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National

Research shows kaupapa Māori learning net positive but Māori still choosing mainstream

Demand for Te Reo Māori education continues to grow across the country as more and more whānau are enrolling their tamariki in kōhanga reo to give them an immersive, kaupapa Māori education.

But many tamariki are not continuing their learning to kura kaupapa Māori. Dr Hana O'Regan from Core Education is part of a research project with Rātā Foundation in Ōtautahi focused on bridging the gap between kōhanga reo and kura.

O'Regan said that they are trying to understand the barriers of the past and of today between whānau, the kohanga and the kura.

O'Regan said research had shown a drastic drop in enrolment from kohanga to kura kaupapa.

Whānau were feeling uninformed about the transition into kura and how they would be in that environment so, because of those barriers and that communication, many would send their children to English-speaking primary schools.

“What are the tools to lift up that communication, take away that fear of the unknown and maintain that kaupapa Māori right the way through?”

National research has shown that Māori students in kaupapa Māori learning settings are more likely to leave school with higher NCEA qualifications and university entrance than Māori learners in English speaking schools.

O'Regan said that there were clear benefits to kaupapa Māori learning.

“Listening to our whanau who are at the coalface of kaupapa Māori movement, it's easy to see why they get those outcomes.”

“It’s not just the language, it’s not just Tikanga, it’s Te Ao Māori”.

“It’s the whole Māori world view that gets supported, it's the whole Māori child whogets nurtured in an environment where they don’t have to come up against any barriers to that."