Learning Auckland Issue 3, 2014

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Learning Auckland, established 2012 Issue 3, August 2014

Education Today,Publisher established 1989 Issue 4, August 2014 Education Today Limited PO Box 22321, Publisher Wellington 6441 New Zealand Education Today Limited PO Boxwww.educationtoday.co.nz 22321, ISSN 1175 9240 Wellington 6441 New Zealand Advertising www.educationtoday.co.nz For rate card, ISSN 1175 9240media specs and general enquiries phone 04 499 9180 email production@educationtoday.co.nz Advertising For rate card, media specs and general Subscriptions enquiries phone 04 499 9180 Email admin@educationtoday.co.nz use email production@educationtoday.co.nz subject line SUBSCRIBER or subscribe

02 On yer bike 04 investing in leadership 06 connected educators 08 kiwi kids inspired 10-11 vox pops: the elections 13-21 party policies 22-26 comic spread: the magpies 27 news 28 liar, liar 29 book reviews

online at www.educationtoday.co.nz Subscriptions Annual subscriptions to Learning Email admin@educationtoday.co.nz use Auckland are $25 inc GST in New Zealand, subject line SUBSCRIBER or phonerates three editions per year. Overseas 04 499 9180.

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Our cover art was done by Kaya Soul Cover Atkins, Y6, at Newton Central School for this issue.Soul Our coverespecially art was done

by Kaya Atkins, Y6, of Newton Central School in Auckland especially for our election issue.

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editorial - AUGUST 2014

The election issue

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ducation Today is one of the few publications running the education policies of all major parties (and minor but influential players) when there is a general election. The diversity of views shows constructive education debate is alive and well in our country.

The big question confronting most of us (especially those with children currently in the education system) is how to best equip our young people for a future characterised by constant and rapid change, especially in the workplace.

We need to take stock of what our education system is achieving and then look at any changes which seem called for.

Our early childhood education, primary school sector and secondary school sector are, generally, producing well educated, well rounded life-long learners who have an excellent opportunity to thrive once they leave secondary school. We do not ignore or understate the fact that we have a 15 per cent “failure rate” of students leaving secondary school. These students become part of a problem that plagues the western world in that they become NEETS (not in employment, education or training). The intractable problem of these NEETS should not distract us from the excellent job our preschool and schooling system does overall.

It is what happens after secondary school that usually highlights what we need to stop doing through pre-school and school so we can start doing other things, and which also highlights attitudes built up by individual students during their formative years.

how to help students decide if they should go on to tertiary and how we can save those that do from too much debt. Arguing the merits of education options is more useful to voters than being transfixed by an errant cup of tea.

We need a better process at the end of secondary schooling to enable students and their parents to make more informed choices about whether to go into tertiary education or directly into the workforce.

EDUCATION TODAY THE EDUCATION MAGAZINE OF THE FUTURE

contemplating a tertiary education is student loan debt. It is time to explore options which would enable some students to undertake tertiary studies or training without incurring serious debt. Some Australian universities have introduced Massive open on-line courses (Moocs) which our students could easily access. The major problem with Moocs has been how to accredit students with a qualification upon successful completion.

The head of the Employers and Manufacturers Association, Kim Campbell, puts a strong case (see article ‘On yer bike...’ on page 2 of this edition) for secondary schools to provide high quality, and most importantly, independent vocational guidance advice. Improvements in this long neglected area would come at a cost but may well save students heartache and disappointment if a tertiary education choice turns out to be wrong. Professional vocational advice may also save money in the tertiary sector if it means options other than a tertiary education are chosen where appropriate.

Our contribution could be in having the Ministry of Education resource ways of moderating the content and accrediting both Australian and New Zealand students with the appropriate qualification. In due course we could have our own Moocs to complement the Australian schemes with these courses being of value to Australian students too.

Mr Campbell also advocates that schools issue a work readiness certificate. This certificate would not only provide detail of a student’s ability in subjects such as English, mathematics etc, but also, and most importantly, details about a student’s attitude and, according to the EMA, is at least as important as knowledge.

Good attitude is often a determining factor in an employer’s decision whether to employ or not. A work readiness certificate would be a valuable qualification for those students who are not suited to a tertiary education and wish to enter the workforce straight from school.

Getting back to the NEETS. There is a strong case for running a pilot scheme involving early childhood intervention. Some success has been achieved in such schemes designed to save very young children from going on to become serious criminals. Surely a similar scheme for children at risk of educational failure is worth trying.

If we can develop on-line tertiary courses providing qualifications which have credibility with employers huge savings could be achieved in some parts of the tertiary sector both in terms of government funding and student loan debt.

Finally, listening to our students, and educators, is vital to designing and adapting any education system. Our fearless primary students through to our aspiring school leavers have something to say, and to do, and our educators are invariThe coming election presents an excellent opportunity for a constructive debate about One of the key issues facing students ably our window to their world.

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STUDENT VOICE.

On yer bike– pedalling to your destiny SANTIPHAP SOUMPHONPHAKDY talks about the skills needed for the job market from an interview our student editorial group held with Employers and Manufacturers Association boss Kim Campbell.

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oung people go through a lot in the school has prepared for the young person struggle to find jobs. and, Mr Campbell said, would only take a To find a job you invariably need experi- person so far. The other set of skills that Mr ence, and to get experience you need a Campbell identifies as the most important, job. It’s an ongoing loop, difficult for young and what young people may sometimes people to break out of without help from lack, is the correct attitude. the right people.

The Employers and Manufacturers Association (EMA) chief executive recently said students are leaving school without the adequate skills for work, and that more should be provided from about the student that NCEA and schools isn’t showing (Wanted: meaningful work readiness certificates for school leavers – EMA Election Manifesto, July 2014).

