In this article we discuss teachers' perceptions and experiences of a collaborative case study to adapt a literacy approach originally designed for an Aotearoa New Zealand English-medium context. The approach was adapted to meet the needs of learners in a school offering differing levels of bilingual education. Our collaboration included a facilitating researcher, supported by two researchers at a university (of Ngai Tahu, Kati Mamoe, and Waitaha descent) and two classroom teachers of Maori descent from a small rural Maori community in Aotearoa New Zealand. We report findings from qualitative data collected from the two classroom teachers as part of the research process, analysed using a "wananga" (safe spaces for sharing knowledge) approach. Findings suggested that developing a linguistically and culturally responsive literacy approach to foster emergent bilingual language development required "Kaupapa Maori" (by, with, and for Maori) approaches. These included "ako" (acknowledging the experiences and knowledge of the teacher and learner within shared learning experiences), the development of trust and quality relationships between the teachers and the facilitating researcher, and the ability of teachers to be agentic when implementing the approach. Teachers viewed responsiveness to culture and language as integral to developing an emergent bilingual literacy approach for children, which underpinned connections between teachers, children and families.