8 Church Road, Kaitaia
View on mapKua mahi ngātahi Te Tari Arotake Mātauranga me ngā kaiārahi, ngā whānau, ngā kaiako me ngā hapori o ngā Puna Reo me ngā Whare Kōhungahunga 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.
Tiakina te tuakiri o te mokopuna, te rito e tū ana tōna taiao, ki tōna tūrangawaewae
Ko Te Rito Te Whare Reo tētahi o ngā Puna Reo Māori e whā o te umanga taunaha tāpui o Te Rito, ā, ko rātou hoki ngā kaiwhakahaere. Kei Kaitāia te puna reo e tū ana. Ka taea e ngā mokopuna me ngā whānau te whai tonu te mātauranga rumaki reo Māori ki Te Rito, Te Kura Taiao, ā, kua pou herea ki te mātauranga o tō rātou hapū me tō rātou iwi. E whakarato ana tētahi Kāhui Whakahaere i te tautoko i roto i te marautanga, te whakaako, me te whakahaere tari, hei hāpai i ngā kaimahi o te puna reo.
Ka whakatupu, ka whakapuaki ngā mokopuna i tō rātou tuakiri mā te hōhonutanga o ō rātou hononga me ō rātou wheako i te taiao me te puna reo.
E poipoia ana te Muriwhenuatanga o ngā mokopuna mā tā rātou toro atu ki ngā kaupapa e arahina ana e te maramataka, e ngā mātauranga o tō rātou iwi, e ngā akoranga hoki i ahu mai ai i te taiao. Kua pou herea te tikanga whakaaro me ngā kaupapa o te puna reo e Te Whāriki, The New Zealand Early Childhood Curriculum, ā, kua whakaaweawetia ki ngā wawata o te whānau, te hapū, me te iwi mō ā rātou mokopuna. Ko te takunetanga ki te whakamahere mā ngā kaupeka, me te pupū ake anō hoki o ngā wheako ako i te puna reo, ki tua atu hoki, e whakaongaonga ana i te taha pākiki o ngā mokopuna, me tā rātou whai wāhi nui ki te ao tūroa me te ao wairua. Kua whakatōngia te reo Māori, ngā tikanga Māori, ngā waiata, ngā mahi toi, me ngā rongoā Māori ki ngā kaupapa, ā, koia nei te hōhonutanga o te tūāpapa mō te tupu torowhānui me te tupu ā-ahurea. E whanake ana ngā mokopuna ki te whai wāhi nui ki te ao Māori mā te ngākau titikaha, ā, e tautāwhi ana i ngā hītori o ō rātou whānau, ō rātou hapū, me ō rātou iwi.
E taunga haere ana ngā kaitiaki ki ngā pūkenga o ō rātou hoa mahi, ā, e whakawhanake ana i te māramatanga ngātahi ki ngā whakaakoranga. Ka kitea ki ngā mokopuna tō rātou manawa reka i a rātou e tūhura ana i te taiao, ā, e whai wāhi atu ana ki ngā taumahi me ngā wheako e ngākau nui ana ki a rātou. Ka noho ngā kaitiaki ki te taha o ngā pēpi i a rātou e kai ana, ā, he wā papai tēnei mō te waiata me ngā taunekeneke e whai pūtake ana. Kei te pākiki ngā tēina, ka pakirehua, ka whakamātau, ā, he manawa whakahī ō rātou ki te tohatoha ki ētahi atu. Kei te mauritau ngā mokopuna, ā, ka kitea tō rātou tino aronga toi whenuatanga ki tō rātou puna reo.
He pai te ārahi a te kāhui whakahaere i te aromātai o roto. Kei te tino māramahia, kei te whakatutukihia hoki te arotake whaiaro mō te takohanga me te whakapaitanga. He tino kaha te kāhui whakahaere me ngā kaitiaki hei mātanga whakaaro huritao. Kua pou herea ngā whakataunga me ngā mahi whakawhanake ki ngā aronga kaupapa Māori. Tū ai ngā wānanga i ia te wā ki te arotake me te aromatawai i te Marau-ā-Puna Reo, ki te taha tonu o te kounga o ngā whakaakoranga me te ako a ngā mokopuna, tō rātou whakawhanaketanga hoki. Hei hapori ako whānui tonu o Te Rito, ka whakaaro huritao rātou i ia te wā mō te āhua o tō rātou hāpai i ngā wawata o te hapū me te iwi mō te tūhono atu ki te whenua me te tuakiri, me te whai wāhi atu ki te whakarauoratanga o te reo Māori.
