Maaori-medium educators are deeply committed to the revitalisation of tikanga and te reo Maaori in order to enhance the cultural setting in which aakonga learn and kaiako teach. This article originates from a project which set out to explore the teaching, learning and achievement in paangarau of learners in a Maaori- medium puna maatauranga kiritoa/modern learning environment (PMK/MLE) located in a small town in Aotearoa New Zealand. In this two- year study, a total of 106 year 4–6 aakonga were supported to consider the teaching and learning of paangarau in their PMK. This article reports the findings drawn from the analysis of data collected from two semi- structured focus group interviews with a total of 15 year 4–6 aakonga; one was held in September 2018 and the other in July 2019. The findings reveal insights into the types of pedagogy and tasks in paangarau that can increase opportunities for children’s collaboration, self- management and engagement.