English-medium schools often find successful engagement with their Maori hapori and whanau challenging. This article endeavours to provide guidance to schools wanting to successfully and authentically engage with their Maori hapori and whanau. It suggests that adopting the powhiri ritual as the foundation of their whanau engagement strategy can considerably improve attendance at their hui. This article provides a framework which recognises the autonomy of schools to utilise the expertise of their Maori hapori to create a process that suits their particular context.