- Homepage
- Pānui
- Browse News
- Single
Te Onetū: Ngahuru 2026
Introduction
Tākiri manawa ki runga ki te rangi, tākiri manawa ki raro ki te whenua
Ngāuru ana te papa e hora nei, ngāoko ana te moana i waho rā
Kāhore ia nei ko te tohu o te mate.
Auē taukuri e.
E te iwi, tēnā koutou katoa.
Over a year has passed since the passing of our kuia, Kahurangi Iritana Tawhiwhirangi, and since then we have lost many of our Kōhanga Reo stalwarts who were instrumental in the establishment, the growth and the success of our movement.
As our kuia and koroua pass on, we cannot help but feel anxious about the future, however, we hold steadfast in the knowledge that they left great legacies and lessons behind, and they secured the future of our kaupapa by sharing their wisdom to us all, so that we may continue to pass down kōrero tuku iho and all the principles they instilled within us.
We carry with us Pāpā Taina Ngarimu’s love of waiata and mokopuna, and we take forward with us the memory of Nanny Hina Luke who fed the masses with her hard-working hands and love filled manawa. We continue to uphold the principles of Te Whāriki, the founding document of our movement woven by Nanny Tilly Reedy, and we continue the legacy of Nanny Titoki Black, who we unveiled in Ruātoki last weekend.
“Te raumahara o te whakaaro, te maiaorere o te aroha.”
“The cloak that binds us to the great stalwarts of Te Kohanga Reo forevermore.”
‘Pihi kau ake te whakaaro pai hauhake tonu iho.’
Te Wānanga Purapura o Tirairaka Kahurangi
This understanding formed the foundation for the establishment of Te Kaupapa o Te Kōhanga Reo, when kaumātua from across the motu gathered at Waiwhetu in the early 1980s to affirm the revival of our reo, tikanga, pride, and cultural identity.
From that moment to the present day, te kaupapa o Te Kōhanga Reo has remained steadfast in nurturing mokopuna within an immersive Māori world, while uplifting and transforming the lives of whānau.
Through shifts in government and political priorities, periods of crisis, and times of global uncertainty, the movement has endured and adapted. Our enduring strength has come from our kaumātua and mokopuna, upheld by the dedication of whānau and kaimahi within our Kōhanga Reo.
The National Trust Board has carried the responsibility of advocating for the safeguarding and sustainability of Te Kōhanga Reo. Guided by our tūtohinga and the Wai 2336 claim, the National Trust has worked quietly yet persistently to secure sustainable funding arrangements, statutory recognition of our unique status, and the ongoing development of capacity for mokopuna throughout Aotearoa.
In a continually changing global landscape, we must remain unwavering in our commitment to the kaupapa, dedicating the time, care, and energy it rightly deserves. It is the source from which we draw our collective strength and stands as one of the most innovative and enduring initiatives of our time.
E ngā whānau o te kaupapa o Te Kōhanga Reo, kia kaha tonu tātou.
Rapa Nui Visit
Nō Te Whā o Mahuru i tērā tau takatū atu ai ngā uri o Rapa Nui ki runga o Waiwhetu, ki mua i te aroaro o Arohanui ki te Tangata whare, kia renarena anō te taura e here nei i ngā iwi o Te Moana Nui A Kiwa. He haerenga nui, he haerenga roa, he haerenga e whai nei ki te kimi i te oranga o te reo ake o Rapa Nui.
Tōna waru mano ngā tāngata kei te moutere o Rapa Nui e noho ana, ā, i tēnei wā nei kotahi noa iho te Hōnga’a (Kōhanga Reo) e whakaako ana i te reo taketake o Rapa Nui. E whai ana ngā uri o Rapa Nui ki te whakatūwhera i ētahi Hōnga’a anō, heoi anō, nā te maha o ngā aupēhitanga o tō rātou Kāwanatanga me te whakawaia ā ngā rangatahi o Rapa Nui, me uaua ka kite i te pae tawhiti e whakatata mai ana.
Kua whakawaia kinotia te iwi rangatahi o Rapa Nui e ngā rauemi matihiko me ngā whakaawenga o te ao moroki nei. E ai ki ngā rangatira o te tira haere kāore ō rātou rangatahi i te kite i ngā hua o te kōrero i te reo Rapa Nui, i te whakaora anō hoki i ngā tikanga, ā, hei tā rātou koinei tētahi o ngā āhuatanga me tau e ora marika ai anō ngā uri taketake o te iwi.
