I te 28 o Hōngongoi 2011, ka whakatakotohia e Te Poari Matua o Te Kōhanga Reo tana tono i runga anō i te kākari ki Te Rōpū Whakamana i te Tiriti o Waitangi (te Taraipiunara o Waitangi), arā, te Wai 2336.

Koinei te otinga o ngā mahi aro kore mai a ngā Kāwanatanga me ā rātou kaituhi kaupapa here tau atu, tau atu, ā, nāwai, nāwai ka hōhā Te Kōhanga Reo.

Ko te take whakaoho i tēnei āhua nā te whakatūria, i te marama o Whiringa ā-nuku 2010, e te Minita o Te Tāhūhū o taua wā, e Anne Tolley, tētahi rōpū taunaki hei arotahi i ngā āhuatanga o te ako kōhungahunga (arā, te ECE Taskforce) ā, i whakaaetia hoki e te kāhui minita.

I te mutunga o ngā mahi arotake i ngā āhuatanga katoa o te ako kōhungahunga tae atu ki ngā kōhanga reo, ka tukuna te pūrongo i te 1 o Hōngongoi 2011.  Nā tēnei pūrongo, e kīia nei, An Agenda for Amazing Children-Final Report of the ECE Taskforce, i whakatakoto āna whakataunga whānui e 65, ā, ko ētahi i whai pānga, ko ētahi kāore i whai pānga ki te Poari Matua, ki ngā kōhanga reo hoki.

Ko te mate nui, kāore Ngā Kaitiaki o Te Kōhanga Reo i āhei te whai wāhi atu ki nga whakawhitiwhitinga whakaaro e pā ana ki te pūrongo nei ahakoa āna kōrero i tuku mō ngā mahi tiaki kōhungahunga, whakawhanake whānau hoki.

Nā ngā kaitono, nā ngā māngai mō ngā whānau kōhanga reo, a Tākuta Tīmoti Kāretu, a Kahurangi Iritana Tawhiwhirangi me Tina Olsen-Ratana, i whakatakoto te tono ki te Taraipiunara o Waitangi.  Ko te kaupapa i whakatakotohia ai te tono nā ngā āhuatanga i puea ake i te Pūrongo a te Rōpū ECE me ngā here ka whakatauiratia e te kāwanatanga mai taua pūrongo rā, hei whakararu i te kaupapa o Te Kōhanga Reo.

Hei tā ngā kaitono, ko te whakararu nui ka pupū ake i te Pūrongo a te Rōpū ECE, ko te takahitanga o te mana o Te Poari Matua me ngā kōhanga reo, ā, i te mutunga ko te iti iho o ngā mokopuna ka whakauru ki ngā kōhanga reo, ko te iti anō hoki o te hunga kōrero Māori o āpōpō.

E mōhio pai ana ngā kaitono ki te āhua o te iti haere o ngā mokopuna ka whakauru ki ngā kōhanga reo me te iti haere hoki o ngā kōhanga reo. Koia tēnei ko te ia o te tū ki te puru i te tai timu.

I taua rā tonu rā ka whakatakototia e Tina Olsen-Ratana rāua ko Kahurangi Iritana Tawhiwhirangi he taunakitanga me ana tāpiritanga.  I te 25 o Hōngongoi 2011, he mea ārahi e Kiingi Tuheitia te tini mano whānau kōhanga reo i te hīkoi i Pōneke, ki te whakatakoto i te tono kia whakahaere wawetia he whakawā mā Te Poari Matua o Te Kōhanga Reo ki te tari o Te Taraipiunara o Waitangi. I konei e tautokona ana e ngā kaumātua puta noa i te motu, te Poari Matua me te rōia a Te Kōhanga Reo a Mai Chen, mō te 17, 18 o Hereturikōkā 2011 whakatakoto ai.

Whakarongo ana Te Taraipiunara ki te inoi a Te Kōhanga Reo ka whakaae he tino take me whakahaere ki mua i ō ratou aroaro.

I te 12 o Poutūterangi 2012, ka tīmatahia ngā whakawātanga ki te Tari Matua o Te Kōhanga Reo i Pōneke.  E toru wiki te mano kaumātua me ngā whānau kōhanga reo e noho tahi ana ki te whakaara ake i ngā mamae o ngā tau toru tekau ki muri.

I te marama o Whiringa ā-nuku 2012, ka whakawhiwhia te Poari Matua o Te Kōhanga Reo ki te pūrongo, Matua Rautia, a te Taraipiunara o Waitangi.  Ko te pūrongo nei e tohu ana i te mutunga o te kerēme a Te Poari o Te Kōhanga Reo.

Ko tā te Pūrongo he whakamana i tā Te Kōhanga Reo kerēme me tana whakatau kia wawe te āhua o te tono ki te Taraipiunara.  Kitea ana he raru nui tō te reo, ka mutu, mā te kōhanga reo rawa e ora tonu ai te reo. Ka noho tēnei pūrongo hei taonga tuku iho.

