This study seeks to understand the importance of cultural relationships in supporting Māori student achievement of University Entrance. This research is based on the stories of five female ākonga Māori, all of whom completed five years of secondary education, and their whānau. It looks deeply into their relational experiences of whanaungatanga and whānautanga with their school, and the impact this had on their academic achievement of NCEA Level 3 and University Entrance. The results highlight the importance of culturally grounded transformative praxis and the risk of attempting to incorporate culturally located principles such as whānau and whanaungatanga into a schooling context, while still operating within historical hegemonic frameworks.