A Taranaki iwi is considering whether a local kura should become a charter school - which could potentially give it greater autonomy and might allow it to break away from the national curriculum.
Te Kura O Nga Ruahine Rangi in Mangatoki is under Ministry of Education management after the Education Review Office made a poor assessment of its teaching and governance.
Local tribe Nga Ruahine disagrees with the school report.
Iwi chairman John Hooker says there might be an option for the kura to become a charter school.
He says they're looking quite closely at the Hawaiian charter experience.
Mr Hooker says while becoming a charter school could be an option, the tribes and whanau ultimately want the kura to be run by Maori for Maori.
The Government has established a working group to look at a New Zealand model of charter schools.
It says charter schools could give parents and students more freedom to choose the type of education that best suits their learning needs.
