Te reo kori, a combination of movement, music, language, and Maori cultural values, was to be integrated into the new health and physical education (HPE) curriculum in New Zealand as one of the seven key areas of learning. However, the 1998 draft curriculum relegated it to one of the "considerations" for the implementation of the curriculum. This changed its status from a required content area to an optional one, and constitutes a failure to meet the needs and aspirations of Maori as guaranteed in the Treaty of Waitangi. Te reo kori has tremendous potential in its ability to fulfill cultural identity needs and feelings of self-worth in Maori students; meet the requirements of the New Zealand Curriculum Framework with regard to cultural inclusiveness; and achieve learning outcomes that address the four underlying concepts, four strands, and seven key areas of learning identified in the HPE curriculum. Te reo kori occurs in a cooperative setting, and research has identified numerous positive outcomes from cooperative learning approaches, including increases in conceptual achievement, critical and higher-order thinking skills, self-esteem, and positive attitudes towards cultural and racial diversity. New Zealand teachers use direct instructional approaches and identify te reo kori as the content area they are least comfortable teaching. Recommendations include extensive teacher training workshops in te reo kori and the creation of a Maori committee to ensure that te reo kori developments are culturally appropriate, relevant, and meaningful, and comply with Kaupapa Maori principles. (Contains 13 references.) (TD)