Kohanga Reo Movement Continues to Inspire

NZ’s thriving kohanga reo movement was the subject of a lengthy Age feature last month. Kohanga reo, or Maori language and cultural immersion schools, have blossomed since the movement’s launch in 1980. There are now about 500 centres around the country, from preschool to tertiary level, and the number of fluent Maori speakers in NZ has tripled as a result. The Age article focuses on Palmerston North school Te Kura Kaupapa Maori o Mana Tamariki, where children are taught in Maori from preschool through to secondary, all under the same roof. “When the children arrive each day, they are coming into a very protective zone,” says the school’s principal, Toni Waho. “The big picture is that we are looking at the reclamation, regeneration and revitalisation of our language and culture over the next two generations. If we succeed in creating a Maori-language-speaking community, we will have saved the language for all these families.” The kohanga reo system has been widely recognised overseas. Similar centres have been set up in Canada and the US, and plans are now underway for Aboriginal language schools in Australia.