Good school leadership skills are critical to positive student learning outcomes; however, within Maori-medium programmes, leaders need additional skills pertaining to the Maori world and bilingual education best practices. Level 2 Maori medium programmes with 51-80% Maori language instruction offer a unique brand of bilingual education to the New Zealand context with its close balance between English and te reo Maori instruction, making them a good prospect for future growth. This article reports on a mixed-methods project that used a nationwide online survey and follow-up interviews with Maori medium leaders. The findings revealed a high level of personal commitment in a complex and challenging environment, but low expectations for student bilingual outcomes. Leaders' knowledge of bilingual education models and tikanga (culture) Maori was also weak. The outcomes lead to a call for additional support for principals to realise the potential these programmes offer for bilingual education in Aotearoa/New Zealand.