Hāunga ngā whakawai ā te Kāwanatanga, e pukumahi ana ngā kaitiaki o te kaupapa o te Hōnga’a ki te whakarauora i te reo ake o Rapa Nui. He aha pea te rongoā e ea ai tēnei whāinga? Ko te tū tapatahi, ko te tū mārohirohi me te whakamātau i ngā rautaki reo i tuaritia e te kaupapa o Te Kōhanga Reo.
In September 2025, a delegation from Rapa Nui visited Te Kaupapa o Te Kōhanga Reo to engage in discussions on indigenous language revitalisation through an early childhood learning movement. This visit was driven by both a desire and an urgent need to restore and strengthen the Rapa Nui language for future generations.
There are about 8,000 people living on the Island of Rapa Nui. At this time and there is only 1 Hōnga’a (Kōhanga Reo) that teaches the indigenous language of Rapa Nui. The people of Rapa Nui are hoping to establish another Hōnga’a, but there are certain challenges with Government and the influences on the young people of Rapa Nui, which makes it difficult to reach those goals.
The young people of Rapa Nui have been heavily influenced by digital devices and global trends of the modern world. According to the leaders of this traveling group, their own youth can’t see the point of speaking the indigenous language of Rapa Nui, nor do they currently possess the drive to revive their customs. They believe these issues must be fully resolved if they are as indigenous descendants are able to flourish.
Despite the frustrations with the Government, the guardians of the Hōnga’a are working hard to bring back to life the indigenous language of Rapa Nui. By standing together, standing strong and by utilising the strategies shared by the Kōhanga Reo movement, Rapa Nui will take one step closer to achieving fluency in speaking and understanding their own language.
Hinerapa Rupuha – Kaihautu Waka
E whiti e te rā.
E whiti e te rā kia rongo ai au i tō hana, e whiti e te rā kia kite ai au i te ara.
Taku waka, Ngahiraka Mai Tawhiti, i tere rā koe i hea?
I tere rā koe i te Moana Nui A Kiwa.
He manako i awatea, he wawata i ea!
Nō tērā tau puta ai te ihu o Hinerapa Rupuha hei kaiwhakatere waka, i a ia ka tere i te Moana Nui a Kiwa mā runga o Ngahiraka Mai Tawhiti ki Hāmoa rā anō, hoki mai anō.
He Manu Pīrere a Hinerapa nō Te Kōhanga Reo, he Raukura hoki ia nō Te Kura Kaupapa Māori. He tangata māhirahira a Hinerapa, ka mutu, e mārama ana ia me pukumahi te tangata e tau atu ai ia ki te tihi o ngā mea katoa e wawatatia ana e tōna ngākau. E tohu ana tōna haerenga mā runga i a Ngahiraka Mai Tawhiti i te māori o tōna tipu i te ao me te nui o tana whakapono ki te ao Māori hei ara motuhake mōna, mō tōna whānau me te ao Māori whānui.
Last year, Hinerapa Rupuha, a graduate of Kōhanga Reo and Kura Kaupapa Māori, achieved a lifelong aspiration when she completed her final voyage and received her qualification as a celestial and ocean navigation captain.
Immersed in Kaupapa Māori from birth, her natural curiosity and commitment have led her to this defining moment. Her journey represents a lived expression of mātauranga Māori, offering a rare insight into the world view and potential of a mokopuna nurtured within te ao Māori.
Te Hekenga ki Tua: Seeking the Horizons marked the final graduation assessment for a crew of trainee navigators who sailed from Tāmaki Makaurau to Sāmoa aboard Ngahiraka mai Tawhiti.
While many of the trainees had already accumulated years of experience and training, the impacts of COVID-19 and other circumstances delayed the completion of their final assessment. During this period, Waka Hourua and navigation schools were established across different regions to respond to the growing interest in traditional navigation and to revitalise regional stories and iwi-specific practices.
Celestial Master Navigator Jack Thatcher, one of the early graduates trained under Navigation Master Hekenukumai Busby during the renaissance of the 1980s, has since established his own Pacific celestial navigation school, Te Kura Waka. Under his guidance, the trainees completed their final voyage, ensuring that the knowledge, traditions, and art of navigation continue to be upheld and passed on to future generations.
