Ko ngā kōhanga reo tētahi kaupapa mā ngā kōhungahunga. I whakatūria ai hei tautoko i te whakarauoratanga o te reo Māori me ngā tikanga. He āhuatanga mātuatua tēnei mō te whakarauora i te reo, nā te mea he tere ake ngā tamariki i ngā pakeke ki te ako i te reo. Ka mutu, he whakaū hoki tēnei i te noho māori mai o te reo i roto i te hunga taiohi, i te hunga pērā i a koutou.
I mua i te whakatūnga o ngā kōhanga reo, he tokomaha ngā tamariki Māori kāore i kōrero i te reo, ka mutu, ka whakaako ngā kura i te reo Pākehā anake. He raru nui tēnei, nā te mea he mea nui te mōhio ki tō reo i a koe e pakeke mai ana!
I whakatūria e tētahi kāhui mātua, kaumātua hoki, te kōhanga reo tuatahi ki Wainuiomata i te tau 1982. Nō mua noa atu i ngā tau e 40!
Nō konā, he maha ngā kōhanga kua whakatūria puta noa i Aotearoa. Arā te nui o ngā painga kua puta mai i ngā kōhanga reo i roto i ngā tau hei tautoko i te whakarauoratanga o te reo Māori, ā, e pēnei tonu nei i ēnei rā.
I tae atu rānei koutou ko ō hoa ki tētahi kōhanga reo?
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ENGLISH TRANSLATION
The History of the Kōhanga Reo
Kōhanga Reo, is an early childhood movement that was created to help preserve the Māori language along with its customs. This is vital for language revitalisation as children learn language at much faster rates than adults! It also ensures that young people, like yourselves, can grow up with te reo Māori normalised in their life.
Before kōhanga reo was established, many Māori children were not speaking the language, as schools only taught English. This was a big issue, as understanding your language is a big part of who you are as a growing person!
The first kōhanga reo was opened in Wainuiomata by a group of parents and kaumātua in the year 1982. That’s over 40 years ago!
Since then, many have been established throughout Aotearoa. Kōhanga reo have been very successful over the years in its efforts to revitalise te reo Māori, and this continues to be the case today.
Did you or any of your friends attend kōhanga reo?
