Group co-chairman Brendon McIntosh says a long-term lease of a classroom block at Arrowtown School has been finalised, where the group’s been running a bilingual playgroup, Te Puna Ako o Tahuna, for the past 12 months.
After operating the playgroup at different sites in Queenstown and Arrowtown over the past decade, they’re intent on becoming an officially-recognised kōhanga reo — where children aged from birth to 6 gain total immersion in te reo Maori and customs — by April.
However, first they have to fit out their building to meet Ministry of Education requirements.
Although Te Kōhanga Reo National Trust is paying for 80% of the project, the group needs to raise $300,000 to cover its share, and to fund additional resources and equipment such as an outdoor playground, McIntosh says.
As well as preparing applications to community funders, they’re hoping to get financial support from the wider community.
They’ve applied for resource consent for the work, and have a tender out for a local builder, with the hope of getting it under way early in the new year.
To be called Te Kōhanga Reo o Whakatipu Waimāori, it’ll be open to families from any ethnic or cultural background.
McIntosh says the playgroup is effectively a kōhanga reo already, operating for 10 tamariki every weekday from 9.30am until 12.30pm, but a parent must attend with their tamariki.
He expects the number of children to double once the kōhanga reo is established, because working parents will be able to drop off their children.
- To support the fundraising drive, visit whakatipukohanga.com