He tuatahitanga tēnei e pā ana ki ngā whakataunga a te Taraipiunara, arā, kia tohua tētahi kaitohutohu motuhake hei whakahaere i āna whakakitenga.  Ko te tangata nei ka riro mā te Pirimia tonu hei tohu, ā, me mātua whakahoki kōrero atu hoki ia ki te Pirimia. Koia tēnei te whakaaturanga i te hira o te pūrongo a Te Kōhanga Reo.

E kī ana te Taraipiunara, ko tā te Tiriti o Waitangi he tiaki i te mana o te Māori ki te kōwhiri huarahi mō tōna anō ahurea. Nā, ko te Kōhanga Reo te otinga o te kōwhiringa. Koinei te waka i tohua hei kawe i te reo Māori.

Hei tā te Tiriti, me ōrite te tautoko ā-pūtea a te kāwanatanga i te Kōhanga reo kia pērā i ngā whare mātauranga kōhungahunga. Ki te kore, e ai ki te Taraipiunara, ka ara ake he aituā nui e hinga ai, e kati ai tetahi hautoru o ngā kōhanga reo.

Kua kite te Taraipiunara, kāre kē i te ea i ngā kaupapa here a te Kāwanatanga ngā mahi ahurei a Te Kōhanga Reo.

I tautokona e te Taraipiunara ngā kerēme a Te Poari, ā, ko ana tino whakakitenga me ana tūtohinga hei whakahaere mā te Karauna, arā:

  • Mā Te Pirimia e tohu he kaitohutohu motuhake hei whakahaere i ngā tūtohinga a te Taraipiunara, ki te whakapakari anō hoki i te whanaungatanga i waenganui i ngā pokapū kāwanatanga me Te Poari Matua.    
  • E tautoko ana te Taraipiunara i tā Te Poari Matua whakatau kia waihangatia he ture motuhake mō te kōhanga reo, heoi “i tēnei wā tonu, ko tā te Karauna he whakatūturu kia whai pūtea āwhina te kōhanga reo.” 
  • Mā te Tari o Te Pirimia, Te Rūnanga nui o Te Kāwanatanga me te kaitohutohu motuhake, e whakahaere kia whāwhai te tutuki o te hōtaka mahi ka waihangatia e te Poari Matua me te Karauna, e ai ki tā te Kawenata a te Tokotoru. 
  • Mā te Te Tāhuhu o Te Mātauranga me Te Puni Kōkiri e kōrerorero, e mahi tahi me te Poari Matua ki te rangahau i ngā āhuatanga whakaaweawe o te kōhanga reo tae atu ki te rapu huarahi hei tautoko, hei whakapakari ake i tā te kōhanga reo e whakatairanga tonu nei i te reo Māori hei reo kōrerorero, e tū tangata ai te iwi Māori i roto anō i tōna ao mātauranga. 
  • Mā te Tāhuhu o Te Mātauranga, Te Puni Kōkiri me Te Poari Matua e whakamōhio atu ngā whānau Māori ki ngā painga ka whiwhi ngā mokopuna ki te haere rātou ki te kōhanga reo, arā, ko te reo Māori me te whai mōhiotanga. Me whakamōhio atu anō hoki rātou ki te hira o te hōtaka reo rua me te rūmaki reo Māori, e ora tonu ai te reo ake, ake. 
  • He mihi, he whakapāha ōkawa hoki ki Te Poari Matua me ngā kōhanga reo, mō te kore o ngā kaupapa here a ECE i tino tautoko i ngā kōhanga reo. I tua atu o tēnei, ko tā te Karauna he whakaae ki te kōkiri i ngā utu whakahaere ā-ture mō te kerēme a te Poari Matua. 

Te Pūrongo: Wai 2336, whārangi ipurangi

Te Pūrongo: Wai 2336, whārangi ipurangi www.justice.govt.nz 

Nō te tau 2012 ki te tau 2017 i hikitia e te Minita o te Mātauranga, e Hekia Parata, ngā whiriwhiringa mō te kerēme a te Poari Matua kia tau rawa nga take ki tāna i pai ai e pā ana ki te Poari.   

I te marama o Hakihea i te tau 2017, ka tīmata anō ngā whiriwhiringa kōrero i raro i te kāwanatanga hou, ā, nā ngā Minita o te Rōpū Reipa nā Kelvin Davis, nā Nanaia Mahuta me te Heamana hou o te Poari, nā Matua Hook, i ārahi. 

I te tau 2018 i kōrerorerotia e ngā kaiwhiriwhiri a te Poari Matua, e Moana Jackson, e Tina Olsen-Ratana me te kaikōkiri a te Karauna, e Glenn Webber, tētahi huarahi e tōkeke ana, e toitū ana mō te Kōhanga reo. 

Whai muri mai o te putanga o te Tahua a te Kāwanatanga, ka puta te korero a te Minita mō Te Arawhiti, a Kelvin Davis, i te 4 o Pipiri 2019, he tīmatatanga noa tēnei nā te Karauna ki te whakatutuki i te kerēme a Te Kōhanga reo. 

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