The national body for Maori medium education says its teachers are sticking with the job for only about five years.
Te Runanga Nui o Nga Kura Kaupapa Maori o Aotearoa says the critical issue was highlighted in a meeting with Education Minister, Hekia Parata, last week.
Chair of the body Toni Waho said the two agreed to work on strategies to keep Maori language immersion teachers in the classroom for longer than the average, which is less than five years.
He said many are lost to seductive careers in Maori language broadcasting or other education fields.
Mr Waho said it's also a difficult job trying to revitalise te reo Maori and teach it to children who come from predominantly English speaking homes.
He said the efforts they put in to get the positive results highlighted in the national standards goes beyond what mainstream teachers have to do.
