For the first time in three decades, tamariki will walk through the gates of a kōhanga reo in the Whakatipu this coming Monday.

It follows the official opening of Te Kōhanga Reo o Whakatipu Waimāori in Arrowtown on Sunday, a day co-chairman Brendon McIntosh tells Mountain Scene was “huge and very emotional”.

It was attended by about 150 people, including representatives of the Kōhanga National Trust as well as the whānau of kōhanga in Murihiku, Ōtepoti and even as far afield as Waikato, Tairawhiti and Takapu.

McIntosh says it was an opportunity to thank everyone who’d worked together for the past five years to “make this dream a reality”, and to “create this space for our tamariki who now get to see our culture in action, every day”.

They also “paid homage” to the local Webster family, who started the first kōhanga in Queenstown in 1984 — the latest generation of the family’s among the tamariki in the new kōhanga.

Licensed for 20 children, it’ll start on Monday with 13 tamariki and four kaiako (teachers).

McIntosh says he’s expecting the roll to reach 20 within the next 12 months.

“We welcome any whānau wanting to immerse themselves and their tamariki in te reo Māori to please reach out and join the movement.”