Kohanga reo

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Kohanga reo (Māori: kōhanga reo, meaning language nests) are kindergartens where all instruction is given in the Māori language.

Kohanga reo were initially established in New Zealand in 1982, when there were fears that the Māori language was dying out. The success of the kohanga reo programme is such that they have been followed by primary schools and secondary schools (Te Kura Kaupapa Māori) where Māori is the primary language of instruction.

The success of the concept has led to kohanga reo in New Zealand that instruct in other Pacific languages, eg. Fijian, Rarotongan, Samoan, and Tongan and other countries adopting a similar concept. A notable example being the punana leo established in Hawaii to revitalize the indigenous Hawaiian language.

[edit] External links

• http://www.kohanga.ac.nz/beginning.html
• http://www.ahapunanaleo.org/