I puta tuatahi te whakaaro ki a Kitty Brown rāua ko Kirsten Parkinson-he huānga rāua-i tā rāua noho ki te kāinga i te taha o ā rāua ake pēpi.

He pia a Kirsten nā te Dunedin School of Art, he kaiako kanikani hoki ia ki Otago Girls’ High School, ā, nāna te pukapuka i tā, ka whakaaturia ngā āhuatanga o ia rā o te oranga whānau. He kaiwhakarite huihuinga a Kitty, ā, nāna te taha whakarite o te kaupapa i hāpai, ā, kua tipu hei pakihi whakaputa tūturu, arā, ko Reo Pēpi. Nā ngā wāhine tokorua nei ngā pūrākau i tito, ā, nā Fern Whitau i whakamāori.

Tūturu, ko tēnei hinonga tonu te kaupapa e whāia ana e Te Pūtahitanga o Te Waipounamu, arā, ko te South Island Whānau Ora Commissioning Agency.

“Ahakoa te āhuatanga ko te whakapai ake, ko te hāpai ake hoki i te oranga whānau, koirā tō mātou arotahinga,” te kī a Helen Leahy, te Tumu Whakarae taupua. Ko tā te kohinga pukupuka a Reo Pēpi whāinga ko te whakatipu i te māia o te tangata ki te whakamahi i te reo Māori mā te horopaki o ngā wheako o ō rātou ake whānau, inā hoki ka whakapakari i tō rātou tuakiri, ō rātou hononga, te whanaungatanga hoki. Ko te wero ināianei kia whakapūioio i te ahunga whakamua haere ake nei.”

Ka arotahi ngā pukapuka ki ngā whare kōhungahunga, ki te taumata mātauranga o te kura tuatahi hoki.

Ka kī a Kirsten, “I hiahia mātou i tētahi āhuatanga reorua, kia whai kounga hoki ngā whakaahua hei mea tuku ki ā mātou pēpi, hei āwhina hoki i tō mātou whānau katoa ki te whai pūkenga reo.”

Ko ngā rauemi mātauranga me te whakawhāiti tōtika ki ngā kaituku mātauranga ētahi tino arotahi o Reo Pēpi. Ko te whāinga matua kia whakaakona ngā tamariki kia reorua – reo Ingarihi mai, reo Māori mai – mai i ngā tau nohinohi.

“I waihanga mātou i ētahi ngohe tae atu ki ngā tāre pepa, te tākaro, me tētahi waiata, hei tautoko i tā mātou pukapuka ki te whakaū i te ako,” ki tā Kirsten.

Ka kōrero hoki a Kitty, ‘I whakamātauria e mātou ā mātou pukapuka ki ētahi Whare Kōhungahunga o Ōtepoti, ā, he rawe te urupare a ngā kaituku mātauranga, a ngā tamariki hoki.”

Kei te hikaka ngā wāhine nei mō te whakatipu hononga ki ngā whānau, ki ngā Whare Kōhungahunga hoki, me te waihanga rauemi anō hei ako i te reo Māori.

I whakarewa a Kitty rāua ko Kirsten i Reo Pēpi me tā rāua pukapuka tuatahi o ngā pukapuka e toru i te whare pukapuka (arā, ko te University Book Shop) o Te Whare Wānanga o Otāgo i te Rāpare, te 11 o Huitanguru.

This translation is based on the premise that the English is supposed to be saying ‘first book of three books’. If the English is different then this translation will have to be changed. 

Ka arotahi a Kanohi ki te kanohi me ōna āhuatanga, a Kākahu ki ngā kākahu, me Kararehe ki ngā kararehe.

Ka taea te hoko mai i ngā pukapuka o Reo Pēpi ki www.reopepi.co.nz ki Pukamata hoki ki Reo Pēpi. Ākuanei ka puta ngā pukapuka ki ngā whare hoko pukapuka, ki ngā kaihoko ā-Ipurangi hoki.