Kōrero: Ethnic and religious intolerance

Pre-schooler Archi Rangi examines the 10th-anniversary birthday cake of the Kōkiri Pukeatua kōhanga reo in Wainuiomata in April 1992. It had been the first to open after the Department of Maori Affairs began the kōhanga reo movement in 1981. Kōhanga reo were 'language nests' to assist Māori pre-schoolers to learn their language and traditions. The initiative was an important development in the recovery of Māori culture during the 1980s and 1990s. By 1994 there were over 800 kōhanga reo.