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What is Māori-medium education?

What Māori-medium and Māori-language education mean, the kinds of kura and settings that offer them, the immersion levels used to describe them, and how to find a kura, all as official sources describe them.

Every statement on this page comes from an official source: Ministry of Education, Ministry of Education (Education Counts), Education Review Office and New Zealand Legislation (Parliamentary Counsel Office).

What Māori-medium education means

How the Ministry of Education describes it: Māori-medium education is where students are taught all or some curriculum subjects in te reo Māori for at least 51% of the time, which is Māori language immersion levels 1–2.1 Māori language in English-medium education is where students learn te reo Māori as a subject, or are taught curriculum subjects in te reo Māori for up to 50% of the time, which is immersion levels 3–5.2

Education Counts also uses this category: Students counted as having no Māori language in education are either at immersion level 6, Taha Māori (simple words, greetings or songs in Māori), or are not recorded at any level.3

The Education Review Office describes the wider kaupapa Māori pathway like this. ERO says kaupapa Māori education refers to kōhanga reo and puna reo (early learning), kura (primary education) and wharekura (secondary education) where the curriculum is delivered in and through te reo Māori.4 Tamariki can take different pathways through kaupapa Māori education, including Te Aho Matua Kura Kaupapa Māori, Ngā Kura ā Iwi and Kura Motuhake kura, Te Kōhanga Reo, Puna Reo and individual kaupapa Māori sites.5

Māori language immersion levels

How Education Counts defines the levels: Each immersion level is defined by the proportion of time the student is taught using te reo Māori.6

  • Level 1 (81–100%): the curriculum is taught in Māori for more than 20 and up to 25 hours a week.7
  • Level 2 (51–80%): the curriculum is taught in Māori for more than 12.5 and up to 20 hours a week.8
  • Level 3 (31–50%): the curriculum is taught in Māori for more than 7.5 and up to 12.5 hours a week.9
  • Level 4(a) (12–30%): the curriculum is taught in Māori for more than 3 and up to 7.5 hours a week.10
  • Level 4(b): students learn te reo Māori as a separate subject for at least 3 hours a week.11
  • Level 5: students learn te reo Māori as a separate subject for less than 3 hours a week.12
  • Level 6, Taha Māori: students learn Māori songs, greetings and simple words.13
Share of teaching time in te reo Māori, by immersion level
Level one7
Per cent of the time 81 to 100
Level two8
Per cent of the time 51 to 80
Level three9
Per cent of the time 31 to 50
Level four (a)10
Per cent of the time 12 to 30

On schools that offer more than one kind of programme: As at 1 July 2025, 362 schools had at least one student enrolled in Māori-medium education, 18 more than in July 2024.14 Of those 362 schools, 124 had all eligible students in Māori-medium education, and 238 also offered Māori language in English-medium education.15

Kura Kaupapa Māori and Te Aho Matua

On how Kura Kaupapa Māori are set up: When establishing a state school, the Minister of Education may designate it as a Kura Kaupapa Māori by notice in the Gazette.16 The Minister may not establish a Kura Kaupapa Māori unless satisfied that te reo Māori is to be the main language of instruction, that it is to operate in accordance with Te Aho Matua, that it is desirable for students whose parents want it to get such an education, and that students are to receive an education that differs significantly from an ordinary state school.17

On Te Aho Matua: In the Act, Te Aho Matua means a statement that sets out an approach to teaching and learning that applies to schools designated as Kura Kaupapa Māori under section 201.18 The board of a Kura Kaupapa Māori must ensure that te reo Māori is the principal language of instruction and that the school operates in accordance with Te Aho Matua.19 In the Act, te kaitiaki o Te Aho Matua means the body commonly known as Te Rūnanga Nui o Ngā Kura Kaupapa Māori o Aotearoa, as the body most suitable to be responsible for determining the content of Te Aho Matua.20 The official version of Te Aho Matua is a statement in te reo Māori prepared by te kaitiaki o Te Aho Matua and published in the Gazette.21 In the section of the Act on designating and redesignating existing schools: no state school may be designated as a Kura Kaupapa Māori unless the Minister has first consulted te kaitiaki o Te Aho Matua on whether the school can operate in accordance with Te Aho Matua.22

