The Waitangi Tribunal has quizzed the Ministry of Education on why it is not willing to take the risk and allow the Kohanga Reo movement to run itself the way it wants.
A two-week inquiry into the running of Maori language pre-schools started last week.
During the inquiry, the Tribunal asked the Ministry of Education why it lacked the courage to take the risk and adopt the kohanga style of teaching when indications show it works.
It asked if there was a sense of urgency or priority by the Ministry's Deputy Secretary of Early Childhood Education, Rawiri Brell, to do research on teaching in Te Reo.
In response, Mr Brell referred the Tribunal to a Ministry programme, Ka Hikitia - Managing for Success, which is designed to improve performance of the education system for and with Maori.
