It is debated why Māori parents either turn away from Māori-bilingual education or prematurely move to English-medium schools. Results of an ethnographic pilot study of a Māori-bilingual graduate who moved to an English-medium secondary school after more than eight years assisting at Māori-bilingual programs are detailed. The student's prosperous move in terms of obtaining high academic language ability and essential cultural knowledge levels greatly depends upon parental schooling support and interventions, particularly concerning both English and Māori languages. This paper centers on the student's first transition year and, notably, on the language and cultural issues her family had to address to secure her success.