Why cut what’s working?

Last year, the government cut funding to a literacy programme for Pasifika children. 

For a decade, the Pasifika Early Literacy Project had provided reading resources and learning support in Pasifika languages at early childhood centres.

Toru Fetū in Porirua was one kindergarten that received this support. It caters for Cook Islands, Niuean and Tuvalu families.

Here, assistant head teacher Alana Nootai talks to Teuila Fuatai about the loss of the programme.

 

It’s been 16 years since our kindergarten was established by our beautiful and determined mamas.

I’ve been there from the start. Two of the co-founders, our Cook Islands vouvou (elders), got in touch when they were setting it up and told me to come in for an interview.

At the time, I was finishing my early childhood education qualifaction. I also had two children under five.

The vouvou said to me: “This is an opportunity for you to give back to your own community. You’re fluent in the language, you know the culture, you know the customs and traditions. Sooner or later, our language is going to die. Our culture will die. What better place to be invested than one dedicated to nurturing all those things for our children.”

That really resonated with me. Plus, I knew better than to question the two vouvou, who I looked up to and knew well.

I grew up in the Cook Islands, and I’m fluent in my language. I was raised by my grandparents, who taught me about our cultural traditions. I’ve also lived in New Zealand since I was 18. I know that many of us, especially those born and raised here, struggle with keeping that connection and cultural identity.

It’s why the mamas set up our kindergarten in 2010. It’s also why, for the 20 years before that, they ran playgroups for families in their communities. My son, who’s now 21, went to a Cook Islands playgroup as a baby.

Mamas from the Niuean and Tuvalu communities also had their own playgroups. These were run from the garages of our families’ homes and in spare school classrooms. During that time, these Cook Islands, Niue, and Tuvalu grandmothers also earned their early childhood qualifications.

Eventually, they came together and created Toru Fetū, so that the youngest members of our growing communities would have a kindergarten that catered for their unique cultural and learning needs. Whānau Manaaki, the region’s community kindergarten association, and the Ministry of Education supported that vision and process too.

The kaupapa of those groups remained embedded in our kindergarten. We have an environment that nurtures our cultures and languages. We want our children to know what it’s like to learn in a way that reinforces their unique identities from an early age. Particularly because, in Aotearoa, we’re physically removed from our home islands and cultural roots.

From an educator’s perspective, we also know children learn best when they’re taught in a way that’s connected to their identity, home and culture.

For us, that’s where the Pasifika Early Literacy project really hit home. Literally.

The project focused on increasing literacy among Pacific children by supporting reading in different heritage languages as well as English. These are gagana Sāmoa, te gagana Tokelau, lea faka-Tonga, te reo Māori Kuki ‘Airani, and vagahau Niue.

Through the project, we got resources, training and support to improve the literacy of the children in our kindergarten, and their families.

We received books in different Pacific languages. The books had an English translation inside. Over the years, they came to dominate our kindergarten shelves. We’ve been able to act them out for the children and bring them to life. More importantly, our families have been able to access them.

As part of the programme, every year, each child received five books to keep — one in each language. These books would go home with the children. That was particularly valuable for those from a mix of cultures. For example, some children might have Cook Islands, Niuean and Tongan heritage. Our Cook Islands and Niue children were particularly lucky because of the wide variety of books in their heritage languages.

That directly increased the level of literacy in our children’s homes. The kids told us about the stories they read at home. We also heard from their parents and grandparents.

One of our Cook Islands grandfathers said that, before the programme, the only book they had at home in Cook Islands Māori was the Bible. We used to hear that kind of feedback a lot from families, particularly grandparents.

Before the programme, we struggled as a kindergarten because of the lack of language reading resources. We had a few Cook Islands Māori books, but they were quite old and outdated. We had te reo Māori books, too, and that was great. But these weren’t enough to foster sustained literacy learning in our heritage languages.

The storybooks from the literacy programme changed that. We were provided with the Pacific language books we needed. And because the books went home with the children, our families were able to share the resources that are culturally and linguistically relevant to them, and support their children’s learning. That Cook Islands grandfather, for example, was able to read to his moko about fishing and life in the islands — things he did as a child. That’s invaluable for the whole whānau.

Another benefit was the workshops and professional development provided through the programme, for both our teachers and whānau members. Programme facilitators would hold special sessions focused on increasing learning literacy for Pacific children, in our homes and early childhood centres.

Some of the most heartening feedback was from non-Pacific teachers whose centres and schools were part of the programme. Those teachers said the skills and cultural understanding they developed was invaluable in improving their own teaching practice and work with Pasifika children.

I’m so proud of the progress we made as a kindergarten. In October last year, we had an assessment visit from the Education Review Office. One of the observations from the visit was how our heritage languages and cultures were woven deeply into every aspect of the kindergarten environment. That’s a direct result of the Pasifika Early Literacy Project.

Then, in November, we heard the programme had been defunded. Just like that, we were told there’d be no more books and language support for our children and families. The targeted professional development for our teachers would also stop.

It’s been devastating.

This programme was specifically designed to benefit our Pacific children, who we know are generally underserved in New Zealand’s education system. At the same time, the education system is under increased scrutiny because of concerns about the literacy levels of students in Aotearoa. It seems utterly nonsensical to cut a programme that directly addressed the shortfalls the government continues to call out.

More than that, I believe the programme’s defunding signals a shift towards a one-size fits all approach to education, which unfortunately prioritises learning for the Pākehā majority.

That approach doesn’t reflect who our Pacific children are and ignores their cultural backgrounds. It also disregards all the evidence around how children learn best, which is when they’re connected to their cultural identity. And it directly flies in the face of what we’d seen working so well every day at Toru Fetū.

I want whoever’s in charge of these literacy funding decisions to walk in my shoes for a day.

They need to come and see what it’s like in our kindergarten, and in our homes and communities. They need to understand the work we do and the impact this programme and the books have had. Because, right now, they’re totally out of touch with what happens on the ground.

Alana Nootai hails from the island of Mauke in the Cook Islands. She lives and works in Porirua with her husband and children.

As told to Teuila Fuatai. Made possible by the Public Interest Journalism Fund.

E-Tangata, 2025