Leadership in Māori Partial Immersion Bilingual Education in Aotearoa/New Zealand

Good school leadership skills are critical to positive student learning outcomes; however, within Māori-medium programmes, leaders need additional skills pertaining to the Māori world and bilingual education best practices. Level 2 Māori medium programmes with 51–80% Māori language instruction offer a unique brand of bilingual education to the New Zealand context with its close balance between English and te reo Māori instruction, making them a good prospect for future growth. This article reports on a mixed-methods project that used a nationwide online survey and follow-up interviews with Māori medium leaders. The findings revealed a high level of personal commitment in a complex and challenging environment, but low expectations for student bilingual outcomes. Leaders' knowledge of bilingual education models and tikanga (culture) Māori was also weak. The outcomes lead to a call for additional support for principals to realise the potential these programmes offer for bilingual education in Aotearoa/New Zealand.