In New Zealand, speech-language therapists work through both the health and the education systems. In common with many Indigenous peoples, Māori have faced inequities in both health and education for decades. Kaupapa Māori education systems have been developed to support educational success and the survival of kaupapa Māori knowledge and te reo Māori. However, disparities between Māori and non-Māori still exist in the delivery of speech-language therapy services. The study reported in this article explored Māori experiences of speech-language therapy in kaupapa Māori education using Kaupapa Māori methodology, an Indigenous research approach that privileges Māori culture and knowledge.

This article explores some of the infl uences shaping early childhood Māori language education in Aotearoa New Zealand. By drawing on Garcia’s socio- historical stages of language orientation it parallels Māori language socio- historical developments and the linguistic conditions within which Māori language regeneration efforts reside. Also drawing on Waitangi Tribunal fi ndings these are juxtaposed as developments in Māori language education. In the New Zealand context, public policy has been slow to keep up with the pace of change, much less support or work with these fl ax- roots movements.