In the Education Review Office's reports: ERO notes that the English version of the guiding document defines Te Aho Matua as the means by which the special nature of kura can be clearly identified from mainstream schools.23 ERO's report on good practice in 56 kura that operate in accordance with Te Aho Matua groups that practice under six wāhanga: Te Ira Tangata, Te Reo, Ngā Iwi, Te Ao, Āhuatanga Ako and Te Tino Uaratanga.24

On the name: A registered school may not use the term Kura Kaupapa Māori in its name unless it was established under section 201, except for a school that was already using the term in its name immediately before that rule commenced.25

Other kura and settings

On kura more broadly: ERO says Kura Māori covers learners from Years 1 to 13, in both kura and wharekura.26 ERO says all kura are total immersion, but their philosophies differ and are developed in line with their own visions, aspirations and contexts.27

  • Ngā Kura ā-Iwi: an ERO evaluation report on these kura describes them as iwi-based Māori-medium schools.28
  • Wharekura: the Ministry's Ka Hikitia glossary describes these as Māori-medium secondary settings based in and on Māori education philosophies.29
  • Te Kōhanga Reo: the same ERO report describes these as Māori immersion settings for 0–6 year olds.30

On peak bodies: There are two kaupapa Māori education peak bodies a school can affiliate with: Te Rūnanga Nui o Ngā Kura Kaupapa Māori o Aotearoa, and Ngā Kura ā Iwi o Aotearoa Inc.31

Rumaki and reo rua in English-medium schools

On immersion and bilingual settings in English-medium schools: ERO says English-medium schools and kura need clear, relevant guidance to strengthen the quality of teaching and learning in rumaki (immersion) and reo rua (bilingual) settings.32 ERO's specialist te reo Māori evaluators, Toki ao Mārama, work with English-medium schools and kura that have rumaki and reo rua settings.33

On the numbers: As at 1 July 2025, 28,382 students were enrolled in Māori-medium education, 3.3% of the total school population.34 As at 1 July 2025, 1,403 schools offered Māori language in English-medium education.35

What curriculum is taught?

English-medium schools use the New Zealand Curriculum.36 Māori-medium schools (kura kaupapa Māori) use Te Marautanga o Aotearoa, a curriculum based on Māori philosophies.37

How ERO reviews kura

On ERO reviews of kura: ERO developed its review process for Te Aho Matua kura in collaboration with Te Rūnanga Nui o Ngā Kura Kaupapa Māori.38 The process and scope of a review are first negotiated and agreed by both the kura and ERO.39 For Ngā Kura ā-Iwi and Kura Motuhake, ERO carries out the review in collaboration with the tumuaki and/or nominated representatives of Te Pou Marumaru or the board of trustees.40

ERO's review materials for Te Aho Matua kura cover how it evaluates the quality of education, learner outcomes, and the extent to which kura enact the principles of Te Aho Matua.41

Finding and enrolling at a kura

On finding a kura: To find a school or kura that suits your family, the Ministry suggests checking the options near you on Education Counts.42 Education Counts publishes a Māori schools directory: a list of schools where at least one student is taught curriculum subjects in te reo Māori for at least 51 percent of the time.43 The directory also shows whether a school is affiliated with a kaupapa Māori education peak body.44

On enrolment: The Secretary for Education must fix a maximum roll for each Kura Kaupapa Māori, and the board must keep enrolments within it.45 Enrolment scheme rules apply to Kura Kaupapa Māori with changes: overcrowding is read as more applicants than places, and the scheme need not define a home zone or hold a ballot for out-of-zone applicants, but must give priority to applicants for whom the kura is a reasonably convenient school.46

On Te Aho Matua and enrolment: The board of a Kura Kaupapa Māori may refuse to enrol a child whose parents do not accept that the school operates in accordance with Te Aho Matua.47

Sources

Every statement on this page comes from an official page, quoted in full here.

Each numbered statement above is followed here by the words of the official page it comes from. Every quote was checked against its page on .

  1. “Māori-medium education is where students are taught all or some curriculum subjects in the Māori language for at least 51% of the time (Māori language immersion levels 1-2).”