(L to R: Hinerapa Rupuha, Shane White, Tā Dr Pita Sharples, Makaira Berry)
He Waka Hiringa
Ki te poipoi i te hua ka whakatōkia ki te māra o te mātauranga,
mai i te wā e kōhungahunga ana, ā tae atu ki te wā ka pakari te tīmohea
i roto i te wharekura, whare wānanga rawa ake, kua matomato rawa
atu te tupu o te hua, kua pakari te tū i te ao.
If the seed is nurtured and planted in the garden of knowledge from
the time it is young until the time the delicate plant matures in school
and eventually university, the growth of the seed will flourish
and it will stand firmly in the world.
Kua kaha te kaupapa o Te Kōhanga Reo i roto i ngā tau ki te whakawhanake i ngā rautaki e tautoko ana i ngā pouako me ngā kaimahi ki te whakatutuki i ō rātou tohu whare wānanga. Ka toro whānui atu ēnei rautaki tautoko ki ngā kaimahi o ngā Kōhanga Reo o te rohe, ka mutu, nō te heipūtanga mai o Te Tohu Whakapakari Tino Rangatiratanga mana ai te tautoko e whakatinanatia ana e te kaupapa o Te Kōhanga Reo.
Nō tēnei tau korowaitia ai a Emily Dakin, Kaiārahi Mātāmua o Korowai Manaaki, rāua ko Sue-Anne Huxtable, Kaiwhakaako o Te Whare Ako, ki ō rāua tohu paerua ki Te Wānanga o Aotearoa.
Ko ‘Te Ara Moemoeā o te Mokopuna’ te ingoa o te rangahau a Emily, ā, e whakaatu ana tōna rangahau i ngā pūrākau me ngā hītori o Te Kōhanga Reo mā roto i ōna tuhinga. Ka noho ēnei tuhinga hei rauemi mō ngā whakareanga o raurangi, kia tipu mātoro tonu ā tātou tamariki mokopuna i roto i te reo Māori me te ahurea Māori e noho nei tātou.
Nō muri mai i te mate whakamomori o tana tama, i whakatapua e Sue-Anne ōna kāre ā roto hei tuāpapa mō tōna rangahau. E whai ana ngā tuhinga a Sua-Anne i tā te mokopuna whakaora i te whānau i ngā wā o te korekore, e whakaatu ana hoki ōna tuhinga i te ara ki te ora nō muri mai i te matenga o tana tama.
Over many years, the Kōhanga Reo National Trust has steadily developed and implemented a strategy to support kaimahi and pouako across the movement to attain higher-level academic qualifications. This commitment extends beyond Trust employees to the wider kaupapa of Kōhanga Reo and has been embedded within the movement since the introduction of whānau learning pathways and the Tohu Mātauranga Whakapakari Tino Rangatiratanga during the 1980s and late 1990s.
Throughout this time, we have proudly profiled and celebrated many Kōhanga Reo graduates who have gone on to complete postgraduate and master’s degrees. This year, we acknowledge and recognise Emily Dakin‑Kaiārahi Matāmua / Korowai Manaaki and Sue‑Anne Huxtable, both of whom graduated with a Master of Indigenous Studies from Te Wānanga o Aotearoa.
Emily’s research, Te Ara Moemoeā o te Mokopuna, focuses on the sharing of Kōhanga Reo stories and histories, providing a taonga of written knowledge that will serve as a valuable learning resource for future generations.
Sue‑Anne’s study explored the experience of grief, drawing on her personal journey following the suicide of her son. Her work offers a courageous and compassionate reflection on navigating grief as a mother and whānau, and on the role of mokopuna in healing and understanding loss.
Anei rā to waka ako
kua uatakitia nei e koe
i runga i ngā wai o tūmanako
o hiahia, o tutuki.
Kei wareware
Mā urupū, ko momoho
No reira, hoea tō waka!
Pay Parity - Utu Taurite
Te Utu Taurite (Pay Parity), introduced in March 2023 is a direct outcome of our long standing journey for Treaty justice. It emerges from the Tribunal’s response to Wai 2336 and the Crown’s acceptance of its responsibility to restore fairness and equity for our kōhanga whānau.
Pay Parity recognises the mana of Te Tohu Whakapakari by positioning our qualified kaimahi at the highest levels of the pay scale. It sends a clear and confident message that the expertise within kōhanga reo is equal to, if not richer than mainstream early childhood education teaching pathways.