Tū ai ngā wānanga whakawhanaketanga ngaio, whakapakari āheinga hoki i ia te wā mō ngā kaitiaki me te kāhui whakahaere, ā, ka aro nui, ka whai pānga tika hoki ki ia kaimahi me ngā horopaki. Ka toro atu rātou ki ngā aronga kaupapa Māori e hāpai ana i te whakawhanaketanga o tā rātou ake tikanga ako me ngā wawata o te katoa e whakatairanga ai i te Muriwhenuatanga o ngā mokopuna me ngā whānau. E whakatutukihia ana ngā wawata o ngā whānau mō ā rātou mokopuna mā te whakatinanatanga papai o te kaupapa o Te Rito me ngā wheako o tō rātou puna reo. Ka whakapuakihia ngā mōhiohio e whai hua ana, ā, he whai wāhitanga anō hoki mō ngā whānau ki te hāpai i te ako a ā rātou mokopuna i te ao Māori. Ko te papai o ngā pūnaha me ngā whakaritenga e hāpai ana i te rere pai o ngā whakahaeretanga ki te puna i ia rā.
“Kia tū hei poutokomanawa”
E whakapakari haere ana te māramatanga o ngā kaitiaki ki ngā tūmanako whakaako. Ko te whakaritenga ka whai ake, ko te whakamahi i te aromātai o roto e whai hua ai ki te tūhura i te whakapūmautanga o ngā kaitiaki i tētahi taiao haumaru e poipoi ana i te mokopuna, mā te aronga ki te whakapakari ake i ō rātou pūkenga kia tū hei ‘Poutokomanawa’. E tautoko ana te aromātai a Te Tari Arotake Mātauranga i taua tūāhuatanga hei whakaritenga kia whai ake, kia whakatairanga tonuhia ngā pūkenga me te mātanga o ngā kaitiaki, me te tuakiritanga, te ako, me te waiora o ngā mokopuna.
I te wā o te arotake, i tirohia e Te Tari Arotake Mātauranga ngā pūnaha o te ratonga ki te whakahaere i ngā wāhanga e whai pānga nui ai ki te waiora o ngā tamariki, arā, ki:
Ko te tikanga, ka whakatairanga ngā ratonga mātauranga kōhungahunga katoa i te hauora me te haumaru o ngā tamariki, ā, ka arotake i ia te wā i tā rātou whakatutukitanga i ngā herenga ā-ture.
I whakatau tahi Te Tari Arotake Mātauranga me te Kāhui Whakahaere; kia wānanga ngā kaitiaki me te kāhui whakahaere ki te tūhura, te whakawhanake, me te whakatinana i ngā tūmanako me ngā whakaritenga o te Poutokomanawa, hei whakatairanga ake tonu i ngā putanga ki ngā mokopuna me ngā whānau.
Tiwana Hibbs
Toka ā Nuku
Te Uepū ā-Motu – Māori Review Services
24 Pipiri, 2025
| Te tūwāhi | Kei Kaitāia, ki te Tai Tokerau | ||
| Te tau a te Tāhuhu o te Mātauranga | 47549 | ||
| Te tūmomo raihana | He Ratonga Mātauranga me te Atawhai | ||
| Te raihana | Ngā Ture Mātauranga (Ratonga Kōhungahunga) 2008 | ||
| Te tokomaha mō te raihana | 50 ngā tamariki, kia 20 ki raro i te rua o ngā tau | ||
| Te tokomaha kei runga i te rārangi ingoa | 30 ngā tamariki, tokowhitu kei raro i te rua o ngā tau | ||
| Ngā hononga ā-iwi | Māori 30 | ||
| Te ōrau o ngā kaimahi kua whakawhiwhia ki ngā tohu mātauranga | 50-79% | ||
| Te tatauranga i pūrongotia ai, ki waenga i ngā kaimahi me ngā tamariki | Ki raro i te rua o ngā tau | 1:3 | He pai ake i ngā herenga tikanga mōkito |
| Ki runga ake i te rua tau | 1:6 | He pai ake i ngā herenga tikanga mōkito | |
| Te wā i te whare kōhungahunga te rōpū arotake | Paenga-whāwhā 2025 | ||
| Te wā o tēnei pūrongo | 24 Pipiri 2025 | ||
| Ngā pūrongo o mua a Te Tari Arotake Mātauranga | Arotake Mātauranga, Poutū-te-rangi 2021 | ||
The Education Review Office (ERO) in collaboration with Puna Reo or Whare Kōhungahunga leaders, whānau, kaiako and their communities develop evaluation insights that foster accountability and improvement, identify progress and build evaluation capability.
