Kua tuku tono te Kāwanatanga, kia poroa ngā pūtea ki ngā pouhāpai reo matatini, reo Māori anō hoki. Engari, e ai ki tētahi kaiako, kātahi te mahi rorirori ko tēnei.

“He mahi heahea rawa atu tā te minita me ana apataki,” te kī a Diane Tunoho (Ngāti Raukawa ki te Tonga, Ngāti Raukawa ki Wharepuhunga).

“He karere ohorere [i] te mea kāre te minita [i] paku whakamārama mai ki a mātau kei te aha, he aha a rātau hiahia.”

Koni atu i te 20 tau a Tunoho e mahi ana hei pouhāpai reo Māori.

Hei tāna, “Ko a mātau tino mahi hei manaaki i te kaiako - kia mātua mōhio te kaiako ki āna mahi, kia rere pai haere tana whakaako i te tamaiti.”

Ngā whāinga a Te Tāhuhu o te Mātauranga

In a statement to Te Ao Māori News, the Ministry of Education (MoE) said the funding reallocation is intended to create a greater sense of independence for ākonga.

“As part of the Government’s strategy to lift achievement, close the equity gap, and deliver on its education priorities, significant and ongoing investments are being made to support structured literacy teaching, Rangaranga Reo ā-Tā, and capability-building across the education system,” said MoE spokesperson Pauline Cleaver.

She says evaluations have highlighted inconsistencies in the provision of Resource Teachers: Literacy and Resource Teachers: Māori, with support levels varying across schools and kura.

“In response, we are rolling out a knowledge-rich national curriculum for English and Māori medium, as well as Kaupapa Māori education.”

Engari hei tā ngā tatauranga - 110 ngā pouhāpai reo matatini i Aotearoa nei, ā, e 48 ngā pouhāpai reo Māori.

“Mā wai ngā kaiako Māori e manaaki? Mā wai a tātau tamariki mokopuna e manaaki kia eke ki te tihi o angitū?” te kī a Tunoho.

“Ki te kore, ka noho pōnānā ngā kaiako. Kāre ngā tauira e kai ana i ngā hua reka rawa atu o ngā rauemi.”

Nō te wiki kua pahure, kōrero atu ai a Rāwiri Wright, heamana takirua o Te Rūnanga Nui o Ngā Kura Kaupapa Māori ki a Irirangi Aotearoa, ā, ko tāna e hōhā ana ia ki tā te Tāhuhu whai whakaaro ki ngā kura Māori

“We have been short-changed, not only by this government, but by previous governments in terms of adequate funding and resourcing in order to protect, promote, and develop this option,”

“As the minister has said herself that is where the huge successes are being seen for tamariki Māori in education, all of the disparities and the underachievement statistics that are being talked about are not from kaupapa Māori education settings such as Kura Kaupapa Māori and Kura a iwi, but they are from mainstream settings."

‘Me tuku urupare rānei ngā kura katoa?’

Ahakoa wēnei tono a te Kāwana, ko te Minita o te Mātauranga ko Erica Stanford tonu tērā e whakanui ana i te hiranga o ngā kura Māori.

Hei tā Tunoho, “It is completely contradictory - pretending to celebrate Māori in education, Māori in schools and then taking away the resources that makes them. It just doesn’t make sense at all.”

Kua tono atu Te Tāhuhu o te Mātauranga ki ngā kura katoa o te motu - Māori mai, auraki mai - kia tuku urupare rātau ki ēnei panonitanga.

“Te nuinga o ngā kura auraki, kāre rātau i te paku marama, paku mōhio rānei ki ngā mahi a te RTM, engari ka riro mā rātau te kupu whakamutunga.”

“Waihō mā te Māori te Māori e whakatau, e whakahaere, e whakaae ana, e whakahē ana.”

‘More equitable initiatives’ for ākonga

Cleaver says the proposal aims to reallocate $55 million of funding over four years into more equitable education initiatives that will deliver better outcomes for learners.

“This approach seeks to make sure that resources are directed to the children who need them most, at the right time, maximising their impact.”

Tunoho adds, “They’re saying they want to invest in Māori education, but they need to say exactly what that investment looks like, [because] at the moment it’s all just hearsay.”

“What is the plans for the redirection of funding? And what is it for Māori education especially.”

As the proposed changes could lead to changes to school staffing, the MoE says it must notify employing boards about this by 1 March.

Kura has until March 21 to submit feedback, which will be considered before decisions are made as part of Budget 2025.