Relationship between the Crown and Te Kohanga Reo National Trust
Report to the Ministers of Education and Māori Affairs of the Crown/Kohanga Reo National Trust Joint Working Group to review the relationship between the Crown and Te Kohanga Reo National Trust
Appendix Two: Terms of Reference
Preamble
- The Government and Te Kohanga Reo National Trust (the “Trust”) value their relationship and recognise the role each other plays. The Government in particular recognises the crucial contribution that the kohanga reo movement has made historically to Maori development and language revitalisation.
- The Government and the Trust are committed to working together to ensure the best outcomes for Maori children under 5 in the context of whanau development.
- The Trust’s mission statement is “to preserve Maori culture through ensuring the security, maintenance and quality of te reo, tikanga, me nga ahuatanga Maori by targeting the participation of mokopuna under 5 years old and their whanau into the Kohanga movement.” The Trust also recognises that the revitalisation of te reo Maori and culture in a whanau setting is pivotal for Maori development.
- The Government’s broad early childhood education aims are to:
- improve access to, participation and quality in early childhood education;
- significantly increase Maori participation in quality early childhood education and improve the quality of early childhood education available to Maori.
- The Government is also committed to improving educational outcomes for Maori and supporting whanau, hapu, iwi and Maori development.
Guiding principles
- The Working Group will respect Maori views and choices as citizens and as tangata whenua.
- Te reo me ona tikanga Maori
The Working Group will recognise te reo and nga tikanga Maori as fundamental to the cultural and educational development of Maori children.
- Whanau development
The Working Group will recognise the cultural and educational needs of children in the context of whanau development and the empowerment of iwi.
- Te Korowai and Te Whariki
The Working Group will have regard to the goals and philosophies of Te Korowai and Te Whariki.
Key tasks
- The key tasks of the Working Group will be:-
- to identify those key outcomes which each of the parties is seeking to progress through their mutual relationship;
- to identify any barriers which are currently hindering the parties from achieving those outcomes;
- to recommend the most effective form of relationship between the parties to achieve the desired outcomes; and
- to provide advice on the process and procedures to put this into place.
Membership
- The Working Group will consist of:-
- an independent chairperson;
- 3 members nominated by the Trust; and
- 3 members nominated by the Government.
- Timeline
The Working Group will provide to the Minister of Education and the Minister of Maori Affairs a final report by 31 July 2001.