Licensing criteria for kōhanga reo

Kōhanga reo run a total immersion te reo Māori whānau (family) programme for mokopuna (young children) from birth to six years of age to be raised within its whānau Māori, where the language of communication will be Māori.

The operation and decision making of each kōhanga reo are the responsibility of the whole whānau within the guidelines set down by Te Kōhanga Reo National Trust Board. The trust and the kōhanga reo whānau administer the kaupapa to ensure the safety and wellbeing of the mokopuna and the whānau and to ensure the survival of te reo Māori.

Kōhanga reo are currently chartered to Te Kōhanga Reo National Trust and licensed by the Ministry of Education under the Education (Early Childhood Services) Regulations 2008.

Education (Early Childhood Services) Regulations 2008(external link)

The Ministry does not provide guidance for the kōhanga reo licensing criteria. Guidance is available upon request directly from Te Kōhanga Reo National Trust.

Contact – Te Kōhanga Reo National Trust(external link)

A copy of the criteria can be downloaded from the right-hand column.

The licensing criteria were last updated in September 2022.

Te Marau | Curriculum

43 Curriculum standard: general

(1) The curriculum standard: general is the standard that requires every licensed service provider to whom this regulation applies to—

(a) plan, implement, and evaluate a curriculum that is designed to enhance children’s learning and development through the provision of learning experiences and that is consistent with any curriculum framework prescribed by the Minister that applies to the service; and that -

(i) responds to the learning interests, strengths, and capabilities of enrolled children; and

(ii) provides a positive learning environment for those children; and

(iii) reflects an understanding of learning and development that is consistent with current research, theory, and practices in early childhood education; and

(iv) encourages children to be confident in their own culture and develop an understanding, and respect for, other cultures; and

(v) acknowledges and reflects the unique place of Māori as tangata whenua; and

(vi) respects and acknowledges the aspirations of parents, family, and whānau; and

(b) make all reasonable efforts to ensure that the service provider collaborates with the parents and, where appropriate, the family or whānau of the enrolled children in relation to the learning and development of, and decision making about, those children; and

(c) obtain information and guidance from agencies with expertise in early childhood learning and development, to the extent necessary, to -

(i) support the learning and development of enrolled children; and

(ii) work effectively with parents and, where appropriate, family or whānau.

(2) Each licensed service provider to whom this regulation applies must comply with the curriculum standard: general.

The criteria in this standard have been grouped together by topic. Each criterion has also been given a short, descriptive title. The titles are provided only to help you navigate around more easily on the website – they do not form part of the criteria themselves.

In this section

See the documentation required for all the above criteria.