    Ministry of Education · education.govt.nz/our-work/about-us/education-new-zealand/our-e… ↑

  2. “Māori language in English-medium is where students are learning te reo Māori as a language subject or are taught curriculum subjects in the Māori language for up to 50% of the time (Māori language immersion levels 3-5).”

    Ministry of Education · education.govt.nz/our-work/about-us/education-new-zealand/our-e… ↑

  3. “No Māori Language in Education: Students are either involved in Māori Language Immersion Level 6 – Taha Māori (Simple words, greetings or songs in Māori) or not recorded as receiving Māori Language Immersion at any level.”

    Ministry of Education (Education Counts) · educationcounts.govt.nz/statistics/maori-language-in-schooling ↑

  4. “Kaupapa Māori education refers to kōhanga reo and puna reo (early learning), kura (primary education) and wharekura (secondary education) where curriculum is delivered in and through te reo Māori.”

    Education Review Office · evidence.ero.govt.nz/kaupapa-maori ↑

  5. “Tamariki are able to take different pathways through their kaupapa Māori journey including Te Aho Matua Kura Kaupapa Māori, Ngā Kura ā Iwi and Kura Motuhake kura, Te Kōhanga Reo, Puna Reo and individual kaupapa Māori sites.”

    Education Review Office · evidence.ero.govt.nz/kaupapa-maori ↑

  6. “Each level is defined by the proportion of time the student is taught using Te Reo Māori”

    Ministry of Education (Education Counts) · educationcounts.govt.nz/statistics/maori-language-in-schooling ↑

  7. “Level 1: 81-100%: Curriculum is taught in Māori for more than 20 and up to 25 hours a week.”

    Ministry of Education (Education Counts) · educationcounts.govt.nz/statistics/maori-language-in-schooling ↑

  8. “Level 2: 51-80%: Curriculum is taught in Māori for more than 12.5 and up to 20 hours a week.”

    Ministry of Education (Education Counts) · educationcounts.govt.nz/statistics/maori-language-in-schooling ↑

  9. “Level 3: 31-50%: Curriculum is taught in Māori for more than 7.5 and up to 12.5 hours a week.”

    Ministry of Education (Education Counts) · educationcounts.govt.nz/statistics/maori-language-in-schooling ↑

  10. “Level 4(a) 12-30%: Curriculum is taught in Māori for more than 3 and up to 7.5 hours a week.”

    Ministry of Education (Education Counts) · educationcounts.govt.nz/statistics/maori-language-in-schooling ↑

  11. “Level 4(b) at least 3 hours: Students are learning Te Reo Māori as a separate subject for at least 3 hours a week.”

    Ministry of Education (Education Counts) · educationcounts.govt.nz/statistics/maori-language-in-schooling ↑

  12. “Level 5 less than 3 hours: Students are learning Te Reo Māori as a separate subject for less than 3 hours a week.”

    Ministry of Education (Education Counts) · educationcounts.govt.nz/statistics/maori-language-in-schooling ↑

  13. “Level 6 Taha Māori: Students learn Māori songs, greetings, and simple words.”

    Ministry of Education (Education Counts) · educationcounts.govt.nz/statistics/maori-language-in-schooling ↑

  14. “As at 1 July 2025, there were 362 schools with at least one student enrolled in Māori medium education, which is 18 schools more than in July 2024.”

    Ministry of Education (Education Counts) · educationcounts.govt.nz/statistics/maori-language-in-schooling ↑

  15. “Of these 362 schools, 124 had all eligible students in Māori medium and 238 also offered Māori language in English medium.”

    Ministry of Education (Education Counts) · educationcounts.govt.nz/statistics/maori-language-in-schooling ↑

  16. “When establishing a State school, the Minister may, by notice in the Gazette , designate the school as a Kura Kaupapa Māori.”

    New Zealand Legislation (Parliamentary Counsel Office) · legislation.govt.nz/act/public/2020/38/en/latest ↑

  17. “The Minister may not establish a school under this section unless satisfied that— (a) te reo Māori is to be the main language of instruction at the school: (b) the school is to operate in accordance with Te Aho Matua: (c) it is desirable for students whose parents want them to do so to get such an education: (d) students at the school are to receive an education of a kind that differs significantly from the education they would receive at an ordinary State school.”