The association is proposing a ‘work readiness certificate’ highlighting the details such as reading, writing, mathematics, ontime attendance and attitude of a student - what the association believes a young person should have when joining the work force.

The Employers and Manufacturers Association should know something about this. It is over a hundred years old and has been helping businesses to grow, and network between each other. The Learning Auckland editorial team recently spoke to Mr Campbell, and he elaborated on what he believes a young person needs.

Mr Campbell said there are two sets of skills that people have. Vocational skills, otherwise known as ‘knowledge’, is what

Bike’ to describe how a young person should behave, to find out whether they’re ready to work.

He showed the bike’s four main parts. The front wheel, the back wheel, the pedals, and the steering wheel. In order for a bike Attitude can be expanded; it’s not only the to get to where it wants to go, all four parts way a person acts, but it is the motivation have to have an equal balance and work and goals, the way one people communi- together. cate to their employers and co-workers, The front wheel is attitude and goals, the and it is the overall determination of the back wheel is the vocational skills, the young person. pedals are the motivation, and the steering Mr Campbell said the best attitude is a wheel is the control of the person. A young balanced attitude, when a young person person must have a balance of the parts knows how to change their attitude accord- their bike. Not only should they focus on ing to the circumstances. For example, a what they learn in school, but they should young person has to know the balance in have a goal set in their head and have the confidence. If a person is cocky around attitude to get there. their employer, or shy and quiet, it might give the wrong impression. The balance between a lack of confidence and not being too self-confident is important.

When their bike is balanced the next step is to put in work. They have to pedal, and they have to have the motivation to move, because without motivation then there won’t be any movement, leaving both skills sets to go to waste. When these three parts of the bike are balanced the young person can steer their life to where they want to go. It’s a useful analogy.

He said the same applies to formality and language. An employee should know when to speak up, who they’re speaking to and how they should act. It has to do with showing respect. The attitude isn’t simply taught by a curriculum, but it is constructed Mr Campbell made the point young people by the young person themselves and how are totally responsible for themselves and getting a job. It’s the determination and they approach every obstacle in life. will that allows for someone to create their School can provide the first example an own future. A young person is in for a lifeemployer can look at to decide how a time of learning, and it is the life skills and young employee might work. maturity that will determine the outcome Mr Campbell used the metaphor of ‘Kim’s of the young person’s life.

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Certificates for school leavers EMA Election Manifesto

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mployers want every student leaving secondary school to be issued with a work readiness certificate detailing their abilities in reading, writing, mathematics, on-time attendance and attitude.

The proposal is part of the Employers and Manufacturers Association six-point Election Manifesto 2014 issued on July 14.

“Businesses keep reporting young people are leaving school without adequate work readiness skills,” said Kim Campbell, EMA’s chief executive.

“The present NCEA report issued to school leavers is simply not up to the job for helping employers choose among young job seekers,” Mr Campbell said.

“We are proposing students be issued with a new document that employers can easily understand: an Employment Readiness Certificate containing a

meaningful assessment of the student’s skills. access to quality, independent, expert “Along with that, more needs to be done career advisors not biased towards acato encourage students to take up a career demia or trades,” Mr Campbell said. in the trades. The perception that going to EMA’s Election Manifesto presents policies university will earn the best jobs and the big across six areas to encourage business success. bucks still persists, but it is not necessarily so.

“Employers in manufacturing and ser- Pictured above: Employers and vice organisations are crying out for people Manufacturers Association boss Kim with an aptitude for trades and technical Campbell with student editorial group skills which are not taught at universities. members Hollie Court, left, Ciccone Hakaraia “Our policy prescription is to boost the num- Turner, Santiphap Soumphonphakdy, bers of students choosing a trades career Charlotte Collins and Katelyn Eden. with an ongoing national public relations campaign that highlights trades as valuable, and often demanding of considerable intelligence. LINKS “We also want to urge those who EMA’s Election Manifesto 2014 can be found influence students’ career deci- at: www.ema.co.nz/resources/EMA%20 sions not to discourage high achieving Reports%20and%20Documents/Advocacy/ students from choosing a trades career. Submissions/2014/EMA-2014-Election “To do this we propose all students have Manifesto.pdf

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STUDENT VOICE.

Investing in leadership Massey High School’s MATHEW DITCHBURN looks at the large investment being made in building, developing and nurturing leadership in schools across the country through the creation of new roles.

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his year, a budget of $359 million was of the ‘foundation’ of the school. Giving expeannounced for Teaching and Leadership rienced and proven principals the incentive to pathways. work at a change school will also reduce the chances the school will fall into a state where This investment is intended to help support teachers and principals to lift student perfor- it needs more change and more funding in the mance in every school, according to Education near future.

Minister Hekia Parata.

Expert Principals will be implemented to supBut where does all of this money go, is it port and mentor other principals in their area, enough or is it too much and could we be to raise student achievement across the board.

This makes use of the experienced principals spending it better? in our education system and will result in a The money is being spent to allocate new roles greater number of quality principals in the to Teachers and Principals in New Zealand future.

Schools. There are an anticipated 6,270 roles being implemented throughout New Zealand, Teachers that are identified as experts in the and these roles come under four categories; core areas such as Maths, English and Science Executive Principal, Expert Teacher, Lead will be given an incentive to work with other teachers both inside and outside of their Teacher and Change Principal. school to raise the quality of teaching and The idea behind creating these roles is to rec- student achievement. They will be known as ognize and use talent where it’s needed most, expert teachers. They will work closely with largely because educational achievement in Executive Principals.

