Billie Tait-Jones of Ngāi Tūhoe teaches te reo Māori to mothers and their children in 1981 as part of a Te Ataarangi programme at Crossways community centre in Wellington. From left to right are Maria Brocherie and Shane (2), Sue Mihaere and Petera (2), Lorraine Hoff and Rachel (3), and Billie Tait-Jones.
Te Ataarangi is a a community-based te reo Māori learning programme that uses coloured plastic Cuisenaire rods (known in Māori as rākau) as learning aids. Developed by Kāterina Mataira and Ngoi Pēwhairangi the late 1970s, Te Ataarangi started in Tokomaru Bay before spreading throughout Aotearoa New Zealand. The programme continues today.
Community contributions