This article presents a critical consideration of the ways in which specialist dance teachers in New Zealand state secondary schools respond to curriculum expectations to incorporate Maori arts content into their lessons. Disparity between Maori and non-Maori achievement is evident in the state schooling system. More than 20% of students in New Zealand mainstream secondary schools are of Maori heritage, but Maori leave school early with fewer qualifications than non-Maori students. They are also disproportionately represented in suspension and exclusion statistics (Bishop 2012; Hauraki 2020; Ministry of Education 2006). There is a need to address the disparity in achievement occurring New Zealand classrooms. Understanding how teachers acknowledge diversity in their classrooms can make a fundamental contribution to understanding Maori students' experiences of secondary school education. The main premise of this article is that teaching approaches connected to the delivery of Maori arts are informed by individual histories, teaching identity and the expectations of schools as institutions. Relationships inside and outside the learning environment are considered, along with the cultural positioning of the teacher, school, and curriculum. The research findings discussed in this article are the result of a critical Indigenous, kaupapa Maori, whakawhanaungatanga inquiry.