Pictured Above: Story time at Toru Fetū Kindergarten with Alana Nootai.

Toru Fetū Assistant Head Teacher Alana Nootai was interviewed last week, for a story on E-Tangata. The Māori and Pacific media platform ran a story about the Pasifika literacy project that was axed last year, called ‘Why Cut What’s Working'

Alana explained how the project increased the level of literacy in children’s homes, and how they received feedback from parents and grandparents about the value of the books provided in different languages.

"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".