New Zealand has been slowly declining on an The final role is the lead teacher, who will be international scale since the early 2000s. given an extra $10,000 a year to keep their These new roles offer a boosted paycheck classroom open to other teachers (including for anyone involved, ranging from $10,000 a student teachers or beginners) so that they can year for a lead teacher to $50,000 a year for a learn positive teaching practice from an excelChange Principal. This is expected to be fully lent teacher in their school. rolled out by 2017.

I see a few flaws in the plan to implement The selection process for Executive Principals the teacher’s roles into school. Firstly, expert involves being selected by a panel of experts teachers will be absent from class two days with help from the Local Board of Trustees a week, and the schools will receive funding (BoT). These Executive Principals will then to replace the teacher during these days. The select the Expert Teachers and the Lead issue I see is not from the school’s perspective, Teachers with aid from a member of the exter- it is from a student’s perspective. I know that nal selection panel. A Change Principal will be when my teacher is not in class and we are recruited and appointed as vacancies arise by left with a replacement or a reliever, students’ the relevant school’s BoT, with some guidance work rates decline by a very large amount. from a member of the external selection panel. Even if this reliever was experienced, students So what does all of this really mean? will not stay focused and will miss out on Basically, for tackling a school that needs to essential parts of their learning. be improved quite a lot, a bonus paycheck will be given to a change principal. This will give incentive to the highly skilled principals at other schools to take on this new challenge and bring some experience to the school.

replacement while the teacher is gone manages to sustain student focus and achievement (which I consider unlikely), the required communication between reliever and absent teacher to keep the education ‘flowing’ steadily without doubling up or missing parts is unrealistic.

This will again result in a reduction of student achievement, and potentially a negative effect on the reputation of the expert teacher.

Finally, the lead teacher is being paid to make their classroom open to other teachers, to go and get more guidance. The first issue here is that other teachers will have to miss out on teaching time to see this guidance, when instead with the expert teacher they can get in-class guidance on how to improve.

Secondly, teachers are unlikely to willingly attend another teacher’s class, on the basis that it makes them look inferior to another teacher, so they may be receiving an extra $10,000 a year to do practically nothing. If they are being incentivised with extra money, I believe a lead teacher should have more of an active role in the education system.

If this is happening twice a week, this could result in a heavy grade drop in an expert teacher’s class, which not only impacts the students but the teacher’s reputation as an expert teacher as well.

A solution to all of this is for the Ministry of This is a good idea, as it will improve the quality Another problem I see is that even if the Education to employ an expert teacher full

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time, to circulate all of the schools in a certain area and give guidance without having a position as a teacher themselves. This would have to be fully ministry funded instead of partially school funded, but will result in a better learning environment for students than if they had a teacher absent two fifths of the time.

when they are working at another place. This will result in the expert teacher being an area based contact for improvement and a lead teacher being a school based contact, so no matter what other teachers will have guidance available for them whenever they need it. This will give the lead teacher a more active role, as they will be the first point of call for school Another positive of this could be that the expert teacher will be able to give some responsibil- based guidance. ity to the lead teachers, thereby still giving a Overall, the extra government spending is well comparison for the teachers they are assisting thought out and is a good idea, but could be

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Nic says: I didn’t know $359 million was being spent in this way in our education system. I think it would be better spent on new computers for students, and better equipment, but I suppose it is well spent on this as well.”

spent more effectively on the teachers than it currently is being. In saying this, the ideas they have laid out for principals are great and will help to improve our education system in the future.

LINKS & STUDENT COMMENTS For more information on the Teaching and Leadership Career Pathways, visit https://www.national.org.nz/news/news/ media-releases/detail/2014/01/22/$359m-forteaching-leadership-career-pathways.

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Ryan says: I didn’t know this was being invested into our education system this year, and I think it would be better spent on improving the BYOD (Bring Your Own Device) system in our schools.”

EducationToday.co.nz

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whatunga tangata whatunga mātanga

Connected educators

Nationally, locally, globally

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re you interested in professional development and connecting with like-minded educators from around the globe? Do you want to try an innovative approach to professional learning and connect with educators from around the world?

We’re all on our own journeys to learn to use digital technologies effectively with our learners. However we need to be learners too. New and emerging web technologies offer educators opportunities to collaborate, share and learn from each other in ways that previously have not been possible.

CORE Education is bringing Connected Educator Month (CEM) to New Zealand in October for its inaugural year, alongside CORE’s partners - the US Connected Educator Team and the Department of Education (Victoria, Australia) - to help educators share and learn in a digital environment.

Over the past two years, millions of educators and organisations have participated in rich professional learning as part of the US-based Connected Educator Month which has proven to be extremely valuable for educators from early childhood education through to tertiary.

virtual field trips. Mark the key dates in your diary so you don’t miss out on the events that will help your professional learning.

Prominent Maori and Pasifika will be sharing on panels locally, nationally and globally. Kura in the Far North can connect with students and Participation kaiako through collaborative online learning Connected Educator Month is driven by an with Kura in the far south. open, collaborative calendar that will con- CORE encourages those who want to run their nect you, kura, early childhood services and own event to do so by adding it to the calendar other learning centres, with thousands of and then sharing it through their own networks. like-minded educators from around the globe, enable you to engage in conversations in safe Register for updates online spaces, help you to develop online You can register to receive updates and more connectivity skills, enhance your professional information online by visiting the official www. networks and transfer your knowledge back to ConnectedEducator.org.nz or following on your own learners/classroom.

Twitter @ConnectEduNZ, #CENZ14.

For emerging leaders, you can run your own Together we can be stronger and move on the event, mentor others and model networked digital technology pathway in a shared, collaboprofessional practice. rative approach.

