NCEA Review- Make your Mark Awards

27 September

These year 2 and year 3 youngsters from St Francis Xavier School in Tawa won 2nd place in the ‘Young Minds. Young Dreams’ category – pictured here with teacher Sharon O’Meagher to collect their award at Parliament, from Acting Education Minister Tracey Martin. Around 240 students aged up to 20 took part in the competition from schools and youth organisations throughout New Zealand. View the full results here

Māori Education - Wānanga, Auckland

22 August

The wānanga are a follow on to the Education Summits and an opportunity for Māori to shape the future of Māori education.

Māori Education - Wānanga, Whangarei

17 August

The wānanga are a follow on to the Education Summits and an opportunity for Māori to shape the future of Māori education.

Tomorrow's Schools Review - Secondary School Students, Rotorua

21 August

Students debated the strengths and weakness of the current school system and discussed new ideas for improvements. 

Māori Education - Wānanga, Lower Hutt

4 September

The wānanga are a follow on to the Education Summits and an opportunity for Māori to shape the future of Māori education.

Over 70 people turned out for the latest wānanga in Lower Hutt last night. 

Tomorrow's Schools Review - Parents group, Wellington

30 August

Members of the Tomorrow’s Schools Review Independent Taskforce met with parents and education specialists in Wellington.  The group told the Taskforce about the importance of children having a strong sense of belonging at school and the need for more resources and specialists to support student wellbeing and learning. They also discussed better support for boards and a forum for parents to go to with complaints.

Home-based Early Childhood Education Review - Hui, South Auckland

29 August

Around 100 people came to discuss proposed changes for home-based early childhood education

Māori Education - Wānanga, Porirua

29 August

Over 50 people braved the wet conditions to take part in the second wānanga in Porirua. The wānanga are a follow on to the Education Summits and an opportunity for Māori to shape the future of Māori education.

Tahli Parai (in the middle), a Bachelor of Nursing student at Whitireia, said the second wānanga about the future of education for Māori in Porirua on Wednesday night was an eye opener.

Māori Education - Wānanga, Rotorua

28 August

The wānanga are a follow on to the Education Summits and an opportunity for Māori to shape the future of Māori education. About 100 people representing whānau, iwi, hapū, kura - both mainstream and Māori – attended.

Normalising te reo, improving and increasing the number of te reo teachers, as well as utilising traditional customs and practice were top of mind for participants, along with more careers focused subjects.

Lucy Diamond facilitates the session focused on Māori aspirations for education during the first national wānanga in Rotorua.

NCEA Review - Debate series, Wellington 

20 August

Minister Hipkins invited students and staff to join him at Parliament for an NCEA debate between the New Zealand Schools Debating Team, and Members of Parliament.
 

Left to right are: Hamish Saunders (Coach) Sabrina Swerdloff Otago Girls’ High School, Dunedin (Year 13) William Price Westlake Boys High School, Auckland (Year 13) Nicola Willis MP Hon. Tracey Martin, Associate Minister of Education Chris Bishop MP Lydia Joseph Columbia College, Dunedin (Year 13) Hon. Chris Hipkins, Minister of Education

The motion was “This house believes that young people should have more control over their education.”

Tomorrow's Schools Review - Sutton Park School staff meeting

20 August

Taskforce member Barbara Ala’alatoa (top row, second from left) met with the staff at Sutton Park School in Mangere. The staff told Barbara that parent voice needs to be strong in schools, schools need to be able to make decisions that are important to their community (such as bilingual education provision) and students’ heritage should be alive in their school.

Amongst many other things they also suggested compulsory professional development for Boards of Trustees and having specialists to manage property and finance for the BoT.

Tomorrow's Schools Review - Year 9+ Champions, Gisborne 

14 August

Taskforce member Professor Mere Berryman (seated, second from left) met with a group of Year 9+ champions in Gisborne.  These champions work with at-risk young people to help them stay in education.

They told Mere about the challenges these young people, and their families, face in remaining engaged in education. They discussed the need for young people to have allies to address these barriers, through schools and the system as a whole.

Tomorrow's Schools Review - Napier Kāhui Ako

26 July

Taskforce Chair Bali Haque (far left in photo) was in Napier to meet with leaders and across-school teachers from three Napier Kāhui Ako.

The group told Bali that the Kāhui Ako model is leading to more information sharing, collaboration and connections at a community level but the implementation has been challenging.

