Government ordered into Mediation about Kohanga Reo treaty claim

The Herald reports that: "The Crown has been sent to mediation with the kohanga reo movement over allegations it breached the Treaty of Waitangi.

The Waitangi Tribunal met last week to decide whether the Kohanga Reo Trust's treaty claim should be heard urgently.

The trust believed breaches of the treaty, and said prejudicial policies from the Government, were "threatening the future of kohanga".

Supporters of the kohanga movement were concerned about the effects of a Early Childhood Education (ECE) Taskforce report, which they said contained factual inaccuracies about the movement.

Cabinet was still considering the report and the Government had yet to make any announcements on policy changes.

But, the trust wanted its treaty claim heard before the policy changes could come into force.

"[Education] Minister Anne Tolley has characterised our urgent Waitangi claim as scaremongering over the future of kohanga reo but she has given no guarantee to kohanga reo that they will not be affected by the ECE Taskforce report. However, she has made assurances to playcentres but not to us," co-chair Tina Olsen-Ratana said.

She said government policies had been sabotaging kohanga reo and its role in the promotion of te reo Maori.

After the two day hearing last week, the trust expected the tribunal to find there had been treaty breaches by the Crown.

The tribunal suggested mediation between the two groups at chief executive level and said a former judge or politicians should be employed as mediator.

The outcome of the mediation must be reported back by September 16.

"The Tribunal has also asked for an update from the Crown on providing an assurance that any future decisions on policy development or funding of kohanga reo be deferred until the Tribunal has ruled on the matter of urgency," Olsen-Ratana said.

More than 500 people marched through central Wellington last month to deliver the kohanga reo claim to the Tribunal.

The outgoing secretary of education Karyn Sewell refused to comment, but said the Tribunal had "raised the possibility" of mediation.

In its official memorandum, the tribunal outlined how the mediation should work.