Whakawhiti i te Ara Mātauranga - Transitioning from Kura Māori to English-medium Schools

Abstract

Ākonga Māori experience diverse and often complex transitions when moving from Māori-medium education into English-medium schooling. While some navigate this shift successfully, others encounter challenges that can affect their learning, identity, and sense of belonging. Despite increasing numbers of Māori learners making this transition, limited research has examined their lived experiences or how effectively current schooling practices support them. This study addresses this research gap by exploring how ākonga Māori and their whānau experience the decision to transition, and following this, how the transition process impacts learning, wellbeing, and cultural identity.

The research is guided by a Kaupapa Māori methodology and draws on semi-structured wānanga (forum for discussion) and kōrero (discussion) as primary methods of data collection. Ten participants contributed to the study, including six ākonga who had transitioned from Māori-medium to English-medium schooling and four whānau members involved in the decision-making process. Data was analysed thematically to identify shared patterns across participant experiences.

Five key themes emerged from the analysis: Holding on to Being Māori: Cultural Continuity, Identity and Belonging; Choosing New Pathways: Possibility, Agency and Becoming; Finding Safety in New Social Worlds; Learning in a New System: Language, Teaching and Educational Continuity; and What Made the Difference: Support, Advocacy and Collective Care. Collectively, these themes demonstrate that transition experiences are shaped by the extent to which cultural identity is recognised, whānau are included as partners, and appropriate academic and language support is provided. They further suggest that more coherent and collaborative approaches between Māori-medium and English-medium education may strengthen transition processes and contribute to more positive outcomes for ākonga Māori.

By centring the voices of ākonga and their whānau, this research contributes new insight into how transitions between schooling contexts are experienced and how educational practices may better support Māori learners navigating these pathways.