CEM Project Manager, Karen Melhuish If you feel like you could be using the digital Spencer, said her own experience and inter- world more effectively and want to understand Ka kaha ake tātou mēnā e whāi wāhi ana te katoa ki te whakawhanake, ki te tuari hoki i te ests are reflected in CEM. more about how to use digital technologies, ara rawa hangarau.

“My passion is working alongside schools, such as online communities, creating a blog educators and students to design inclusive, or participating in a webinar, there is the perCEM in the US engaging learning for our digital world. What is fect starter kit for you that runs daily to learn most exciting is the way digital technologies the basics about connecting, using digital • Highlights of the 2013 event as recorded can offer us more ways than ever before to technology and creating professional learning by our partner in the US included: connect our professional learning globally, as networks.

• 300+ major education organisations offiwell as locally, in ways that are flexible, mean- Schools, kura, early childhood services and cially participated ingful and engaging,” Karen said. other learning centres can commit to sharing • 600+ national events and activities the event with your whole staff, individuals Connected Educator Month (many more local) can pick their own pathway - and anyone can Connected Educator Month is a coordinated • 1 million+ pages, other locations refsubmit an event to the calendar to share with approach providing educators with opportunierencing, promoting or discussing the others. ties to participate in events and activities online. event Connected Educator Month will be the ultimate Calendar of events • More than 14 million were reached professional development for ‘how to’ con- The calendar of events will be connected through Twitter alone, with an average nect and learn, offering skill development and through online platforms, such as webinars of 4.6 million impressions/day enhancement of personal learning networks. and blog posts. There’ll also be streamed face- • The White House and President Obama CORE Education believes a connected, net- to-face workshops with live feeds at CORE’s supported and advocated this event worked approach to learning offers far greater ULearn14 Conference 8-10 October, plus opportunities for professional learning. online book groups, panel discussions and

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Kiwi kids inspired to dream and succeed Thousands of New Zealand students were encouraged to dream big and make it happen during the annual Sir Peter Blake Leadership Week, held this year from 27 June to 4 July.

The week-long event, which celebrates great leadership and seeks to inspire the next generation of Kiwi leaders, is named in honour of one of our greatest Kiwis, Sir Peter Blake, and has two major school-focused activities - the Dream Team and Young Leader Awards. This year’s celebrations were particularly special as the Sir Peter Blake Trust also celebrated its 10th birthday. A summary of the key activities and how to get involved is outlined below.

personality, Matt Watson; Blake Leader and 2014 Kiwibank New Zealander of the Year, Dr. Lance O’Sullivan; and a wide-ranging list of New Zealand adventurers, CEOs and business leaders, doctors, politicians and community champions.

Each Dream Teamer spent an hour telling stories from throughout their various careers and sharing what they’ve learned along the way, as well as talking about the importance of having goals and dreams that you want to What: The Dream Team Who: Primary, intermediate and sec- achieve, and the drive to make those dreams happen. During the session, students also ondary students nationwide shared what they hoped to achieve in the Why: To encourage young Kiwis to future and were given Dream Cards to fill in dream big and make their goals and so they could write their goals down and then dreams happen start making a plan of how they might accomClose to 20,000 New Zealand school students plish them. were inspired over the course of Leadership Week, as 300 Sir Peter Blake Trust Dream Team leaders visited local classrooms around New Zealand to share their inspiring stories and lessons in leadership.

Each Dream Teamer spent

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Led by New Zealand’s Governor-General, Lt. Gen. The Rt. Hon. Sir Jerry Mateparae, a large number of high-profile leaders took part, including: Sir Eion Edgar and Sir Ron Carter; television psychologist, Nigel Latta; scientist and inventor, Sir Ray Avery; TV presenters, Rawdon Christie and Toni Street; Newstalk ZB radio host, Rachel Smalley; and ZM breakfast presenters Carl Fletcher, Vaughan Smith and Megan Sellers; singer-songwriter, Jamie McDell; former Prime Minister, Dame Jenny Shipley; Air New Zealand Chief Pilot, Capt. David Morgan; sporting greats, Hamish Carter and Beatrice Faumuina, TV fishing

an hour telling stories from throughout their various careers and sharing what they’ve learned along the way, as well as talking about the importance of having goals and dreams that you want to achieve, and the drive to make those dreams happen.”

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Sir Peter Blake Trust CEO, Shelley Campbell, says, ”The response each year from leaders who are keen to be the involved in the Dream Team is simply amazing. Their passion for the programme ensures that thousands of Kiwi students have the opportunity to be inspired by their stories and learn how they can achieve their dreams too. We look forward to welcoming more schools into the programme in 2015 and having even more inspiring Kiwis onboard to share their stories and encourage our young people to realise that if you work hard, and believe that you can achieve your dreams, then anything is possible.”

What: Young Leader Awards Who: Primary and Intermediate school students nationwide Why: To celebrate and recognise young Kiwis who lead by example by showing great teamwork, sportsmanship, kindness to others, commitment and/or determination to succeed Each year, in association with founding sponsor Westpac, the Sir Peter Blake Trust, presents Young Leader Awards to students at around 300 primary and intermediate schools throughout the country.

Westpac has been a primary sponsor of the Sir Peter Blake Trust for the past nine years and supports the development of New Zealand’s future leaders. During Leadership Week students selected by their teachers or peers to receive an award are presented with a medal and certificate by their local Westpac Bank Manager at a school assembly.

Pictured at top left: Mangere Bridge School student Karmella Reedy, Y5, was recognised for displaying her very own style of leadership when she was awarded the Blake Young Leader Award presented by local Westpac Business Manager, Gerry Smutz, at a special assembly that her parents attended too. Above, Greenmeadows School students were encouraged when their Dream Team leader - The Governor General, Sir Jerry Mateparae - visited the school during Leadership Week. Sir Gerry was amazed to hear about their own dreams, and their vision for Aotearoa.

