The aim of this research was to explore the mechanisms involved for engaging Māori whānau in their child’s education during a key transitional period. This objective was achieved through conducting semi-structured interviews with five Māori parents of year nine and ten students from two suburban high schools in Christchurch, New Zealand. Through framing the research within kaupapa Māori methodology and employing Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis, four superordinate themes were identified: Rangatiratanga (advocacy, leadership and commitment); Kotahitanga (working together with whānau); Whanaungatanga (maintaining connections with whānau); and Manaakitanga (caring for Māori students’ learning and potential). These findings closely align with a Māori worldview (Ritchie, 1992), and Macfarlane’s educultural wheel (2004). They have the potential to inform school policy and facilitate engagement with whānau as well as positively impact on Māori student achievement.