakamana mō aianei, hei whakāturanga i ngā pukenga mō ngā mea o te whānau e rehita ana ia rātou tamariki ki roto i ngā Kōhanga Reo.