    New Zealand Legislation (Parliamentary Counsel Office) · legislation.govt.nz/act/public/2020/38/en/latest ↑

  18. “Te Aho Matua means a statement that sets out an approach to teaching and learning that applies to schools designated under section 201”

    New Zealand Legislation (Parliamentary Counsel Office) · legislation.govt.nz/act/public/2020/38/en/latest ↑

  19. “The board of a school established under this section must ensure that— (a) te reo Māori is the principal language of instruction at the school; and (b) the school operates in accordance with Te Aho Matua.”

    New Zealand Legislation (Parliamentary Counsel Office) · legislation.govt.nz/act/public/2020/38/en/latest ↑

  20. “te kaitiaki o Te Aho Matua means the body commonly known as Te Rūnanga Nui o Nga Kura Kaupapa Māori o Aotearoa, being the most suitable to be responsible for determining the content of Te Aho Matua”

    New Zealand Legislation (Parliamentary Counsel Office) · legislation.govt.nz/act/public/2020/38/en/latest ↑

  21. “The official version of Te Aho Matua is the statement (including any gazetted amendments) in te reo Māori that is— (a) prepared by te kaitiaki o Te Aho Matua; and (b) published in the Gazette”

    New Zealand Legislation (Parliamentary Counsel Office) · legislation.govt.nz/act/public/2020/38/en/latest ↑

  22. “No State school may be designated as a Kura Kaupapa Māori unless the Minister has first consulted with te kaitiaki o Te Aho Matua on the ability of the school to operate in accordance with Te Aho Matua.”

    New Zealand Legislation (Parliamentary Counsel Office) · legislation.govt.nz/act/public/2020/38/en/latest ↑

  23. “Te Aho Matua, as defined in the English version of the guiding document, is “the means by which the special nature of kura can be clearly identified from mainstream schools”

    Education Review Office · evidence.ero.govt.nz/documents/good-practice-in-te-aho-matua-kura-… ↑

  24. “This report has outlined key aspects of good practice in 56 kura that operate in accordance with Te Aho Matua collated under the six wāhanga: Te Ira Tangata; Te Reo; Ngā Iwi; Te Ao; Āhuatanga Ako; and Te Tino Uaratanga.”

    Education Review Office · evidence.ero.govt.nz/documents/good-practice-in-te-aho-matua-kura-… ↑

  25. “A registered school may not use the term Kura Kaupapa Māori in its name unless the school is established under section 201 . (2) Subsection (1) does not apply to a registered school that, immediately before the commencement of this section, is not established under section 201 but uses the term Kura Kaupapa Māori in its name.”

    New Zealand Legislation (Parliamentary Counsel Office) · legislation.govt.nz/act/public/2020/38/en/latest ↑

  26. “Kura Māori encompasses learners from Years 1 to 13 in both kura and wharekura.”

    Education Review Office · evidence.ero.govt.nz/kaupapa-maori/kura ↑

  27. “While all kura are total immersion, their philosophies differ and are developed in accordance with their visions, aspirations and contexts.”

    Education Review Office · evidence.ero.govt.nz/kaupapa-maori/kura ↑

  28. “Ngā Kura ā-Iwi (Iwi based Māori medium schools)”

    Education Review Office · evidence.ero.govt.nz/documents/e-kore-au-e-ngaro-evaluation-report… ↑

  29. “Māori-medium secondary settings based in and on Māori education philosophies”

    Ministry of Education · education.govt.nz/node/1330 ↑

  30. “Te Kōhanga Reo (Māori Immersion settings for 0-6 year olds)”

    Education Review Office · evidence.ero.govt.nz/documents/e-kore-au-e-ngaro-evaluation-report… ↑

  31. “There are two kaupapa Māori education peak bodies that a school can affiliate with: Te Rūnanga nui o ngā Kura Kaupapa Māori o Aotearoa Ngā Kura ā Iwi o Aotearoa Inc”

    Ministry of Education (Education Counts) · educationcounts.govt.nz/directories/maori-schools-directory ↑

  32. “ERO recognises that English-medium schools and kura need clear, relevant guidance to strengthen the quality of teaching and learning in rumaki (immersion) and reo rua (bilingual) settings.”

