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Te reo Maori is a focus for three groups who want to set up partnership schools in the Waikato.

Te Kohao Health and Whakawatea Kaporeihana are making their third bids, while Kia Ata Mai Educational Trust is trying for the first time.

The literacy-focused trust is based in Ngaruawahia and has worked out of the Waikato for 20 years.

It hopes to set up a secondary school in Hamilton, trust chair Cath Rau said.

"Our point of difference is that we're offering a late immersion programme," she said.

"It might appeal to students, for example, who are in English medium who later on, around about Year 7 to 8, decide that actually they would like... to learn in te reo Maori."

It would also provide a pathway for students who had done earlier education in partial immersion programmes.

Rau hoped to start delivering Year 7 to 9 education and build up to Year 13.

Te Kohao Health put in its third bid because "we have not given up on our dream," managing director Tureiti Moxon said.

"I'm praying this time [partnership schools] are going to come south of the Bombays."

The plan is for a 120-student, bilingual, Year 1 to 8 school beside its Te Kohao Kohungahunga Early Childhood Centre in Enderley.

Under the Forest School approach, students would have regular access to the bush for learning.

Feedback on Te Kohao's previous application said it was amongst the strongest received, but more information was needed about the group's "educational capability" and the forest school rationale.

Another third-time applicant is Whakawatea Kaporeihana, looking at Years 9 to 13+.

Director Susanne Simmons-Kopa could not be contacted for comment before publication but a 2013 application said the group operated Te Kura Kaupapa Maori o Whakawatea and Whakawatea Te Kohanga Reo.

In that application, it proposed a school for Maori graduates of those institutions, where "te reo Maori is loved by everyone, it's 'cool' to be Maori, [students are] pushed to realise personal potential".

Waikato partnership school proposals:

• Te Kohao Health (Y1-8); bilingual Forest School; third application
• Whakawatea Kaporeihana (Y9-13+); third application
• Kia Ata Mai Educational Trust (Y7-13+); late immersion school with digital and personalised learning; first application