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One student started a kindness club at his school where everyone was encouraged to be kind to their schoolmates”

in the classroom, others for showing leadership by being thoughtful and caring to their classmates and a number were awarded for being great team members and showing good sportsmanship.

Sir Peter Blake Trust CEO, Shelley Campbell, said Sir Peter believed in the potential of young Kiwis to achieve great things and the Trust encourages young New Zealanders to demonstrate positive leadership in their schools and communities and to work hard to make their goals and dreams happen.

achieving and doing well, and, that in celebrating their success, it also shows other students what positive leadership looks like, so they can aspire to do the same,” says Ms Campbell.

All New Zealand schools are eligible to sign up for both the Dream Team visit and Young Leader Awards and the Sir Peter Blake Trust actively encourages further schools and classrooms to take part. To find out more information about how your school or class can be part of 2015 Leadership Week, or find out more about what happened this year, visit our website for detailed programme info.

Young Leader Award winners this year were recognised for various achievements such as one student who started a ‘Kindness Club’ at his school where everyone was encouraged to be kind to their schoolmates. Other Young “We hope that by receiving a Young Leader Leaders were awarded for always trying their Award, it will help develop their self-confidence http://www.sirpeterblaketrust.org/ best at school sports or achieving great results even further and inspire them to keep on get-involved

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x o v Bagena Malua Rory O’Connor Katelyn Eden How does the election affect me?

How does the election affect me?

How does the election affect me?

It would be sad because since John Key is prime minister for four years, then the next four years it might be a different prime minister who might change how things work. For example, you might have to pay more to go to university and the government might make the wrong choices by taking some teachers away from a school so they can give money to less teachers.

The strength of the economy will affect my job prospects as I leave school.

The election impacts the opportunities provided to me as a student in both the educational and societal aspects of my life, and I place a heavy level of importance on the election and voting.

What are the key differences between parties?

The differences I see between the National party and the Labour party is that the National party don’t really care about the poor people because they don’t see the poor people around them. But the Labour party actually care about the poor people because when they see a poor person, they help them out.

When the National Party sees a poor person, they don’t really care as long as they are alright.

What are the key differences between parties?

National’s focus towards helping business, building a strong economy and bringing the country to budget surplus. Labour is more focused on expensive social policies that I don’t believe we need.

What are the key education issues?

I have strong opinions for the National party but they are not based on education policy.

I am not well versed in either party’s educational policies but I also think the NZ education system is not an area for concern.

What are the key education issues?

I think the two main education issues are the teachers getting paid less and the government trying to cram kids into classes. Also the parents are worried with the zoning for their kid’s school they go to. Some parents lie to the school by pretending to live somewhere close to the school so their kids can go to that school.

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What are the key differences between parties?

Labour focuses on improving the quality of education for all students and assisting struggling families. National focuses on improving the economic performance of New Zealand internationally and domestically through assisting businesses.

What are the key education issues?

One of the biggest education issues surrounding New Zealand schools is the introduction and integration of E-Learning within the classrooms across the country. While offering the technology to students could have benefits, there is the worry of the cost outweighing the benefit, as students may not use it as efficiently as intended.

s p o p x It’s a big year for voters. STUDENT EDITORIAL GROUP writers from a variety of schooling years have this to say about the elections...

Charlotte Collins How does the election affect me?

I view the election of great importance. It is a choice that impacts who leads both our local area, and the country as a whole, and if you waste that opportunity you have no right to argue the policies they make, and the impact they have on education.

What are the key differences between parties?

Labour takes a policy to appeal to more ‘humanitarian’ views, which are not always achievable in the current economic position.

What are the key education issues?

Charter schools present a controversial issue to education within New Zealand; however, I think the qualification system used in New Zealand needs to be reanalyzed. Often education is not the focus of election issues, which I think should be rethought as it is a key element of society.

Ciccone HakaraiaTurner How does the election affect me?

I think that it could affect my education because if there’s a new prime minister for the next four years, they might change the way things work and might ban some useful things that we could use in the future.

What are the key differences between parties?

The differences I see between the National and Maori party is that the Maori party are trying to get as many seats as they can in parliament and they’re trying to get the Maori language back, but the National party want to get rid of the Maori seats and are trying their best to hide the truth.

What are the key education issues?

I think that some key education issues are that we don’t really study the Treaty of Waitangi, and we need more bilingual units in schools so that we will be able to speak our own language.

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Mathew Ditchburn How does the election affect me?

The election will decide who is in power for the next few years, which means that any decisions made by the party in power will end up affecting society, which will in turn affect me. I must make informed decisions to select the party in power, to help craft my future.

What are the key differences between parties?

National is focused on the economy and how to improve it, while Labour and Green are planning to spend more to improve social services, thereby increasing national debt.

What are the key education issues?

One of the articles I wrote recently was about giving good teachers and principals pay raises to incentivise them to take on more challenging roles and “mentor” other teachers. This is one key education issue of this time.

STUDENT VOICE.

Valuing the right to vote F

rom what we have gathered, majority of people. In turn, those students don’t seem to care who fail to understand the system about the upcoming elections. have a limited interest in both poliOf the students surveyed, the tics and the election in particular. majority “have no real idea” or There are two potential solutions “don’t pay much attention”. to this issue. The first is the impleOne student said: “Our education mentation of a compulsory course won’t be affected much unless within the New Zealand educathey employ an Umbridge in every tion system. This would involve students learning about the MMP school”. system used within New Zealand As secondary students nearing the and basic information regarding the age of 18 we are gaining the abilpolitical parties. ity to vote, and have our opinions count. We get a say in who leads Through completion of the course the government and chooses the students could make an informed decision regarding the election. policies impacting us.

