West Auckland kōhanga reo in desperate need of support turns to Givealittle

One of the pictures from Te Kōhanga Reo o Kākāriki's Givealittle page.

Te Kōhanga Reo o Kākāriki is desperately trying to raise at least $35,000 to keep its doors open in Glen Eden, Auckland.

In a Givealittle page set up to help raise pūtea (funding), the kōhanga says it was “holding on for survival” in September last year when its school roll fell to just three tamariki (children) and two staff members “through the impacts of tragedy and Covid-19″.

It’s bounced back now to 25 tamariki and the school community is thriving once again, through the “huge efforts” of whānau and staff, but it is suffering the downstream financial effects of the earlier decline in numbers and next month won’t be able to make ends meet.

“However, because funding is tied to tamariki numbers we are now experiencing the financial impact of the previous decline of our roll and we will not be able to cover our costs through May and June,” it said on its Givealittle page.

While the kōhanga is seeking donations to keep afloat, it says “we are looking to do more than survive. We want our kōhanga to thrive and grow”.

“Once our day-to-day costs for the period of May and June are covered, any further funds raised will go towards renovating our whare, modernising our admin systems and updating our educational resources,” says Te Kōhanga Reo o Kākāriki chairman Simon Day, who created the page.

So far, more than $19,500 has been raised towards the kōhanga’s $35,000 goal in the almost three weeks that the page has been live.

“The impact our kōhanga is having on our mokopuna is immense. And the kaupapa of kōhanga reo has never been more vital,” the page says.

“Your donation will mean Te Kōhanga Reo o Kākāriki has a sustainable future and our next generation of mokopuna get to carry te reo Māori into āpōpō.”