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Education Minister Hekia Parata says critics need to give the new charter schools a chance.
Ms Parata last week approved four more publicly-funded, privately-owned partnership schools, despite reports the school at Whangaruru was failing.
She says the nine partnership schools that will be running early next year will cater to just 700 of the 800,000 young people in the education system.
Government is determined to address the gap in achievement of many Maori an Pacific Island students, not only by working with mainstream schools and kura kaupapa but also through niche opportunities for parents and children who want to take them up.
"I think that the critics might just want to stand back and give them a chance and see the magic that it is possible that they will make," Ms Parata says.
She says the sponsors of partnership schools have to go through a rigorous evaluation to be chosen.
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