CONTENTS
CONTENTSKōhanga Reo run a total immersion te reo Māori whānau | family programme for mokopuna | young children from birth to 6 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 under the Education (Early Childhood Services) Regulations 2008.The regulations set the minimum standards that must be met to operate.
Education (Early Childhood Services) Regulations 2008 – New Zealand Legislation
To gain and keep a licence, each Kōhanga Reo must demonstrate that they meet these requirements. Licensing criteria are secondary legislation and are used to assess compliance with most of the regulatory standards.
Kōhanga Reo can be either teacher-led or whānau-led. There are no licensing criteria for the qualifications, ratios, and service size standard. Compliance with this standard is assessed directly against the requirements set out in the schedules to the Education (Early Childhood Services) Regulations 2008.
You can find a copy of the licensing criteria to download or print below.
The licensing criteria were last updated on 1 September 2026. The changes reflect the transfer of regulatory functions for early childhood education from the Secretary for Education in the Ministry of Education to the Director of Regulation in the Education Review Office.
You can find a comparison tables showing these changes below.
From 1 September 2026, the Education Review Office (ERO) is responsible for licensing and regulating early childhood education services.
Licensing and regulatory requirements – ERO
Guidance#
Guidance to support implementation of the licensing criteria for individual Kōhanga Reo and the Curriculum framework is available directly from Te Kōhanga Reo National Trust.