Tomorrow's Schools Review - Hawke’s Bay Secondary School Principals’ Association

26 July

Taskforce Chair Bali Haque (far right in photo) met with the Hawke’s Bay Secondary School Principals’ Association in Napier.

The Principals told Bali that the requirements on teachers to prove competence to the Education Council every year, regardless of their ongoing performance, is a burden. Suggestions for change included more mentoring and leadership support for principals and moving responsibility for property off individual schools (but not going back to a centralised system). They also said specialist subject advisors would help the provinces get access to best practice. Find out more about the Tomorrow's Schools Review.

Tomorrow's Schools Review - Ngai Tahu and Matauraka Makaanui, Christchurch

18 July 2018

Taskforce member Dr Cathy Wylie (second from left in photo) met with representatives of Ngai Tahu and Matauraka Makaanui (pictured) in Christchurch.

They told Cathy of the educational barriers they observe Maori students face in the South Island, and shared experiences of challenging cultural environments at school. They talked about effective programmes they ran and the opportunities to help overcome these challenges. Find out more about the Tomorrow's Schools Review.

Tomorrow's Schools Review - NZ School Trustees Association Conference

20-22 July 2018

Taskforce members were at the NZ School Trustees Association conference meeting with trustees and principals. Here is Bali Haque, Mere Berryman and Barbara Ala’alatoa with one of the focus groups they heard from.

They heard about the different experiences of trustees and the opportunities and challenges of the current system. Key themes were the inconsistency in capability across boards, and the need for greater support for both trustees and schools. Find out more about the Tomorrow's Schools Review.

Education Conversation - Pacific Education Fono, Porirua 

26 July 2018

Around 150 attendees participated in a bold and brave talanoa at the Porirua Pacific Education Fono last night as part of Education Conversation | Kōrero Mātauranga to give Pacific communities a unique opportunity to have a say of the kind of education system they want.

NCEA Review - Co-Lab, Wellington

19 July 2018

The mid-NCEA Review Co-Lab in Wellington, attended by 150 students, teachers, principals, union and employer representatives and others from the sector.

The full day collaborative workshop also involved members of the Ministry Advisory Group (MAG), led by Jeremy Baker, and the wider reference and youth reference groups.

Education Conversation - Ethnic Representatives meeting, Auckland

19 July 2018

Representatives of Auckland's ethnic communities met with Ministry staff today to learn more about EdConvo Kōrero Mātauranga and how to participate in the conversation. The New Zealand population consists more than 200 ethnicities. Around two-thirds of new migrant, ethnic New Zealanders live in the Auckland region.

Education Conversation - Fono for Pacific communities, Christchurch

17 July 2018

A great turn out and some really thought-provoking discussions at the Education Conversation Pacific fono in Christchurch, hosted by Associate Education Minister Jenny Salesa.

Education Conversation - Fono for Pacific communities, West Auckland

11 July 2018

The importance of reflecting Pacific culture, language and identity in the education system was a key theme at the Education Conversation | Kōrero Mātauranga Pacific fono in West Auckland. Over 900 people attended fono in the Auckland region.

Tomorrow's Schools Review - YouthLaw Aotearoa

10 July 2018

Taskforce Chair Bali Haque (bottom right) and member Barbara Ala’alatoa (bottom left) met with representatives of YouthLaw Aotearoa in Auckland this week. 

Find out more about the Tomorrow's Schools review and events.

NCEA Review - Ambassador Workshop, Canterbury

July 2018

The largest workshop to date was held in Christchurch this month when over 120 people who had expressed an interest in being an ambassador attended. Commitment from the region was evident in the number of attendees and attributed to the success of the workshop.

Canterbury West Coast Secondary Principals’ Association President and Regional Engagement Leader for the NCEA review Phil Holstein says “I am enjoying working with the enthusiastic team of ambassadors committed to driving the review and making it accessible and relevant to all New Zealanders.” 

Tomorrow's Schools Review - Learning Disabilities Association New Zealand conference

6-7 July 2018

Taskforce member Professor John O’Neill (far left in the photo) met with attendees of the Learning Disabilities Association New Zealand conference on the weekend. Here he is with one of the focus groups he heard from.

Find out more about the Tomorrow's Schools review and events.

NCEA Review - Workshop, Whangarei 

25 June 2018

Parents, teachers and other interested attendees discuss the future of NCEA in Whangarei last month -  at one of the first of 23 public workshops being held around the country.

The next round of workshops starts in Wellington on July 23.  Find out more about the NCEA conversation.