    Education Review Office · ero.govt.nz/for-schools-and-kura/learn-about-reviews-in-e… ↑

  33. “Toki ao Mārama work with English-medium schools and kura that have rumaki and reo rua settings, providing specialist evaluation for improvement for this group of learners.”

    Education Review Office · ero.govt.nz/for-schools-and-kura/learn-about-reviews-in-e… ↑

  34. “As at 1 July 2025, there were 28,382 students enrolled in Māori medium education, representing 3.3% of the total school population”

    Ministry of Education (Education Counts) · educationcounts.govt.nz/statistics/maori-language-in-schooling ↑

  35. “As at 1 July 2025, 1,403 schools offered Māori language in English medium”

    Ministry of Education (Education Counts) · educationcounts.govt.nz/statistics/maori-language-in-schooling ↑

  36. “English-medium schools use the New Zealand Curriculum.”

    Ministry of Education · education.govt.nz/our-work/about-us/education-new-zealand/our-e… ↑

  37. “Māori-medium schools ( kura kaupapa Māori ) use Te Marautanga o Aotearoa (a curriculum based on Māori philosophies).”

    Ministry of Education · education.govt.nz/our-work/about-us/education-new-zealand/our-e… ↑

  38. “We have developed a review process in collaboration with Te Rūnanga Nui o Ngā Kura Kaupapa Māori for Te Aho Matua kura.”

    Education Review Office · ero.govt.nz/for-schools-and-kura/learn-about-reviews-in-m… ↑

  39. “The process and the scope of the review will be negotiated and agreed on by both the kura and ERO in the first instance.”

    Education Review Office · ero.govt.nz/for-schools-and-kura/learn-about-reviews-in-m… ↑

  40. “For Ngā Kura ā-Iwi and Kura Motuhake, the review is carried out in collaboration with the tumuaki and or nominated representative/s of Te Pou Marumaru or Board of Trustees.”

    Education Review Office · ero.govt.nz/for-schools-and-kura/learn-about-reviews-in-m… ↑

  41. “how ERO evaluates the quality of education, learner outcomes, and the extent to which kura enact the principles of Te Aho Matua”

    Education Review Office · ero.govt.nz/for-schools-and-kura/learn-about-reviews-in-m… ↑

  42. “To find a school or kura that suits your family, check out the options near you on Education Counts.”

    Ministry of Education · education.govt.nz/parents-and-caregivers/schools-year-0-13/star… ↑

  43. “A list of New Zealand schools where at least one student is taught curriculum subjects in te reo Māori for at least 51 percent of the time.”

    Ministry of Education (Education Counts) · educationcounts.govt.nz/directories/maori-schools-directory ↑

  44. “The directory also shows where a school has an affiliation with a kaupapa Māori education peak body.”

    Ministry of Education (Education Counts) · educationcounts.govt.nz/directories/maori-schools-directory ↑

  45. “The Secretary must, by written notice to a Kura Kaupapa Māori, fix a maximum roll of the school, and the board must ensure that the number of students enrolled at the school is not more than the maximum roll.”

    New Zealand Legislation (Parliamentary Counsel Office) · legislation.govt.nz/act/public/2020/38/en/latest ↑

  46. “Section 71 and clauses 2 to 15 apply to Kura Kaupapa Māori, designated character schools, State integrated schools, and specialist schools, and to their enrolment schemes, with the following modifications: (a) all references to overcrowding or the likelihood of overcrowding must be read as if they were references to there being, or being likely to be, more applicants for enrolment at the school than there are places available; and (b) the enrolment scheme need not define a home zone for the school, nor provide for balloting of applicants who live outside any home zone, but must accord priority to applicants for whom the school is a reasonably convenient school”

    New Zealand Legislation (Parliamentary Counsel Office) · legislation.govt.nz/act/public/2020/38/en/latest ↑

  47. “The board may refuse to enrol any person whose parents do not accept that the school operates in accordance with Te Aho Matua.”

    New Zealand Legislation (Parliamentary Counsel Office) · legislation.govt.nz/act/public/2020/38/en/latest ↑