Tiakina te tuakiri o te mokopuna, te rito e tū ana i tōna taiao, i tōna tūrangawaewae
Nurture the identity of the child, the centre shoot that stands in their environment, their place of belonging.
Te Rito Te Whare Reo is one of four immersion Māori Puna Reo owned and operated by Te Rito Limited. The puna reo is in Kaitaia. Mokopuna and whānau can continue their immersion in te reo Māori education at Te Rito, Te Kura Taiao, underpinned by the mātauranga of their hapū and iwi. A Kāhui Whakahaere provide curriculum, teaching and administrative support to the puna reo staff.
Mokopuna cultivate and express their tuakiri through the rich connections and experiences they have in the taiao and the puna reo.
Mokopuna Muriwhenuatanga is fostered through their engagement in kaupapa guided by the maramataka, their iwi mātauranga and taiao (nature) based learning. The puna reo philosophy and kaupapa are underpinned by Te Whāriki, The New Zealand Early Childhood Curriculum and influenced by the aspirations whānau, hapū and iwi have for their mokopuna. Intentional seasonal planning, and spontaneous learning experiences in the puna reo and beyond, stimulate mokopuna curiosity and engagement with the natural and spiritual world. Te reo Māori, tikanga Māori, waiata, mahi toi and rongoā Māori are seamlessly embedded in the kaupapa providing a rich foundation for holistic and cultural growth. Mokopuna are developing as confident participants in te ao Māori and embrace their whānau, hapū and iwi histories.
Kaitiaki are becoming familiar with each other's skills and are developing a shared understanding for teaching. Mokopuna display fascination as they explore their taiao and engage in activities and experiences that interest them. Kaitiaki sit alongside pēpi as they kai, this provides a pleasant opportunity for waiata and meaningful interactions. Tēina are curious, make inquiries, experiment and are proud to share with others. Mokopuna are comfortable and display a strong sense of belonging in their puna reo.
The kāhui whakahaere guide internal evaluation well. Self-review for accountability and improvement is well understood and carried out. The kāhui whakahaere and kaitiaki are highly reflective practitioners. Kaupapa Māori approaches underpin decision-making and improvement actions. Regular wānanga sessions are held to review and assess the Marau ā-Puna Reo, alongside the quality of teaching and mokopuna learning and development. As a wider Te Rito learning community, they constantly reflect on how well they serve hapū and iwi aspirations to connect to the whenua and tuakiri, and to contribute to the revitalisation of te reo Māori.
The wānanga practices for professional development and building capability among individual kaitiaki and the kāhui whakahaere are intentionally iterative, responsive, and contextually appropriate. They seek out kaupapa Māori approaches that support the development of their unique pedagogy, and the collective aspirations held to enhance mokopuna and whānau Muriwhenuatanga. Whānau aspirations for their mokopuna are being realised through the successful implementation of Te Rito kaupapa and their puna reo experiences. Useful information is shared and whānau have opportunities to contribute to their mokopuna learning in te ao Māori. Systems and practices contribute to the smooth day to day operation of the puna reo.
“Kia tū hei poutokomanawa”
There is growing strength in kaitiaki understanding of teaching expectations. The next step is to continue to use effective internal evaluation to explore how well kaitiaki uphold a safe, nurturing environment with a focus on strengthening their capacity to stand as ‘Poutokomanawa’. The ERO evaluation supports this next step to continually extend kaitiaki capability and expertise, to further enhance mokopuna tuakiritanga, learning and wellbeing.
