1000s Called to Celebrate 40th Birthday of Unique Reo Māori Immersion
ROTORUA, Thursday 17th September 2026 — Aotearoa's longest-running reo Māori immersion course for adult education is turning 40 this November— and thousands of former students from around Aotearoa and the world are being called home to Rotorua to celebrate.
They'll need to be quick. The November celebration is capped at just 500 people.
He Kāinga Mō Te Reo (HKMTR) began 40 years ago and remains the only full-time, FREE te reo Māori immersion programme of its kind. A year of full-time tertiary study for a reo immersion can cost up to $8,500 in fees at university.
Pouako Reo Whaea Tutu Kautai, who has taught at the kura for 30 years, says its accessibility is one of the things that makes He Kāinga Mō Te Reo so special.
Speaking English is not permitted in the building after week three, as this helps tauira problem solve and figure out ways to communicate in the reo, even if they don’t have many kupu/words.
“This enables learners to be speaking within months, not years.
“You can come here without any reo at all, it doesn’t matter what iwi you are from, or whether you are Māori or not, our doors are open to anyone who has a desire to learn. And it’s free - we want people speaking te reo Māori, so we make it as easy as we can,” she says.
He Kāinga Mō Te Reo is an iwi-based initiative, there are three levels of learning, including a level for complete beginners, with the adaptability of including other levels where required.
And four decades after the doors first opened, the kaupapa is not slowing down.
Interest in learning and speaking te reo Māori has grown enormously across Aotearoa. The national goal is for one million New Zealanders to be able and confident to speak at least basic te reo by 2040, yet the 2023 Census recorded just 213,849 people — 4.3 percent of the population — as speakers of te reo Māori.
The kura continues to thrive even as the political environment surrounding te reo Māori and Te Tiriti has become increasingly contested.
But inside this small Rotorua kura, the response remains much the same as it has been for 40 years: kōrero Māori.
He Kāinga Mō Te Reo is about getting people speaking — not sitting behind a desk learning how to write the language.
This famous whakatauākī/proverb speaks to the tikanga of HKMTR, and comes from the late, esteemed Te Wharehuia Milroy, a master and champion of te reo Māori. Whakahokia te reo mai i te mata o te pene, ki te mata o te arero/Bring the language back from the tip of the pen to the tip of the tongue.
Instead of writing or using lots of text books, kaiako use small-coloured math rods laid out on the table to represent various objects and ideas, allowing tauira/students to build spoken sentences they can see, hear and physically understand rather than copying them from a whiteboard or book. This method of learning is called Te Ataarangi*.
“Tauira pick it up the way a child learns their first language — by hearing it, saying it, trying it and being OK with ngā hapa/errors.
“We welcome mistakes, they are met not with criticism, but with aroha, patience, encouragement, smiles and plenty of laughs,” she says.
Organisers say that atmosphere is central to why the method works — creating a place where adults can take risks, make mistakes, feel safe and find their voice in te reo Māori.
“It is all about self-discovery,” says Whaea Tutu.
The 40th anniversary will honour the generations of kaiako and tauira who built the kaupapa, celebrate four decades of language revitalisation, and look towards what the next 40 years could bring.
“We have a vision to open more HKMTR in the Waiariki region, and eventually move across Aotearoa - this will be one of the discussions at our three-day celebration,” she says.
Former students of He Kāinga Mō Te Reo, along with tauira and members from the wider Te Ataarangi movement, are being invited to return to Rotorua for the birthday. Organisers are encouraging people to register early.
What is Te Ataarangi?
Te Ataarangi was founded in the late 1970s by Dame Kāterina Te Heikōkō Mataira and Ngoi Pēwhairangi, who adapted the “Silent Way” language-teaching approach developed by educator Caleb Gattegno specifically for te reo Māori and Māori learners.
Its distinctive rākau method uses coloured rods and spoken interaction to teach language without relying on translation or written instruction.
Te Ataarangi emerged at a critical time for te reo Māori, alongside movements including Kōhanga Reo and Kura Kaupapa Māori, as Māori communities responded to generations of language loss and suppression within the education system.
Registration
The 40th anniversary Te Hui Whānui will be held from Friday 13 to Sunday 15 November 2026 at Toi Ohomai, 1 Mokoia Drive, Tihiotonga, Rotorua. The kaupapa for the weekend is hākinakina/ngahau (sport and entertainment), with activities planned for kaumātua, pakeke and tamariki.
Registrations close at 5:00 pm on 11 October 2026. Places are limited to 500 people, so early registration is encouraged. Please email waiariki@teataarangi.org.nz to register or for any further questions/information.
For more information
Bee Tapsell
Whare Creative
027 553 3929
b@villagenz.com
