This article is an invitation to engage critically in the discussion of indigenous languages and cultures and the implications for pedagogical decolonization. Among the isses raised are questions of the impacts of the beliefs, values, and attitudes of the prevailing Anglo Saxon and Christian culture or New Zealand European/Pakeha society on the aspirations and education of Tongan students in the secondary sector of the education system. Therefore, the article draws attention to the social and cultural contestations in affirming the place of Tongan people in secondary schooling in Aotearoa New Zealand.