Te Kōhanga Reo o Te Hikuwai

1. He Kupu Arataki

Kua mahi ngātahi Te Tari Arotake Mātauranga, ngā whānau, ngā kaiārahi, ngā kaimahi me ngā hapori ki te whakawhanake i ngā tirohanga aromātai e whai wāhi nui ai ki te hāpai i te kawenga takohanga me te whakapaitanga, ki te tautuhi i te ahu whakamua, ā, ki te whakapakari ake hoki i te āheinga ki te aromātai. Ka whakarato ngā pūrongo a Te Tari Arotake Mātauranga i ngā mōhiohio mātuatua mā ngā hapū me ngā iwi.

2. Te Horopaki

E tū ana Te Kōhanga Reo o Te Hikuwai ki Rotoiti, e pā tata atu ana ki Rotorua. Kua raihanatia te kōhanga reo kia whakarato i te mātauranga me te atawhai mō te rā katoa, ki ngā mokopuna 10, me te tokoiwa o rātou ki raro i te rua o ngā tau te pakeke i te wā kotahi. Nō muri mai i te aromātai o mua a Te Tari Arotake Mātauranga i te tau 2018, kua tīmata ētahi kaimahi hou. Ka hono matua te whānau ki a Ngāti Pikiao, ā, he tino hononga ā-whakapapa ki waenga i ngā mokopuna, te whānau, me ngā kaimahi. E ū ana te whānau ki te whakauka i ngā kōrero tuku iho a Ngāti Pikiao, me te reo, te tuakiri hoki o Ngāti Pikiao.

I kitea ki te aromātai Mana Whakahaere a Te Tari Arotake Mātauranga i te Haratua o te tau 2022, te pai o te whakahaeretanga a te whānau i te kōhanga reo, me te whakaratonga o tētahi taiao e whakatairanga ana, e poipoi ana hoki i te Pikiaotanga mō ngā mokopuna. I tautuhi hoki te aromātai, e tika ana kia whakapai ake ngā kaimahi i te aromātai hōtaka.

3. Te Aronga o te Aromātai

He pēhea rawa te whakapuaki mai o ngā mokopuna i tō rātou māramatanga ki te Pikiaotanga?

Ka kitea ki ngā mokopuna te ngākau titikaha me te māramatanga ki tō rātou tuakiri me tō rātou tūrangawaewae.

4. Ngā Whakaaturanga – Mana Mokopuna

Ka whai wāhi atu ngā mokopuna ki ngā akoranga e aro mātua ana ki te reo Māori. E noho ngākau nui ana ngā kaimahi me te whānau ki te whakapūmau i te taiao o te reo Māori. Ka whakamahi rātou i te whānuitanga o ngā rautaki reo e hāpai ana i te whakawhanaketanga reo o ngā mokopuna. Ko ētahi o aua rautaki, ko te tāruarua, ko te whakatauira i ngā hanganga reo e tika ana, ko te whāngai kupu, ko ngā rotarota me ngā waiata. He whai wāhitanga mō ngā mokopuna ki te uru atu ki ngā horopaki ōkawa me ngā horopaki ōpaki. Ka rongo rātou i te reo o te paepae, o ngā kuia me ngā kaumātua, o ngā tūmomo kaupapa hoki. Ka whakapuaki ngā pēpē i tō rātou māramatanga mā ō rātou nekehanga. E tino hāpaitia ana te whakawhanaketanga o ngā mokopuna ki te kōrero i te reo Māori.

Ka noho mātua rā te waiora me te aronga toi whenuatanga o ngā mokopuna. Ka whakapūmau ngā waiata me ngā pūrākau o te takiwā i ngā akoranga e pā ana ki tō rātou tuakiri me tō rātou tūrangawaewae. Ko tētahi āhuatanga motuhake o te kōhanga reo, ko te whai wāhi nui mai o ngā kuia i ngā wā katoa. Ka kite ngā mokopuna i ngā tikanga me ngā kawa mā te whānuitanga o ngā tūmomo kaupapa, pērā i ngā pōwhiri me ngā whakatau. Ka whai wāhi atu ngā mokopuna ki ngā kaupapa e hāpai ai i tā rātou tūhonohono atu ki tō rātou hapori. E whakawhanake ana te māramatanga o ngā mokopuna ki tō rātou tuakiri me ō rātou hononga ki a Ngāti Pikiao.

Ka ako ngā mokopuna ki tētahi taiao e mau ana i ngā hononga whai pūtake. Ka whai wāhi nui rātou ki tētahi hōtaka e āta mōhiotia ana, e āta matapaetia ana. Ka rongo rātou i te aroha me te manaaki o ngā kaimahi, o te whānau, o tētahi ki tētahi. E whai pūtake ana ngā taunekeneke ki ngā kaimahi. Ka whakakoia rātou i ngā whakatutukitanga a ngā mokopuna i ia te wā. Ka whakarato ngā kaimahi i ngā taumahi me ngā wheako e whakatairanga ake ai i te ako a ngā mokopuna. Kua pou herea ngā taunekeneke katoa ki te whanaungatanga. Kei te mauritau, kei te harikoa hoki ngā mokopuna ki te taiao o tō rātou kōhanga reo.  

