For partnerships between non-Maori teachers and Maori parents in English-medium education to productively support student learning, parents must first associate positive feelings with three layered interaction types involving their child's teacher. The first interaction type is the teacher with their teacher self; the second is teacher-student interaction; the final is teacher-parent interaction. Maori parents' perspectives on how teacher dispositions and actions facilitate positive feelings within these three intertwined interaction types make up the paddling along together interactions (PATI) model. It is suggested that this model be implemented in steps, ideally in collaboration with a colleague with whom to explore and celebrate.