Thousands of tamariki are now on a waitlist to get into kōhanga reo as the demand for full-immersion education soars. The Kōhanga Reo National Trust says it’s been severely underfunded for years and can’t grow if that doesn’t change.
Te Kōhanga Reo o Upokoiri ki Ōmahu in Hawke’s Bay has reopened three years after Cyclone Gabrielle hit the region, causing widespread flooding and devastation.
Located in one of the worst-hit communities, Ōmahu, 10 kilometres north-west of Hastings, their buildings were severely damaged, forcing it to close its doors. This week, they welcomed the return of tamariki to its newly refurbished premises.
Esmae Hungahunga, chairwoman of the kōhanga reo, said it was a significant day for the community that continues to feel the impact of Gabrielle.
“It’s hugely significant because most of them lost everything in Cyclone Gabrielle and the kōhanga was more or less their backstop, so for them, they’re a resilient group and [they] just continue to push forward to start new again.”
The kōhanga is licensed to take on 33 tamariki, she said, and their waitlist is currently “huge”, but they will take who they can take.
“They all want to enrol, and we’ve been getting those queries. Sometimes they get a bit hōhā cause they keep ringing, but I daresay that we will fill up over the next couple of months, maybe?”
‘Two to three hundred in every region’
Heke Huata, general manager for Te Kōhanga Reo National Trust, believed kōhanga graduates like Te Pāti Māori MP Hana-Rawhiti Maipi-Clarke and Te Arikinui Kuini Nga wai hono it te po are inspiring parents to send their kids to kōhanga.
“They’re such great role models for us so who wouldn’t want to be in kōhanga? It’s cool to be in kōhanga.”
The numbers would agree. Te Kōhanga Reo National Trust chairman Raniera Procter said currently there are 9200 tamariki enrolled around the country.
“We were at just over 8000 mokopuna 18 months ago, so there’s been a massive injection of mokopuna – a 12% rise.
“Which comes with its challenges – kaimahi, whare, vans – all of those types of things, but it shows a real desire for Māori to reclaim their culture, heritage, and treasures – reo, tikanga and the like.”
He said long waiting lists were also a nationwide issue where they have a confirmed number of 1200 across 420 kōhanga reo, but because the data is dependent on administrative action, he believed the figure was much higher.
“We just came off the road and we’re talking, two to three hundred in every region, so it’s closer to 2000 as an estimation.”
Whānau in waiting
Auckland mum-of-four Zara Ngapeka has had her three-year-old son on a waitlist for two years and counting.
She said it was important for her that he knows his culture and who he is, and to pass the knowledge on. “So he can carry on hopefully what we do right for them, to carry it on through generations and generations.”
Her two oldest had attended kōhanga reo in Rawene in the Far North, describing the process as an “easy transition”.
In the meantime, she and her daughter are starting a reo course with Te Wānanga o Aotearoa to boost their language capacity – “so we can really get it on a roll for all of us as a whānau”.
She added: “We try and kōrero as much as we can. I’m not fluent, but little is better than nothing.”
What politicians say
Te Pāti Māori MP and kōhanga reo alum Hana-Rawhiti Maipi-Clarke said that was 2000 kids across the motu that have been denied their rights and access to te reo Māori and their culture.
“The raw reality for whānau across the country is that they have to enrol their kids into kōhanga reo when they’re still in the womb.”
She revealed that as a young child she was placed on a waitlist too – “and 20 years later we’re still in the same position that we are in”.
Te Kōhanga Reo National Trust said under-investment by successive governments meant it can’t afford to meet the demand. “Last year we got $4.3 million to solve a 1200-mokopuna problem,” said Procter.
In 2024, the Government announced a $12 million funding boost over four years, adding to an annual baseline of $5 million funding for property maintenance and repairs.
Procter said: “We were able to produce 16 projects, completed work, property programmes – that increased our capacity by about 120 spaces.”
It was a “drop in the right bucket”, he said, but it was a continuation of under-investment into kōhanga reo. “That’s the history of this movement, and so while it’s disappointing, it’s not surprising for us. We survive on the smell of an oily rag.”
Associate Education Minister David Seymour said kōhanga were funded on the number of students. “In terms of capital, we’ve done a bit there. Maybe we’ll do more in the future.”
But many are concerned children will miss out on years of exposure to the language while they wait.
“And unfortunately for the majority of kids across the motu, their parents aren’t fluent language speakers,” said Maipi-Clarke, “and in order to get into wharekura and kura kaupapa or Māori education, you have to have some basic knowledge of te reo.”