Lower Hutt kohanga reo teacher Jonas Malmanche says the language movement is responsible for building a new generation of confident te reo speakers.
Mr Malmanche,of Mataatua, - fulfilling the legacy left by those kaumatua who fought for kohanga reo.
He is a former pupil of Waiwhetu Te Kohanga Reo who is now carrying on the mahi - passing on the language to a new generation of native speakers.
He says in te reo that it's totally appropriate to celebrate the 30 year milestone, and everything the kohanga movement has achieved to cherish the language.
Hei tāna, katahi anō me whakanui i ngā āhuatanga katoa o te kōhanga reo.
E ai ki a Jonas Malmanche, kei te whakaihuhia atu tēnei kaupapa ā te kōhanga reo ki ngā rangi tūhāhā.
Mr Malmanche says the tamariki are treading the path laid down by their elders.
Possessing te reo gives those children the ability to carry themselves in both the Māori and Pākehā worlds confidently, he says.