Radio New Zealand reporter Karen Whoever runs the government has a say on the lives of everyone, Mangnall believes “having no civics regardless of whether you person- course at school contributes to low ally voted or not. So why do the voter turnouts.”

younger generation entering the Having such a course in school could then lead into the second voting pool not care?

Perhaps this is because students option of a youth vote. Those who fail to see the impact their vote will complete the course have the entihave on not only on their education, tlement to cast a vote, before the age of eighteen, as it reflects their but also their lives. position as an educated voter.

Teenagers have a tendency to be self-centered and shallow, with a Having a youth vote enables a focus on their own futures. As a wider demographic to vote, thereresult of this students do not pay fore increasing the perspective of enough attention to politics due to parties in the preparation of their policies. a general lack of understanding.

The political system employed Compiled by Charlotte in New Zealand can present a Collins, Katelyn Eden, Rory challenge to comprehend for the O’Connor, Mathew Ditchburn

Decline in voter turnout

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ne of the major ways we receive infor- maintain a public image of neutrality. The party mation regarding the election is through in power does impact her role as a journalist though, as it “dictates how interesting stories journalism and the work of reporters.

Karen Mangnall is a radio journalist with an are”. interest in the youth of Auckland and their The dilemma of the declining voting rate affects views on the upcoming election. She told our not only in New Zealand but also many demorecent student editorial group meeting she cratic Western countries. What Karen expects believes many of those becoming eligible to in the upcoming election is a lower turnout vote are not well-informed about politics and than previously, and she suspects Auckland in particular will have a low voter presence, simitherefore are not interested in voting.

Karen has voted in all but one election since lar to the local body elections. She suspects she was eligible to vote. The 1981 Springbok this could be because people aren’t as passionrugby tour took place during her first voting ate about the issues as they could be.

with their internet skills “taking it where young people are”.

Karen believes it is extremely important to use the vote as an “indication people understand the role of being a citizen in a democracy”.

However, she acknowledges it can be difficult for people to see how their vote can influence policies, to see the change they are making.

As a result of this, Karen suggests that making voting compulsory, as it is in Australia, may be a good idea, as it is “important for the social contract that keeps society together”.

year. Karen’s current employers, Radio New Karen said she has no idea how to increase Compiled by Charlotte Collins, Katelyn Zealand, have a policy under which their report- participation, but feels the emergence of the Eden, Rory O’Connor, Mathew ers do not declare their political position and Internet-Mana party may make a difference Ditchburn

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party education policies

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āori make up 15 per cent of New Zealand’s population - and a third of them are under 15 years of age.

The median age of Māori was 23.9 years in the 2013 Census compared with 38 years for non-Māori. These demographics require us to prepare as a nation, for a future in which Māori will play a significant role.

The Māori Party has always sought to protect Māori rights and promote Māori interests, for the advancement of the nation; believing that what works for Māori will ultimately be good for New Zealand. Within this, our focus on whanau wellbeing underpins all policies.

Achievement

• increased support to development of Puna

Reo at early childhood level The education system has been persistently • ensuring te reo will be compulsorily available inequitable for Māori – in all schools • low inclusion of Māori themes and topics in mainstream education,

• fewer teacher-student interactions, • less positive feedback,

• the establishment of a Maori Language Teacher Education Leadership Centre

• Research to the establishment of Maori language learning communities

• more negative comments targeted to Māori • An increase in the number of kura kaupapa learners, Maori established each year • under-assessment of capability, • Promotion of whanau language learning pro• institutional racism, grammes at zero or reduced fees.

• mispronounced names, and so on.

Education gains to date We support teaching environments which promote a holistic view of education and where We are proud of the difference we have made teacher expectations and pedagogies focus on through some key gains negotiated with fulfilling the potential of every child. We sup- Government. These include:

Our party values are driven by the expression of nine kaupapa; kotahitanga, manaakitanga, rangatiratanga, wairuatanga, mana whenua, mana tupuna/whakapapa; whanaungatanga, kaitiakitanga, te reo. port ongoing performance improvement and -- Expanding the Reading Together Programme to include more than 140 decile 4 and 5 Expression of these kaupapa lead us to give the capacity for teachers to be self-reflective schools. Reading Together is a researchemphasis in practical ways throughout our and self-analytical about the difference they based programme that helps parents to are making. policy such as: support their children’s reading at home.

The key to education success is engagement • Recognising whanau as the foundation of our social, economic, and cultural development by whanau in the education of their children -- $17 million to allow an additional 20 schools to participate in Te Kotahitanga teacher trainincluding participation in their schools. We want • Focusing on whanau-centred solutions to ing programme. to encourage stronger and more meaningful determine their own direction; relationships with whanau, hapu and iwi; and -- $3 million to support Te Runanganui o nga • Upholding and defending indigenous repre- ensure effective engagement for the majority Kura Kaupapa Māori to develop a curriculum sentation in governance arrangements. of our tamariki in mainstream education. and associated resources based on Te Aho How then, are our kaupapa actualised in educa- We will amend the Education Act with a definition that education is to promote, and be tion policy? consistent with, the principles of lifelong learnEarly Childhood Education ing, including intergenerational learning.

We want to inspire the hunger to learn by We will establish ten experiential learning increasing the quality and access to universal pilots in Maori medium and general education early childhood education. Early childhood edu- schools, to grow entrepreneurial skills. cation, as the foundation to our future, must be affordable, available and responsive and include Ko te reo Maori te matapihi ki te ao Maori initiatives such as PAFT, HIPPY, PAUSE, PAUA, Knowing the Maori language is to know the kōhanga reo, puna reo and whānau led centres. Maori world.

