“Every teacher has to come on board for our Māori students” He wero mō ngā kaiarahi wāhanga ako—the challenge for curriculum leaders

Policy, research, and literature provide insights into pedagogies effective for Māori students. He Kākano, a professional learning and development project, aimed to empower Māori students to achieve educational success as Māori. This article focuses on the contribution of curriculum leaders to ensuring effective pedagogies for these students in their schools. It presents results from lesson observations, focus-group interviews, and survey responses collected in an evaluation of He Kākano that show student experiences varied across schools. Many curriculum leaders felt that culturally responsive practice was in place, but reported insecure knowledge of co-construction, discursive practices, and the Māori world. Discussed in relation to the “effective teaching profile”, findings show that for Māori in English-medium schools to enjoy educational success as Māori, curriculum leaders want and need further resources, opportunities to engage in targeted professional learning, support and commitment.