“Speaking te reo Māori with these tamariki is entwined with our practice around tikanga Māori and te ao Māori (the Māori world). Te reo is one way of learning about the Māori world view.
“I see it as our obligation as kaiako to speak as much reo Māori to them as we can, to ensure that tamariki get to learn te reo Māori alongside te reo Pākehā and NZSL,” says Caitlin.
Caitlin says that she is learning alongside the tamariki from the pukapuka (books) they read, the waiata they sing and listen to, and the tīkanga they practice like karakia mō te kai (blessing of food). “This helps me pick up different phrases and kupu. I also learn from whānau and tamariki themselves,” says Caitlin.
Caitlin graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in English Literature and Cultural Anthropology in 2014, before completing her postgraduate diploma in early childhood education (ECE) in 2015. She has taught at University Kids since 2017.
She says that until learning about Te Whāriki, the ECE curriculum, she had a primary-school level understanding of te reo and how it interacts with the world. Her interest was piqued by her papers around Māori assessment and has continued through learning in place alongside the tamariki in her care.
“It’s really good to come to it from a curious perspective, and that is part of our role as kaiako to implement the Te Whāriki curriculum. The way we do this with our under-twos might look like encouraging tamariki to show manaakitanga, to treat one another kindly.
“And when we set up our outside area we talk about how Atua Māori like Tāwhirimātea and Tāne Māhuta impact where we place our learning experiences with the tamariki.”
The centre engages parents and whānau in supporting their children’s learning, through celebration of Matariki and Waitangi Day as a community. “Leading up to these events, tamariki will be practicing waiata at home. We often get parents asking what these particular words might be—especially for the younger ones, where their language skills are very fluid.”
Kristina Keogh, Associate Director, Communications, has her son Max at the centre, and she says she values how Caitlin interacts with him in te reo Māori. She has seen the impact of her sharing her reo with him and his fellow classmates.
“I was blown away one morning when I was dropping Max off and Caitlin asked him a question in te reo. He understood what she was saying without any translation and he happily followed her instructions.
“Max’s exposure to te reo from such a young age has inspired me to improve on my knowledge, and I am working on being more confident using what I do know every day—and especially in my conversations with him.
“I am sure one day very soon he will be teaching me new words and phrases.”
Caitlin notes that the word kaiako itself acknowledges the reciprocity of the relationship with tamariki. “You aren’t just imparting knowledge, you are learning from them as well within this relationship.”
“I get excited when I am asking tamariki to do something in te reo Māori and they completely understand, or they respond. I love it also when they make connections between te reo Māori and te reo Pākehā, and translate back to me.”
Caitlin is looking forward to the reopening of Te Herenga Waka marae, and being able to show the tamariki our living building next year once it has opened.
“Revitalising te reo is one of our roles as educators. If we can keep on emphasising its importance, imagine how much our tamariki will benefit, and how they will lead in the next generation.”
Championing te reo Māori for tamariki
The unique cultures and languages of Aotearoa are valued at Te Herenga Waka’s early childhood centres, University Kids.