The Kohanga Reo National Trust Board has won an application for an urgent Waitangi Tribunal hearing.
In late July, the organisation staged a protest march in Wellington and filed an urgent claim requesting protection under the Treaty of Waitangi.
It claimed it was being forced to adopt a mainstream model that threatens the kaupapa Maori values it is based on.
The tribunal decision listed six grounds for granting an urgent hearing. One of them is that a Ministry of Education report damages the claimants' reputation, which could affect kohanga enrolments.
It also says evidence shows Crown officials are preparing policy from that report and the ministry has made no progress in understanding the trust's kaupapa.
The tribunal says it will hold a judicial conference next month to set a date for the hearing in February.