We expect services to meet the needs of • We will investigate and implement as negotiated: Maori and Pasifika children and their parents, to be culturally competent and appropriate. We believe all early childhood teachers should be required to be culturally competent as part of the basic expectations for service performance.

Matua.

-- $60 million to build new kura kaupapa Māori and upgrade existing school buildings.

-- $9 million over four years to support iwi to develop school and community-based language initiatives.

-- A new education initiative to support and strengthen the teaching of Māori history in Years 1-13. Te Takanga o Te Wā, -- Puawaitanga scholarships will be awarded to young people who demonstrate leadership potential to enrol in Māori Boarding Schools.

Cultural Competency The Māori Party has introduced guidelines to make the education system work better through Tataiako: cultural competencies for teachers of Māori learners. Tataiako sets in place guidelines to assist educators in developing an understanding of one’s own identity, language and culture; developing an understanding of the relevance of culture in New Zealand education; and developing an understanding of and openness to Mäori knowledge and expertise. We want to see an environment where strategies promote, monitor and reflect upon learning outcomes that lead to improvements in Māori student achievement.

Te Ururoa Flavell, Māori Party Co-leader Ngāti Rangiwewehi, Ngāpuhi, Ngāti Raukawa Te Ururoa Flavell was first elected to the House of Representatives as a Māori Party Member of Parliament on 17 September 2005 for the Electorate of Waiariki and was re-elected in the 2008 and 2011 General Elections. http://maoriparty.org/te-ururoa-flavell/

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ational knows that ensuring all children get a good education is the most important thing our government can do to raise living standards, and create a more competitive and productive economy.

Earlier this year the Prime Minister announced a $359 million investment in career pathways for teachers and principals to lift the quality of learning and student achievement in every school in New Zealand.

will allow schools to focus on our children’s needs.

to recognise excellent teachers and principals, keep good teachers in the classroom, share expertise across schools and among teachers, and get our most experienced to the schools that need them most for the benefit of all our To that end, we have developed a Quality children.

Teaching Agenda.

We are reviewing Professional Learning and

School-leavers are also doing better under National. Provisional 2013 results show nearly 77 per cent of students leaving school achieved at least NCEA Level 2, up from 66.5 per cent in 2008 under Labour.

We want every child to leave school with the skills they need to reach their potential in a modern world. New Zealand has a top performing education system and National has worked hard to get the wheels well and truly moving.

However, we still have plenty of work to do.

In our schools, we know it’s excellent teaching and leadership that have the greatest effect on the quality of learning and achievement of our children.

We are committed to continuing to work closely with the profession to develop policy that will be of the most benefit to not only This initiative draws on what the profession teachers and principals, but to parents and has said it needs, what the best performing their children. countries are doing, and what international Since 2008, National has seen more young research and evidence shows works. people than ever before succeeding in Currently a working group, made up of profes- education. sionals from across the sector, is making good In 2013, we had a 95.7 per cent participation progress further developing the design of the rate in Early Childhood Education (ECE). We initiative. have also invested $1.5 billion in ECE – the This may result in some changes to the details highest amount invested by any Government of the policy, but our intent is clear – we want and a 75 per cent increase since 2007/08.

We are committed to raising the status of the teaching profession and acknowledging the powerful contribution it makes to lifting overall student achievement.

The cornerstone of this agenda is the proposed, new independent professional body, Education Council of Aotearoa New Zealand (EDUCANZ).

It is essential our teachers and education leaders have the best professional body to support them in their roles. EDUCANZ will be established as an independent statutory body that will be owned by the teaching profession, and will speak, act, and lead on professional issues.

Māori and Pasifika students had the biggest increase in achievement, up 14.2 and 16.5 perDevelopment expenditure for teachers. This centage points respectively since 2008. review provides the opportunity to ensure our We know the higher the achievement at school, teachers are getting the right level of support the better the opportunities for further educafor their development needs, and are being tion, employment, higher wages, and a better challenged to raise the achievement of all stu- standard of living. dents. The review is being undertaken by an So we’re keeping more 16-and 17-year-olds Advisory Group of sector leaders. engaged in vocational training, and seeing We are also taking action to ensure boards and more young adults go on to tertiary study. school leaders can continue to focus on rais- We want to ensure we remain on track to meet ing educational achievement for all students our Better Public Service targets, to have 98 and not be stifled by low level compliance and per cent of children starting school having parregulations, by establishing a Taskforce on ticipated in quality ECE in 2016, and 85 per cent Regulations. of all 18 year-olds achieving NCEA Level 2 or an The Taskforce on Regulations Affecting School equivalent qualification in 2017.

We are determined EDUCANZ will become a strong voice for the profession. It will be focussed on raising the status of the teaching profession, establishing a specific focus on education leadership, and leading informed and constructive public debate on education issues. Performance will investigate regulations that It will support system changes that will have may distract or hinder schools from focusing on the needs of children and young people, and raising achievement and recommend changes the public interest, at its heart. to existing practices, rules and regulations that

We have a proven track record of success in education and we are eager to continue to build on the great foundation we have already established.

Hon Hekia Parata became the Minister of Education in 2011, after entering Parliament in 2008. She has had successful careers as a businesswoman and as a senior public servant. She ran a policy consultancy with her husband Sir Wira Gardiner before entering Parliament and has held senior roles in a range of government departments. She has a Master’s degree from Waikato University.

Hekia grew up in a large family in Ruatoria on the East Coast of New Zealand and her classroom education was enriched by a socially and culturally strong community with high expectations, and a hard-working family and whanau with even higher expectations, built on the value of a great education. She is of Ngāti Porou and Ngāi Tahu descent, and is the daughter, sister, cousin, and aunt of teachers. Hekia Parata and Sir Wira Gardiner have two daughters in the middle of their education.

