As the government’s 2026 Budget announcement fast approaches, kura kaupapa Māori are seeking greater recognition following successful outcomes in nationwide exam statistics.
Since 2023, kura kaupapa Māori and their students have seen high pass rates in nationwide exams, with kura kaupapa Māori students achieving at higher rates and more students attaining University Entrance.
Despite the success, kura kaupapa Māori are calling for greater recognition and adequate funding to ensure better access to resources and support for their communities.
At Te Kura Kaupapa Māori o Hoani Waititi Marae in Auckland, tumuaki Te Hira Paenga says you only need to look at the school’s achievement rate to see why they should receive better funding.
“I runga i te ngākau whakaiti, kua eke ā mātou tauira ki te 100 ōrau i roto i ngā whakamātautau U.E, otirā i ngā taumata tahi, rua, toru o te NCEA.
“Kei hea mai he oranga mātauranga kei tua atu i tērā?”
Furthermore, despite an injection of funding towards Māori-medium education in last year’s Budget, Te Rūnanga Nui o Ngā Kura Kaupapa Māori CEO Hohepa Campbell says there are concerns kura kaupapa Māori will continue to be treated as support agencies, rather than being supported and trusted to lead their own kaupapa.
“He maha ngā wā kua kitea e Te Rūnanga Nui ka noho ngā rōpū Māori hei kaitonotono noa iho, kaua hei tino kaiarataki mō ā rātou ake kaupapa. Me whai huruhuru nui Te Rūnanga Nui ki kaha rawa tāna tino tautoko i ngā kura kaupapa Māori”
Outcomes from Budget 2025
Budget 2025 saw a total of $100 million injected into Māori-medium education, with $54 million allocated to operational funding and a further $50 million to capital funding.
Furthermore, funding was allocated to ensure repairs, renovations and development of school infrastructure within kura kaupapa.
However, despite more than $100 million being allocated to Māori-medium education, $36.1 million was cut from Māori education, including the disestablishment of the Wharekura Expert Teachers programme and the removal of Māori resource teacher roles.
Paenga says the role of Hoani Waititi far exceeds the classroom, with whānau ensuring their tamariki and kura are well supported in all facets despite a lack of funding.
He says more funding for the kura would ensure whānau are also supported amid the rising cost of living in Tāmaki Makaurau.
“He hapori, he momo iwi mātou. Nāreira, ka raru te kōhanga, ka rongo te kura, ka raru te kura, ka rongo te marae.”
Me tahuri rānei ki te tauira o te kura kaupapa Māori?
Despite NCEA being disestablished in 2028 and replaced with a new secondary school qualification framework, kura kaupapa Māori have in recent years seen success across all three levels of NCEA, as well as high University Entrance pass rates.
This begs the question of whether it is time for mainstream education to examine the things kura kaupapa Māori are doing right and follow a similar example.
Te Rūnanga Nui o Ngā Kura Kaupapa Māori o Aotearoa CEO Hohepa Campbell says they are not looking to convert mainstream schools to the kura kaupapa Māori philosophy. However, he says the wider education sector should learn from the approaches that are working for Māori learners.
“Kāore Te Rūnanga Nui e mea ana me huri ngā kura auraki katoa hei Kura Kaupapa Māori. Engari me ako te pūnaha aunoa i ngā āhuatanga kua whai hua mō ngā tamariki Māori.”
Hopes for Tahua 2026
With the Budget announcement set for 28 May, students at Te Kura Kaupapa Māori o Hoani Waititi Marae are hopeful they may be able to invest in facilities to cater to their growing needs.
Year 11 student Kaea Paniora wants to see a sports facility built for the school, which currently has no gymnasium of any kind, to support the school’s growing sporting prowess.
“Kua roa a Hoani Waititi e noho whare hākinakina kore ana, ki kura kē atu, neke atu i te tahi, tahi ki te rua ō rātou whare hākinakina. Nāreira āe, te whakatū i tētahi whare hākinakina.”
Furthermore, for classmate Waiheke Kahi, not only is a gymnasium or sports facility a desire, but it is also a chance for Hoani Waititi students to experience opportunities beyond those they are already well known for.
“He nui te rerekētanga i waenga i a mātou me ngā kura auraki. E tika ana kia whai ēnei tamariki Māori, nui ō rātou wawata, ō rātou manako, ō rātou moemoeā mō ēnei rauemi kia tae mai ki roto i ngā ringaringa o ngā tamariki Māori nei.”