During the evaluation, ERO looked at the service’s systems for managing the following areas that have a potentially high impact on children's wellbeing:
All early childhood services are required to promote children's health and safety and to regularly review their compliance with legal requirements.
ERO and the Kāhui Whakahaere agreed that Kaitiaki and the Kāhui Whakahaere will wānanga to explore, develop and implement Poutokomanawa expectations and practices to further enhance outcomes for mokopuna and whānau.
Tiwana Hibbs
Toka ā Nuku - Director
Te Uepū ā-Motu – Māori Review Services
24 June 2025
| Location | Kaitaia, Northland | ||
| Ministry of Education profile number | 47549 | ||
| Licence type | Education & Care Service | ||
| Licensed under | Education (Early Childhood Services) Regulations 2008 | ||
| Number licensed for | 50 children, including up to 20 aged under 2 | ||
| Service roll | 30 children, including 7 aged under 2 | ||
| Ethnic composition | Māori 30 | ||
| Percentage of qualified teachers | 50-79% | ||
| Reported ratios of staff to children | Under 2 | 1:3 | Better than minimum requirements |
| Over 2 | 1:6 | Better than minimum requirements | |
| Review team on site | April 2025 | ||
| Date of this report | 24 June 2025 | ||
| Most recent ERO report | Akanuku Assurance Review, March 2021 | ||
ERO’s Akanuku | Assurance Review reports provide information about whether a service meets and maintains regulatory standards. Further information about Akanuku | Assurance Reviews is included at the end of this report.
Regulatory standards | ERO’s judgement |
| Curriculum | Meeting |
| Premises and facilities | Meeting |
| Health and safety | Meeting |
| Governance, management and administration | Meeting |
At the time of the review, ERO found the service was taking reasonable steps to meet regulatory standards.
Te Rito, Te Whare Reo is one of two centres owned and operated by the service provider. All students are Māori and most whākapapa to Te Hiku o te Ika, Muriwhenua. The centre has two learning spaces for different age groups of children. This is the first ERO review of this centre that opened in September 2018.
The service curriculum acknowledges and reflects the unique place of Māori as tangata whenua. Children are given the opportunity to develop their knowledge of the cultural heritages of both parties to Te Tiriti o Waitangi. The curriculum respects and supports the right of each child to be confident in their own culture and encourages children to understand and respect other cultures.
Adults engage in meaningful, positive interactions with children to enhance learning and nurture reciprocal relationships. The design and layout of the premises support the provision of different types of indoor and outdoor experiences.
A key next step is for kaiako to identify and enact teaching strategies to extend the complexity of younger children’s play.
The next ERO review is likely to be an Akarangi | Quality Evaluation.
Steve Tanner
Director Review and Improvement Services (Northern)
Northern Region | Te Tai Raki
2 March 2021
| Early Childhood Service Name | Te Rito, Te Whare Reo |
| Profile Number | 47549 |
| Location | Kaitaia |
| Service type | Education and care service |
| Number licensed for | 40 children, including up to 10 aged under 2. |
| Percentage of qualified teachers | 80%+ |
| Service roll | 40 |
| Ethnic composition | Māori 40 |
| Review team on site | December 2020 |
| Date of this report | 2 March 2021 |
| Most recent ERO report(s) | First ERO review of the service |
All services are licensed under the Education (Early Childhood Services) Regulations 2008. The legal requirements for early childhood services also include the Licensing Criteria for Education and Care Services 2008.
Services must meet the standards in the regulations and the requirements of the licensing criteria to gain and maintain a licence to operate.
All early childhood services are required to promote children’s health and safety and to regularly review their compliance with legal requirements. Before the review, the staff and management of a service completed an ERO Centre Assurance Statement and Self-Audit Checklist. In these documents they attested that they have taken all reasonable steps to meet their legal obligations related to:
As part of an Akanuku | Assurance Review ERO assesses whether the regulated standards are being met. In particular, ERO looks at a service’s systems for managing the following areas that have a potentially high impact on children's wellbeing:
As part of an Akanuku | Assurance Review ERO also gathers and records evidence through: