Ongoing problems at Hato Petera College in Auckland need to be resolved by the school and the Catholic Church, which runs the Maori boarding kura, says the Education Minister Hekia Parata.
Hato Petera's hostel buildings sit on North Shore land owned by the Diocese, which has offered the college a short-term lease extension.
The school wants longer so it can plan ahead.
New Zealand First has called for a mediator to be brought in to break the impasse between the Catholic Church and the school, which has a falling roll and buildings which need maintenance.
The party's education spokesperson Tracey Martin said the government needs to get involved.
But Education Minister Hekia Parata said in terms of the how the schools were run, the issues have always been in the church's hands - and not the government's.