Demand for te reo Māori education continues to grow across Aotearoa New Zealand. More and more whānau are enrolling their tamariki in kōhanga reo to give them an immersive, kaupapa Māori education.

National education outcomes show that students in kaupapa Māori learning settings are more likely to leave school with higher NCEA qualifications and university entrance than Māori learners in English medium schools – but many tamariki aren’t continuing their learning to kura kaupapa Māori.

“Research shows that nationally around half of tamariki who attend kaupapa Māori Early Years options move on to kaupapa Māori learning settings,” says Dr Hana O'Regan, Tumu Whakarae of CORE Education. “We were driven by the significance that kāupapa Māori education pathways have for te reo Maori regeneration as well as Maori education success.

“We need to remove the barriers to maintaining a kaupapa Māori pathway to set tamariki up for success.”

This is part of an Early Years research project in Ōtautahi Christchurch, which is focused on bridging the gap between kōhanga reo and kura. It’s about helping schools get ready for tamariki and whānau – rather than tamariki and their whānau getting ready for them.

The two-year research project is the result of a partnership between Christchurch-based Rātā Foundation and CORE Education (a research and learning-focused social enterprise) and includes three streams of research – English medium, kaupapa Māori, and Pacific language mediums.

The kaupapa Māori research focuses on how tamariki transition from kōhanga reo to kura; what whānau need to make informed decisions about Māori education for their tamariki; and how kaiako, kōhanga and kura can better support tamariki and whānau.

“A crucial part of this research was understanding the barriers for tamariki and whānau,” says Rātā Foundation Chief Executive, Leighton Evans. “You cannot separate whānau from tamariki – the strength in this project lies in understanding that they are intrinsically connected, they depend on one another.

“It’s not just about simply moving from one learning centre to another, it’s about bridging cultural divisions and understanding the huge role that whānau play as key influencers for tamariki.”

For many Māori, kura is an opportunity for tamariki mokopuna to experience an ongoing kaupapa Māori learning pathway through te reo, and to be in a place where their culture and sense of belonging is encouraged and supported – an opportunity that many whānau haven’t had themselves.

“Some of the parents who took part in this project said that they had dreamed of going to kura and wanted to make sure their tamariki had the kura experience to connect with te ao Māori and their whakapapa that they missed out on,” says Dr O'Regan.

“But we discovered that many whānau are nervous about their own fluency of te reo and knowledge of tikanga Māori, which is a barrier that we haven’t been providing the right support to overcome.”

Four kaiako researchers from two kōhanga reo and two kura in Ōtautahi took part in the research and were supported by researchers from CORE Education. The schools included Te Kura Whakapūmau i te Reo Tūturu ki Waitaha, Te Kura Kaupapa Māori o Te Whānau Tahi, Te Kōhanga Reo o Ōterepo and Te Kōhanga Reo o Te Whānau Tahi.

The research found that whānau and tamariki need more support and resources before starting school about the kura system and their role in it, the enrolment and pre-entry process and what tamariki need to know before their first day at kura.

“Through the project we created various rauemi for whānau and tamariki,” says Tumu Te Aho Māori, Nichole Gully. “One rauemi is a pukapuka with a collection of stories and images about the first days of kura from recent kōhanga reo graduates and kaiako.”

Another key finding was that building genuine connections between kura, kōhanga and kāinga is at the heart of enabling whānau and tamariki to maintain a kaupapa Māori learning pathway.

“The most important part of this research is understanding that learning extends far beyond the classroom and impacts on the whole whānau and even an entire hapori,” says Dr O'Regan.

“It's about challenging all whānau, kaiako and other kaimahi to work together and create an environment where tamariki can be successful.”

Joint media release from Rātā Foundation and CORE Education.

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