Students had to have the mental aptitude to retain the vast repertoire of waiata, karakia, whakapapa and other korero tawhito that prepared them for the role of tohunga,
The most significant development in Maori education since the later 20th century has been the explosive growth in Maori-driven initiatives.
Kohanga reo ( preschool initiatives, nests) led the way in the 1980s, followed by kura kaupapa Maori (Maori-language immersion schools),
Kura kaupapa Maori are state schools that operate within a whanau-based Maori philosophy and deliver the curriculum in te reo Maori. The first kura kaupapa Maori, Te kura kaupapa Maori o hoani waititi, was established in west Auckland in 1985,
Maori’s were required to donate the lands for the schools.