Ngā Whakaritenga Matua ka whai ake 

Ko te aromātai hōtaka tonu tētahi āhuatanga hei whakapakari ake, kia āta hāngai ai ki ngā pūmanawa, ngā ngākau nuitanga, me ngā matea o ngā mokopuna katoa. Kua tae ki te wā kia toro atu te whānau ki te tautoko e tika ana mō ngā kaimahi ki te whakapakari i ngā whakaritenga aromātai. Ka whai hua ngā mokopuna i te wā ka āta whakamaheretia, ka āta whakahaerehia hoki tā rātou ako.  

5. Te Whakatau ki ngā Wāhanga Tautukunga

I te wā o te arotake, i tirohia e Te Tari Arotake Mātauranga ngā pūnaha ki te whakahaere i ngā wāhanga e whai ake nei, arā, ki:

• te haumaru ā-whatumanawa, tae atu ki te ārahi mauritau me te ārai tamariki

• te haumaru ā-tinana, tae atu ki te mātakitaki tamariki, ngā whakaritenga whakamoe, ngā aituā, te whāngai rongoā; me ngā kaupapa here, ngā tukanga hoki mō ngā haerenga whakawaho

• te tū tika o ngā kaimahi, tae atu ki te tika o ngā tohu mātauranga, ngā mahi arowhai a ngā pirihimana, me te tatauranga ki waenga i te kaiako me te tamaiti 

• ngā whakaritenga ohotata me ngā tikanga ohotata e pā ana ki te rū whenua, te ahi, te waipuke, te tai āniwhaniwha, me te mate urutā.

6. Te Taunakianga

E taunaki ana Te Tari Arotake Mātauranga me te whānau o te kōhanga reo, kia mahi tonu te whānau ki te taha o te tari ā-rohe o Te Poari Matua o Ngā Kōhanga Reo, ki te whakapakari ake i ngā whakaritenga aromātai.

 Darcy Te Hau
Toka ā Nuku
Te Uepū-a-Motu – Māori Services

16 Pipiri, 2022

7. Ngā kōrero e pā ana ki te Kōhanga Reo

1. Introduction

The Education Review Office (ERO) in collaboration with whānau, leaders, kaimahi and their communities develop evaluation insights that foster accountability and improvement, identify progress and build evaluation capability. This report reflects their systems, operations and management practices. ERO reports provide important information for hapū and iwi.

2. Context

Te Kōhanga Reo o Te Hikuwai is located in Rotoiti, near Rotorua. It is licensed to provide all day education and care for 10 mokopuna, including nine aged less than two years at any one time. There are new kaimahi since the previous ERO evaluation in 2018. The whānau primarily connect to Ngāti Pikiao and there are strong whakapapa connections amongst mokopuna, whānau and kaimahi. Whānau are committed to preserving Ngāti Pikiao stories, dialect and identity.

ERO’s May 2022 evaluation of whakahaere practices found the whānau managed the kōhanga reo well and mokopuna were provided with an environment where Pikiaotanga was promoted and nurtured. The evaluation also identified the need for kaimahi to improve programme evaluation.

3. Evaluation Focus

How well do mokopuna express their understanding of Pikiaotanga?

Mokopuna demonstrate confidence and understanding of who they are and where they belong.

4. Findings - Mana Mokopuna

Mokopuna participate in learning where te reo Māori is priority. Kaimahi and whānau are committed to maintaining a te reo Māori environment. They use a range of language strategies that support mokopuna language development. These include repetition, modelling correct language structure, prompts, rotarota and waiata. Mokopuna have opportunities to take part in formal and informal settings. They hear the language of the paepae, kuia, kaumatua and different kaupapa. Pepe use non-verbal gestures to express their understanding. Mokopuna are well supported as developing speakers of te reo Māori.

Mokopuna wellbeing and belonging are a priority. Local waiata and pūrākau reinforce learning about who they are and where they come from. The regular presence of kuia is a distinctive feature of the kōhanga reo. Mokopuna observe tikanga and kawa across a range of kaupapa such as powhiri and whakatau. Mokopuna experience situations where they make connections in their community. Mokopuna are developing an understanding of their identity and connections to Ngāti Pikiao.

Mokopuna learn in an environment where relationships are meaningful. They enjoy a programme that is familiar and predictable. They experience love and care from kaimahi, whānau and each other. Interactions with kaimahi are purposeful. They constantly affirm mokopuna successes. Kaimahi provide activities and experiences to enhance mokopuna learning. Whanaungatanga underpins all interactions. Mokopuna are settled and happy in their kōhanga environment.

Key Next Steps

Programme evaluation continues to require strengthening to be assured it responds to the strengths, interests and needs of all mokopuna. It is time for whānau to seek support for kaimahi to strengthen evaluation practice. Mokopuna benefit when their learning is well-planned and managed.

5. Assurance on Legal Requirement

During the evaluation, ERO looked at systems for managing the following areas:

• emotional safety including positive guidance and child protection

• physical safety including supervision, sleep procedures, accidents, medication, excursion policy and procedures

• suitable staffing including appropriate qualifications, police vetting, ratios

• emergency procedures and practices for earthquakes, fire, flood, tsunami and pandemic.

6. Recommendation

ERO and the kōhanga reo whānau recommends whānau continue to  work alongside the tari-a-rohe to strengthen evaluation practices.

Darcy Te Hau
Toka-ā-Nuku – Director
Te Uepū ā-Motu – Māori Review Services

16 June 2022

7. Information about the Kōhanga Reo