A youth MP's powerful speech called out the chronic underfunding of kura kaupapa Māori

The Spinoff

6 days ago

Amid the noise around claims of censorship at Youth Parliament, Hana Davis delivered a searing critique of systemic inequity in Māori-medium education – and a rallying cry for justice in kura kaupapa Māori. Korus MacDonald reports.
Youth parliament is a triennial event that provides a platform for passionate rangatahi with a flair for politics to advocate for and amplify the voices of their respective communities. The programme – which took place earlier this month – culminates in a three-day event at parliament in Te Whanganui-a-Tara. An inherent value of the event is its ability to broadcast a breadth of perspectives in a supportive manner, and the general debate speeches delivered by the youth representatives clearly demonstrated this nuance and diversity.
Amid the 80 general debate speeches delivered at this year's event – spanning topics like mental health and a need for stronger civic and financial education to censorship – one cut through, exposing a growing concern for the future of kura kaupapa Māori under the status quo.
While a number of speeches were made on the education system, the difficulties kura kaupapa Māori currently face were largely absent from the debating chamber – until the speech given by Hana Davis, chosen by Te Pāti Māori MP Tākuta Ferris to represent Te Tai Tonga.
'Kura kaupapa Māori aho matua are more than just schools,' Davis said. 'They are the living expression of our right as Māori to educate our tamariki in our own language and according to our own worldview – a right that is guaranteed under te Tiriti o Waitangi.'
Of the approximately 204,000 Māori school students recorded in Aotearoa in 2022, one in eight, or around 12%, are enrolled in Māori-medium education. That's 24,500 students spread across 344 kura across the motu. Within this group, 30% or around 7,200 students attend one of the 70 kura kaupapa Māori across the country, including Davis (with most of the remaining 70% in rūmaki reo/immersion or reo rua/bilingual units at English-medium schools).
Data from the Ministry of Education shows that enrolments in Māori-medium education have risen from 22,391 in 2020 to 27,125 in 2024 – a 20% increase over the course of four years and a clear indication of the support and demand for Māori-medium education and kura kaupapa.
Yet, despite the funding inequities kura kaupapa Māori face, they continue to deliver academic excellence on the national stage. As Davis put it: 'What is often overlooked is that kura kaupapa Māori students are already excelling, consistently achieving higher NCEA pass rates than Māori in mainstream schools.'
A report by the New Zealand Qualifications Authority shows that in 2023, there were 1,857 Year 11-13 students enrolled within Māori-medium education. A total of 1,005 of those students were from kura kaupapa Māori aho matua. These students had NCEA attainment rates of 63% at Level 1, 72% at Level 2, and 73% at Level 3. Attainment rates for all students in comparable mainstream schools were 54%, 66%, and 61%, respectively.
The success of kura kaupapa is no accident. Speaking to me, Davis credited the success to te aho matua and the environment it fosters for rangatahi. Te aho matua is the philosophical foundation that makes kura kaupapa Māori fundamentally different from mainstream schools. In such an environment, students are immersed entirely in te reo Māori and enveloped in a value-based education system, encouraging the championing of values such as tikanga, whakapapa and cultural connections.
'Kids in [kura kaupapa Māori] aho matua schools grow up together, go to kōhanga together and they stay in the same classes at the same school their whole lives,' explained Davis. 'It's a big, family-like community and an amazing support system. Kura kaupapa Māori students are in tune with their whakapapa and the ways of their people. They have their sense of identity and a place to belong, which is so vital for a kid.'
Davis's speech highlights a pivotal time for kura kaupapa Māori. With enrolment surging and academic results consistently strong, these schools illustrate the success of kura kaupapa for Māori students. However, the inequities they face undermine this success.
'Kura kaupapa Māori are forced to operate with stretched resources in overcrowded, poorly conditioned and sometimes hazardous buildings, leaving the mātua of students to fundraise for basic resources,' Davis said.
This is in stark contrast to Davis's experiences with mainstream schools.
'It always baffled me walking into other mainstream schools with my fellow kaupapa Māori kids, and our first thought was 'this is so fancy', and it's simply because the school is not falling apart,' Davis told me.
Her concern reflects a legacy of neglect and mistreatment by the government and formally recognised by the Waitangi Tribunal. In October of 2021, an urgent claim was lodged by Te Rūnanga Nui o Ngā Kura Kaupapa Māori, the representative body for kura kaupapa Māori. The ruling of the claim, referred to as WAI 1718, was released last year and found the government was in breach of its Treaty obligations for failing to implement policy that addressed the needs of kura kaupapa, including equitable funding.
Additionally, the tribunal found that there was no consultation with Te Rūnanga Nui on policies affecting kura kaupapa, constituting Treaty obligation breaches.
While there has been a recent investment of $100 million in Māori-medium education, Davis highlighted the discrepancies in funding with mainstream counterparts. 'That same amount is being shared across all kura.'
In fact, of this year's $2.5 billion budget for education, only $104m was set aside for Māori-medium-related projects ($36.1m of which was reprioritised from the disestablishment of the Wharekura Expert Teachers programme and other initiatives). That's less than 5% of the total educational budget. Infrastructure, foundational to any education, was assigned $50m of that $104m, and the minister of education, Erica Stanford, later announced a further $100m investment, including $60m in 'ring-fenced' property funding.
The current $110m allocated for infrastructure expenses is far short of the annual funding Te Rūnanga Nui believes should be dedicated to the infrastructure funding of kura kaupapa Māori. The group recently called on the government to implement a long-term, ring-fenced investment plan of $1.25bn over five years – $250m annually – dedicated to kura kaupapa Māori property development.
Despite representing around 3-4% of the total student population, kura kaupapa Māori received less than 3% of the Ministry of Education's property budget between 2021 and 2025, according to Te Rūnanga Nui. That means just 70 kura, serving more than 7,000 students, have been operating in what the Waitangi Tribunal has called a chronically underfunded system. Over the same five-year period, only $680m – about 4% of the total $15.3bn education budget – was allocated to Māori-medium education overall. The Crown has acknowledged these learners have historically operated at an unfair funding deficit, even after a 50% equity boost in 2022.
In response to Te Rūnanga Nui's concerns, Stanford emphasised that she wished there was more money, but 'we were living in a constrained environment'.
Davis doesn't buy that. 'This is while three individual mainstream high schools are each receiving $100m. Let's be clear, that is triple the amount given to every Māori-medium kura in the country combined,' she says during her speech.
Wellington Girls' College is set to receive approximately $100m in investment for the construction of a new two-storey building, school hall and earthquake strengthening in multiple areas of the school. Likewise, two high schools in the Selwyn District – Rolleston and Ellesmere College – are set to collectively receive over $100m for campus upgrades.
Davis argues that this shouldn't be about equality, but equity.
'Every learner deserves a safe, well-resourced environment, but it does raise a fair question: are we ensuring that support is being distributed in a way that reflects the success, value and specific needs of all parts of the education system?' Davis asked during her speech.
Concluding, Davis delivered a passionate call to action: 'Mr Speaker, our kura deserve safe buildings, properly resourced teachers, and a system that recognises the value they bring to our country. Let's make sure that kura kaupapa Māori are not only included in national conversation but are prioritised in national action.'