A proposal to merge two kura kaupapa Maori immersion schools in Christchurch has prompted two complaints to the Waitangi Tribunal.
Both schools claim the plan is a breach of their rights under the Treaty of Waitangi because it will limit their ability to teach the Maori language.
Up to 31 schools in the city could be closed or merged as the Government looks at where it should rebuild schools following the earthquakes.
Te Whanau Tahi board chair Huata Martindale says a merger would take away the choice parents have at the moment about which immersion school they would like to send their children to.
Mr Martindale says his school in Spreydon, in the southwest of the city, has little in common with the other kura kaupapa in Opawa, in the east.
