Te Kura Kaupapa Māori o Ngā Mokopuna. Photo: RNZ / Pokere Paewai
A Kura Kaupapa Māori principal says the devil will be in the detail when it comes to funding for Māori medium education in this years Budget.
On Monday it was announced that Budget 2023 will include funding for 300 new classrooms and "up to four" new schools.
Education Minister Jan Tinetti also signalled further Budget announcements for Kaupapa Māori and Māori medium school infrastructure.
Principal of Te Kura Kaupapa Māori o Ngā Mokopuna and co-chairperson of Te Rūnanga Nui o ngā Kura Kaupapa Māori, Rawiri Wright, said it will be interesting to see how the funding was prioritised.
"We want to see how that money is going to be earmarked. So on the one hand it looks good, on the other hand we need to wait and see just how good it may or may not be for us."
The top priority for kura was to have more proficient Māori speaking teachers and be able to retain them. That required more investment in training, recruitment and retention, Wright said.
But closely following that was the need for better investment in infrastructure.
"Many of our Kura Kaupapa Māori still are in dilapidated ... second hand or third hand buildings, and they have been for more than a decade. I think of my own kura, we are 28 years old ... we've been in our current akomanga (classrooms) for 17 years."
There was also a need for more secondary school resources in te reo for subjects other than Māori, Wright said.
Te Rūnanga Nui was currently involved in a Waitangi Tribunal claim, seeking the tribunal's intervention to ensure that the kura can continue to express their tino rangatiratanga.
Wright said that process has to maintain its course, and will not be affected by anything in the Budget.
"The Budget would be helpful for some of what we've been asking for, but that would only be a short term fix.
"What we are looking for out of the Waitangi Tribunal urgent claim is long term autonomy, mana motuhake to manage our part of the education system."