Kia hiwa rā, kia hiwa rā … nei rā te tū manahau e te iwi!
Kua roa nei te wā e noho tahi ana mātou a Ngā Pōtiki ki te taha o Te Tāhuhu o te Mātauranga me he whakaaro kotahi, kia whakatūria he puna reo, kia whāngai te reo ki roto ō tēna ō tēna ō wā mātou tamariki.
He moemoeā kua puāwai, kua whakatinanahia, me kāwea!
Ngā Pōtiki ā Tamapahore Trust is thrilled to announce it will be building a Māori-medium early childhood education centre in Pāpāmoa, in partnership with the Ministry of Education.
The puna reo will be built on land owned by Ngā Pōtiki, in the heart of the Manawa development.
The Ministry of Education announced this month that the Ngā Pōtiki proposal to establish a new early childhood education centre in Pāpāmoa had been successful, and that the Ministry would help fund the project with a substantial grant through its Targeted Assistance for Participation (TAP) programme.
The aim of the TAP programme is to increase access to early childhood education, particularly for Māori, Pacific and whānau in low socio-economic communities.
The puna reo project stemmed from a survey carried out in 2017 by Ngā Pōtiki to understand the educational needs of Māori living in Pāpāmoa.
The survey identified a need for early learning, focused on quality, affordability, and a localised Ngā Pōtiki-centric curriculum, underpinned by te reo Māori.
The underlying theme was a demand for a tamariki-focused, professional early education service that genuinely reflected the iwi community and prepared tamariki for a transition into kura kaupapa Māori.
The puna reo will support Ngā Pōtiki whānau and the broader community by providing a Māori-medium option in Pāpāmoa.
Chairman of Ngā Pōtiki ā Tamapahore Trust, Colin Reeder, thanked the Ministry of Education for its support, as well as the many people who contributed towards the success of this key project milestone, in big ways and small.
“Many hands helped nudge this project along to where it sits today and what will eventually become an amazing community resource.”
The puna reo is the first piece of a Māori-medium education ecosystem that Ngā Pōtiki visualised many years ago.
The Ministry of Education said the puna reo will prioritise tamariki not already participating in early childhood education, from Māori, Pacific and low socio-economic communities in Pāpāmoa and Tauranga.
“Evidence shows how language and culture and support for identity are woven through the early childhood curriculum,” the Ministry said.
“This is enabled by local whānau/hapū/iwi deciding what knowledge should be available and how this should be made accessible. The Ministry will support Ngā Pōtiki through the establishment process.”
Whaowhaotia te reo tongarerewa, kia tū te mana o Ngā Pōtiki.
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