A kōhanga reo in Waitaha has built a new playground encompassing te ao Māori. Te Kōhanga Reo o Te Kotahitanga ki Waitaha collaborated with whānau to create a playground immersing their tamariki in Te Ao Māori, no matter where they are.
Te Kōhanga Reo o Te Kotahitanga ki Waitaha head kaiako Tanya Mielnik says the space is a chance for their tamariki to immerse themselves into te ao Māori physically.
“The importance is having a safe space but also te ao Māori, te ao Māori-driven and that’s what you can see on our outdoor space. It’s what you would see on a marae and is what’s important to our babies,” she says.
This dream took a little over 10 weeks to become a reality for the Kōhanga Reo o Te Kotahitanga ki Waitaha and was built as a safe haven for its children, enabling them to touch the Māori world.
Te Kōhanga Reo National Trust kaiawhina-a-rohe and mum Nicole Keogh believes this is the perfect way for the children to see and feel what they are taught, as with their pepeha.
“To have that visualisation is also a good way for them to learn as well, rather than repeating what our kaimahi say to them. So just having that visualisation for them to be able to do it themselves, even when they’re out there just playing among themselves, just comes naturally to them.”
Meeting houses, canoes, streams, gardens and even a fortified hub are prominent in this playground, directly aimed at the development of these treasures being nurtured in the kōhanga reo.
A kaiāwhina at the kōhanga, Jaysharay Hume, says she is excited to see the children play and immerse themselves in a space where they can identify the meaning of each landmark.
“Being able to use all of our space that the kids can play on, watching our kids have fun and enjoy the playground and their space, I’m excited to see their smiles and the laughter among them.”
This kōhanga was established in 1984 and is home to 24 children.
Te Kōhanga Reo o Te Kotahitanga ki Waitaha now hopes other language nests around the South Island will similarly immerse their children into the Māori world.
“Having somewhere to go and explore outdoors, bringing in te ao Māori as well, especially for our mokopuna, just giving them more options to be able to go and do more things, rather than just being limited to normal papatākaro outside where they just have a couple of swings, slides and stuff. Here we’ve created a space where it gives them that opportunity to go to whichever space they want to.”
Rātā Foundation support
Rātā Foundation has supported Te Kōhanga Reo National Trust through the South Island funder’s ‘Learn’ priority area. The funding supports building projects at the centres, including upgrading and maintaining playground equipment.
“All tamariki deserve the best start in life, and having access to culturally responsive early-learning education is a big part of that,” Rātā chief executive Leighton Evans says.
“Kōhanga reo helps to set tamariki up for a successful transition to the school environment, and contributes to the revitalisation of te eeo Māori, supporting future generations to thrive.”