The voices of ethnic communities

Five hundred parents and young people attended our ethnic community events in Auckland, Wellington and Christchurch.

Thank you for your input. Your voices are already contributing to the development of the vision for the future of education in New Zealand and the Government’s Education Work Programme.

Our Education conversation with ethnic communities [PDF, 865KB] summaries the feedback we received at these events. Thank you to those of you who took part.

Some of the main points from these conversations included:

Parents and families want more involvement in education and to grow their understanding of New Zealand education.
Identity, language and culture should be better valued in schools.
There are many passionate teachers who are great and this should be recognised.
Teaching practices should more consistently support students to feel safe and valued as individuals.
Access to different pathways and transitions through the education system could be improved to help children thrive.
Bias and racism exist and are harmful to both students and parents.
Being accepted as kiwis and feeling supported are essential for wellbeing.
Community-based organisations are doing excellent work with families and schools could tap into this expertise.
Meaningful employment, less conflict, and better support for physical and mental health should be priorities.