UN report gives kohanga reo centres a big tick

A UN education report has commended New Zealand's kohanga reo early childhood centres for playing an important role in challenging discrimination and building a more multicultural national identity.

Unesco communications officer, Leila Loupis, said the new report, "Reaching the marginalised", looked at how countries have attempted to improve the education provided to indigenous people.

"We take New Zealand's indigenous language movement as a positive example of having contributed to the expansion of education for Maori children," she said.

The report said kohanga reo have provided a social, political and cultural focal point for the empowerment of Maori and have shown how powerful a revitalised indigenous language can be with educational and social benefits.

"With their ethos of self-help and commitment to continuity across generations, kohanga reo became a source of inspiration for young Maori parents."

The report's findings also showed year 11 Maori students enrolled in kura kaupapa immersion schools did significantly better than Maori in English-language schools.

Kohanga reo are whanau co-operatives where children and families are immersed in an environment where the Maori language can flow.

Dame Iritana Tawhiwhirangi of the Kohanga Reo National Trust said she was not surprised by the UN's findings.

"It was caught, not taught. That is the fundamental principle of kohanga reo," she said.

Te kohanga reo began in 1981 and the first centre, Pukeatua, was opened near Wellington the following year.

The report says there is encouraging evidence that Maori children - especially girls - are catching up with non-Maori, but the achievement gaps remain large.

Maori are more than three times as likely as non-Maori to leave school with no qualifications.

Dr Pita Sharples, Associate Education Minister, said he was really pleased with Unesco's findings and to see the efforts of kohanga reo and kura kaupapa recognised.

"It was created to save the Maori language and in doing so reinvented a Maori way of teaching," he said.

"We've taken it to New Guinea, North American Indians and Hawaii and watched them adapt."