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A big tick for a programme that gives tamariki in mainstream schools 30 minutes of exposure to te reo Maori every week.
Education consultants Wyllie & Associates say four out of five teachers at 28 North Shore schools noticed an increase in the level of confidence and self-esteem among Maori tamariki from participating in Te Reo Tuatahi.
The number of tamariki Maori who say they want to learn te reo Maori increased from 33 percent before programme to 81 percent after.
Te Reo Tuatahi founder Raewyn Harrison says the kaupapa is growing, with principals throughout Auckland opening their doors and inquiries from the lower North Island, and it's time it was properly funded.
"There are other programmes happening out there but I don't believe there is one like Te Reo Tuatahi going in to mainstream schools where there is a captive audience of tamariki in the school and where now 95 percent of our Maori whanau are deciding to send their tamariki so this is crucial we have good quality te reo programmes in our schools," she says.
Raewyn Harrison says Te Reo Tuatahi helps Maori students feel valued in their school environment and get a sense of what it means to be Maori.
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