This Pay Parity scheme is not a generic ECE funding model. It is kaupapa-based, designed specifically to align with the structure, values and tikanga of Kōhanga Reo. As such it stands as a Treaty-based achievement that reflects tikanga Māori and honours the unique character of the movement.
Governance within each kōhanga reo remains firmly with the whānau. They hold the mana to decide whether to opt into Pay Parity, who they employ and how pay scales are applied in alignment with whānau aspirations.
That autonomy is central to the kōhanga reo movement and must always be upheld. However, it is equally important that whānau fully understand the implications of choosing to operate outside the assessed pay scale.
Key Pay Parity opt-in dates are:
• 1 July
• 1 November
While the Pay Parity process is not without its challenges it continues to evolve and improve. Through ongoing wānanga and regular updates from the Trust, kōhanga reo can be assured that Pay Parity is being refined and strengthened, enabling whānau to engage with confidence.
As a movement, Kōhanga Reo continues to shape and influence the Pay Parity system. It is our kaupapa grounded in our tikanga and values. Te Utu Taurite represents an investment in our mokopuna today and in the reo of those yet to come, keeping us grounded and focused without compromising the kaupapa.
Whether your kōhanga has already opted in or is still considering the journey what matters most is that you feel informed, supported and empowered in your decision making. This kaupapa exists to uplift our people and to ensure that those who nurture our tamariki are themselves cared for, respected and recognised. When our kaimahi stand strong, our mokopuna, our reo and our kaupapa stand even stronger.
He oranga mokopuna, he oranga whānau
How Mokopuna Ōranga Pūmau is helping tamariki access the care
they need, and why this kaupapa matters for the future.
The health and wellbeing of our mokopuna sits at the heart of everything we do. When mokopuna are well they are more able to learn, play, grow in confidence and enjoy their time in kōhanga reo.
That is why Mokopuna Ōranga Pūmau, MOP remains such an important kaupapa for our movement. It helps whānau access specialist care for tamariki when it is needed, including support for ear, nose and throat treatment, dental care and optometry.
In 2025, 81 mokopuna were supported through MOP with $278,000 spent on care. Behind those numbers are mokopuna and whānau receiving support that can make a real difference to daily life, whether that means hearing more clearly, seeing better, feeling more comfortable or being more ready to take part in kōhanga and at home.
MOP continues to be strongly supported by the Trust which contributes significant funding to help keep this kaupapa going. From July 2026 an annual contribution of $25 per enrolled mokopuna will also be deducted from kaupapa funding. Alongside the Trust’s continued investment this will help strengthen MOP into the future so more mokopuna can access the care they need.
This is a collective kaupapa that supports the wellbeing of our tamariki across the motu. A small contribution, alongside the ongoing commitment of the Trust helps ensure Mokopuna Ōranga Pūmau can continue making a positive difference for whānau.
For more information about Mokopuna Ōranga Pūmau visit the Trust website or contact [email protected]
Board election results confirmed
E ngā whānau o ngā Kōhanga Reo, tēnā koutou katoa.
We are pleased to share the confirmed results of the 2026 Te Kōhanga Reo National Trust Board elections.
Across the motu, whānau once again took part in the important mahi of choosing representatives to serve on the Te Kōhanga Reo National Trust Board. It is a reminder of the strength of our collective voice and the care our communities continue to show for the kaupapa of Kōhanga Reo.
Following this year’s voting, five Trustee representatives have been elected for the current cycle. Congratulations to Mrs Lorraine Hale for Mātaatua / Tauranga Moana, Dr Hoana McMillan for Waiariki / Tūwharetoa, Mr Daniel (Raniera) Procter for Tairāwhiti, Mrs Peggy Luke-Ngaheke for Ikaroa and Mr Henare Te Aika-Puanaki for Te Waipounamu.
We are pleased to welcome all five representatives to the Board and acknowledge the experience and commitment they bring to the role. Their service will help support the kaupapa and the hopes our whānau hold for the future.
We also want to acknowledge everyone who put their name forward in this election. Standing to serve is no small thing and that willingness to step up for the kaupapa is deeply valued.
As we share these results, we also recognise the strength of the Rohe and the part whānau continue to play in helping shape the future of Te Kōhanga Reo.
Tākiri manawa ki runga ki te rangi, tākiri manawa ki raro ki te whenua…