How to become a Māori medium teacher
Also called: Māori immersion school teacher, Kura Māori immersion teacher, Māori medium senior teacher
Māori medium teachers use te reo Māori, tikanga Māori and mātauranga Māori through kaupapa Māori to lead the spiritual, cultural, mental, relational and physical development of ākonga.
Main tasks
- Teach in te reo Māori and apply tikanga
- Develop Māori medium curriculum techniques and materials
- Assess ākonga abilities and interests
- Plan and develop learning activities and resources
- Support ākonga development through learning activities
- Monitor learning activities
- Record ākonga development and achievements
- Teach cultural activities following the school's protocol
How to become one
You need a qualification and experience to become a Māori medium teacher. You usually need NCEA Level 3 to do the study or training for this job. Required: to be fluent in te reo Māori; a recognised qualification in teaching (Māori education te mātauranga Māori me te whakangungu); an Annual Practising Certificate; to pass a police check. Other requirements: a relevant qualification and experience to gain a Limited Authority to Teach (LAT); experience in te ao Māori and tikanga Māori; experience working with ākonga and whānau. Registration body: Teaching Council of New Zealand Matatū Aotearoa.
Ways in
- Certificates and diplomas: Advanced certificates and diplomas in māori education te mātauranga māori me te whakangungu. TEC links this job to study in teaching. Qualifications: Heke Te Rangakura - Kaiwhakaako, Heke Whakaakoranga Kohungahunga. Usually 1 year. Graduates of these qualifications earn a median $42,000 a year one year after study and $51,000 five years after; 77% are employed one year after (TEC, from Stats NZ IDI data).
- Registration or licence: An Annual Practising Certificate. Registration body: Teaching Council of New Zealand Matatū Aotearoa (https://teachingcouncil.nz).
Pay · Past change
- Most common pay: $56,000 to $82,000 a year (median $61,000), a TEC estimate before tax.
- Upper: $103,000 a year
- TEC's pay figures are estimates only. TEC says they must not be used to set pay, in pay negotiations or in visa applications.
- Change in the number of people doing this job between the 2018 and 2023 Censuses: Strong increase (TEC). This is past change, not a forecast.
Who does this work
- About 810 people did this job at the 2023 Census (TEC).
Related jobs
- Kaupapa Māori researcher
- Religious education director
- Resource teacher
- Adult education teacher
- Instructional coordinator
- Resident adviser
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Questions people ask
How do I become a Māori medium teacher?
You need a qualification and experience to become a Māori medium teacher. You usually need NCEA Level 3 to do the study or training for this job. Required: to be fluent in te reo Māori; a recognised qualification in teaching (Māori education te mātauranga Māori me te whakangungu); an Annual Practising Certificate; to pass a police check. Other requirements: a relevant qualification and experience to gain a Limited Authority to Teach (LAT); experience in te ao Māori and tikanga Māori; experience working with ākonga and whānau. Registration body: Teaching Council of New Zealand Matatū Aotearoa.
How much does a Māori medium teacher earn in New Zealand?
The Tertiary Education Commission estimates median pay at $61,000 a year, before tax. Most common pay is $56,000 to $82,000 a year.
Has the number of people working as a Māori medium teacher grown in New Zealand?
It has grown strongly: TEC records a strong increase in the number of people doing this job between the 2018 and 2023 Censuses. This is past change, not a forecast.
Sources
- Tertiary Education Commission (Tahatu Career Navigator): Tahatu career ideas: descriptions, tasks, pay estimates, people employed, employment change 2018 to 2023, entry requirements, registration, interest scores (Site scrape 2026-10 (816 career ideas, sitemap lastmod 2026-10-01)), CC BY 4.0, retrieved 4 October 2026
This content is sourced from the Tertiary Education Commission through the Tahatū Career Navigator website (www.tahatu.govt.nz) and used under the CC BY 4.0 licence. All or some of the information has been modified by Peernovo. TEC has not approved, endorsed or tested these modifications. TEC will not be held accountable for any errors within this content.
Qualification information from NZQA, used under CC BY 3.0 NZ.
This work is based on/includes Stats NZ's data which are licensed by Stats NZ for reuse under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International licence. Census data via Figure.NZ.
Includes information from O*NET OnLine by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA), used under the CC BY 4.0 license. O*NET is a trademark of USDOL/ETA. USDOL/ETA has not approved, endorsed, or tested these modifications.
Sources: Tertiary Education Commission, Tahatū Career Navigator (career ideas, pay estimates, entry requirements and study options, CC BY 4.0, modified by Peernovo); Stats NZ, 2023 Census (via Figure.NZ) and the National Occupation List (CC BY 4.0); NZQA qualification information (CC BY 3.0 NZ); O*NET interest scores (CC BY 4.0); ILO global generative AI exposure index (CC BY 4.0). Links between career ideas and ANZSCO groups, degree fields and broad job groups are Peernovo's.
These results are not official statistics. They have been created for research purposes from the Integrated Data Infrastructure (IDI), which is carefully managed by Stats NZ.
Graduate outcomes: these results are not official statistics. They have been created for research purposes from the Integrated Data Infrastructure (IDI), which is carefully managed by Stats NZ.
Updated 4 October 2026