The lawyer representing kohanga, Mai Chen, says a teaching qualification created by Maori pre-schools should not need the approval of the Teachers' Council.
The Kohanga Reo National Trust has finished delivering its submissions to the Waitangi Tribunal.
Ms Chen has questioned why the kohanga teacher qualification Tohu Whakapakari needs to be ticked off by the Teachers' Council.
She says the qualification already receives a level seven or degree rating from the New Zealand Qualification Authority, which she says is hard to achieve.
The Tribunal asked what the difference was between approval from the NZQA and the Teachers' Council.
In response Ms Chen said the authority assesses academic context while the Teachers' Council looks at the practical side of teaching.
She said the Trust did not consider NZQA and Teachers' Council criteria when creating the qualification, but she said its programme covers both aspects.
Ms Chen said having to go to the Teachers' Council creates another barrier for the kohanga.
