Story: Te reo Māori – the Māori language

The first kōhanga reo

The first kōhanga reo

In 2012 Pukeatua kōhanga reo (language-learning nest) in Wainuiomata – the first kōhanga to open in New Zealand – celebrated its 30th anniversary. Assistant manager Trina Maxwell is shown at Pukeatua with her daughter, Shona-May, in 2007. As a two-year-old, Maxwell had attended the kōhanga reo in its early days, when her nanny, Jean Harrison, was a kaiako (teacher). Kōhanga reo originated with the idea that elders would teach children te reo Māori in an immersion environment.

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Fairfax NZ, Dominion Post
Reference: 626814617
Photograph by Maarten Holl

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How to cite this page:

Rawinia Higgins and Basil Keane, 'Te reo Māori – the Māori language - Revitalising te reo, 1970s and 1980s', Te Ara - the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, http://www.TeAra.govt.nz/en/photograph/41086/the-first-kohanga-reo (accessed 25 April 2024)

Story by Rawinia Higgins and Basil Keane, published 5 Sep 2013, updated 1 Sep 2015