Te Wiri Kohanga Reo is a Māori-language kindergarten at 27 Kerrs Road in the rural settlement of Te Kohanga, Franklin, with a 4.5 Google rating and details on the national kohanga.ac.nz website.
A kohanga reo works as a language nest: tamariki from babies up to school age spend their days immersed in te reo Māori through waiata, play and ordinary routines, so the language is absorbed the way a first language is. What sets a kohanga apart from other early childhood services is whānau involvement — parents help out and often learn the reo alongside their children, so fluency at home isn't expected. When comparing centres, visit during a session, listen to how much spoken Māori the kaiako use, and ask where tamariki usually move on, often to kura kaupapa.
For whānau in Te Kohanga and the wider Franklin district, this nest on Kerrs Road offers local tamariki a start in te reo close to home.