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15/10/2025
Thomas Irving
[FYI request #32224 email]
Tēnā koe Thomas
OIA: 1353343 – Courses to study te reo made available to teachers since cancelling Te Ahu
o Te Reo
Thank you for your email of 4 September 2025 to the Minister of Education that was transferred to
the Ministry of Education (the Ministry) on 17 September 2025 requesting the following information:
1. Which new fully funded courses to study te reo have you made available to teachers
since cancelling Te Ahu o Te Reo?
2. What is the uptake rate of these courses? (To be clear how many total educators
are enrolled in and completing these courses?)
3. What evidence do you have that they are more effective than those offered under
Te Ahu o Te Reo?
Your request has been considered under the Of icial Information Act 1982 (the Act).
Following the conclusion of Ministry funding for the Te Ahu o te reo Māori programme (Te Ahu),
the Ministry has been working on Te Reo Māori initiatives for the Education Sector. At present
these are stil in their development stages, therefore:
• No Ministry-funding te reo courses like Te Ahu are currently running.
• There is no available data on uptake rates or evidence of effectiveness.
Your request is therefore refused under section 18(e) of the Official Information Act, as the
information does not exist.
Budget 2025 strengthens ongoing work to deliver equitable resourcing of a bilingual education
system and delivers on the Māori Education Action Plan to support Māori learner success through
te reo Māori across the education system.
A total of $14.7 million will train and support up to 51,000 teachers and kaiako in schools and kura
to develop their skil s in te reo Māori and tikanga. This initiative is aimed at those who wish to use
and teach te reo Māori in the classroom. An online programme wil provide access to learning and
Wellington National Office, 1 The Terrace, Levels 5 to 14, Wellington 6011
PO Box 1666, Wel ington 6140, DX SR51201 Phone: +64 4 463 8000
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resources for many more teachers than would be possible through traditional, in-person delivery.
This initiative is expected to begin in 2026 and wil be advertised on the Government Electronic
Tender Service (GETS) in late October.
Further details about upcoming Te Reo Māori professional learning and development (PLD)
opportunities wil be shared with the sector and the public over the coming months. You have the
right to ask an Ombudsman to review my decision on your request, in accordance with section 28
of the Act. You can do this by writing to
[email address] or to Of ice of the
Ombudsman, PO Box 10152, Wellington 6143.
Thank you again for your email. If you have further questions, please feel free to contact our media
team in the first instance at
[email address].
Nāku noa, nā
Rowan Brickell
Acting General Manager, Te Uepū Reo Māori
Te Mahau | Te Poutāhū (Curriculum Centre)
OIA: 1353343
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