He Kōrero Whakataki

I roto i ngā mahi whakatipu tamariki mokopuna, he nui ngā mōhio kei tēnā, kei tēnā o tātou. Ko te tauira whakamana i aua mōhio, ko te tauira nei o Te Whāriki, e tautokohia ana e ngā whānau o tēnā, o tēnā kōhanga reo.

Ka taea e Te Whāriki te kawe ngā mahi katoa ka mahia i ngā kōhanga reo. Ka taea te whakaū ngā moemoeā e whāia ana hei painga mō te mokopuna; ka taea te whakairo ngā huarahi huhua ki te toi o ngā mātauranga hei painga mō ngā mokopuna; ka taea te whakauru mai ngā kara o Rangi rāua ko Papa, me ā rāua tamariki hei whakahihiko i te tipu o te tinana, te hinengaro, te wairua me te whatumanawa o te mokopuna. Mā tēnei tauira e taea ai e tātou te raranga ngā tūmomo whāriki katoa hei whakamana, hei whakakaha i te tipu o te mokopuna mō tōna ao. Ko te pūtake o Te Whāriki ko te mokopuna. Ko te mokopuna hoki Te Whāriki.

Ko tēnei marautanga ka whai pānga ki te katoa o ngā kōhanga reo kei raro i te maru o te Poari Matua o Te Kōhanga Reo. E eke pai ana ngā kaupapa whakahaere, ngā muka, ngā taumata whakahirahira me ngā whāinga ki ngā tūmanako mō ngā mokopuna i raro i ngā tikanga a Te Kōhanga Reo.

Te Tīmatatanga me te Hītori o Te Kōhanga Reo

E ai ki ngā kōrero, ko te kōhanga reo tētahi o ngā taonga tino whakahirahira kua whānau mai ki tēnei whenua. He kaupapa i moemoeātia, i tipu mai i te hinengaro Māori. Kei ngā kōhanga reo tētahi o ngā tino huarahi hei whakaora i te reo Māori kia kore ai e mate. Waihoki, kei ngā kōhanga reo tētahi o ngā huarahi hei pupuri, hei whakamana i te hōhonutanga me te whānuitanga o ngā tikanga a te ao Māori, a ngā iwi, me ngā whānau anō hoki.

I te hui kaumātua, 1979, ka puta te wero kia kaha tātou ki te pupuri i tō tātou reo mō ake tonu atu. Ko te pātai, me pēhea? I te Wānanga Whakatauira 1980, ka whakamanahia taua kaupapa. Ehara i te tikanga hou, engari he tangi nā te ao Māori mai anō.

I te tau 1981, ka waihangatia he kaupapa e Te Tari Māori mō te whakatū i ngā kōhanga reo. I te 13 o Āperira, 1982, ka tū te kōhanga reo tuatahi o Pukeatua ki Wainuiomata. Nō muri tata tonu iho, ka tū ngā kōhanga reo o Waiwhetū, o Kōkiri Seaview me Maraeroa ki roto o Pōneke. I tū mai hoki te kōhanga reo o Ōrākei ki Ākarana. I te tau tuatahi, 112 ngā kōhanga reo i puāwai mai.

I ēnei rā he kōhanga reo kei te roanga me te whānuitanga o Aotearoa; kei ngā tāone, kei tuawhenua anō hoki. Mō ngā tamariki, ko te kōhanga reo te tīmatanga o te tangatanga o te ara mātauranga Māori, ka whai ko te kura, te wharekura me te whare wānanga.