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abour is committed to a New Zealand will be expanded, support for beginning teachin which all people can reach their full ers improved, further career pathways opened potential through education. up, and quality professional development New Zealand’s public education system made available to teachers at all levels. is amongst the best in the developed world. Sharing best practice Labour has always been at the forefront of driving progressive educational change – from We get the best results for our students when Peter Fraser and his Secretary of Education, teachers and schools work together, share Clarence Beeby, ushering in the modern school best practice, and exchange ideas. We have era in the 1930s, through to the development of some of the most dynamic, creative teachers our modern early childhood education system. in the world, and we want to make sure they have the opportunity to share what they know Best start for kids and continue to further their own professional Quality early childhood education has long development. been a priority for Labour. We are commit- Labour will establish a comprehensive school ted to fully funding centres with 100 per cent advisory service to share best practice and act qualified staff, extending free access for thee as a mentor and advisor to teachers throughand four-year-olds to 25 hours per week, and out New Zealand. The new advisory service increasing the funding available for the estab- will oversee all centrally funded teacher prolishment of new services in areas of unmet fessional development spending, and provide demand. advice, where appropriate, to schools on their own internal professional development proSmaller class sizes grammes. It will also have the power to second We all know that kids will do better if they’re excellent teachers and school leaders for a in a smaller class where the teacher has more period of up to three years to act as mentors time to devote to each individual child. Labour and trainers. will reduce class sizes by funding 2,000 more teachers, paid for by cancelling National’s Quality teaching relies on quality school leadership. We want every school to be a great school, flawed and divisive IES policy. and that means we need every school principal Quality teaching to be a great educational leader. Labour will Teaching is one of our most valued and establish a College of School Leadership operrespected professions. Labour wants to ating as part of the school advisory service. It ensure our best and brightest choose a career will establish the standard of entry for school in teaching so that every student has a fantas- leadership positions and ensure ongoing protic teacher. Labour will raise the standard of fessional development and support is available entry into the teaching profession by requiring to school leaders throughout their careers. the Teachers Council to establish and maintain a vigorous process for pre-screening entry 21st century learning into all initial teacher education programmes. Schools are turning to technology to assist We will also strengthen the requirements for student learning. Labour will put in place a teachers to engage in professional develop- programme that provides an affordable option, ment as a pre-requisite for on-going practising available to all schools, for Year 5-13 students certificates. The range of bonded scholarships to have access to a portable digital device,

in the classroom and at home. We will also expand access to teacher professional development in the ICT area, and partner with schools, local government and communities to put in place infrastructure that will allow students, particularly those from low-decile schools, who do not currently have internet connections to use their portable devices to access the internet at home.

Quality public education As New Zealanders, we pride ourselves on our tradition of free public education, but that principle has been steadily eroded in recent years.

Labour will provide additional funding to allow schools to stop asking parents for donations, scrap National’s charter schools legislation, and work with the sector to develop a model that allows for the voluntary integration of early childhood centres into the public education system.

Support for every student Every one of us is unique, we all have different strengths and weaknesses, we all learn in different ways. Labour is committed to an education system that recognises this rich diversity and focuses on bringing out the very best in every student.

Labour will ensure every child develops the basic foundation skills for further learning by extending Reading Recovery to all schools and developing a parallel intervention for children struggling with basic maths skills.

We will also comprehensively review the entire system of special needs support so that resources are allocated based on individual needs assessment for each child, rather than each child having to meet the criteria imposed by the system.

More information about Labour’s education policies is available at www.labour.org.nz

Chris Hipkins is the Member of Parliament for Rimutaka and the Labour Spokesperson for Education including Early Childhood Education, and Labour Spokesperson for Forestry. He currently serves on the Education and Science Select Committee and the Privileges Committee.

Chris previously served as senior advisor to the Rt Hon Helen Clark, Prime Minister, Hon Trevor Mallard, Minister of the Crown. He was the education officer at the Health Professions Council in London; senior consultant at Learning Energy New Zealand; and project advisor at the Industry Training Federation of New Zealand.

He holds a postgraduate certificate in public policy from Victoria University of Wellington, a national certificate of education and training from the New Zealand Qualifications Authority and a BA in politics and criminology from Victoria University.

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he Green Party believes that a strong, free, inclusive public education system is the foundation of a good society and a way to ensure all children reach their potential. We have a vision where every child is recognised for their uniqueness and supported to achieve all they’re capable of, regardless of their home life, their culture or any disability or special ability.

The Green Party’s plan is to expand and strengthen public education and support schools to be the heart of their communities places where children and their families can be connected to what they need to get the most out of education.

One of the ways we’ll do that is to set schools up as community hubs. Our hubs plan is based on research showing education is only the most effective route out of poverty and a great equaliser if it is inclusive and of a good quality.

There are thousands of kiwi kids who are not reaching their potential at school because the symptoms of poverty, like sickness, hunger and a lack of resources get in the way of their learning.

That is a tragedy for those children and comes at a huge cost to the rest of us as we waste the potential of each of those kids, and collectively pick up the tab for the $6 to $8 billion a year in preventable health, welfare, and justice expenses that are associated with keeping them poor.

School hubs directly tackle the impact of poverty on education, reverse roll decline and build community by acting as the anchor for the resources and opportunities which support kids and their families.

Our plan will:

Eventually, we’d extend our hubs to all schools, offering each an opportunity to develop a unique hub serving their communities’ individual needs.

when schools collaborate rather than compete.

Educational systems which focus on quality, such as Finland and Singapore, also do the best overall.

School hubs are based on the understanding that setting achievement targets on their own do not work unless we give kids, their families and the schools the support they need to meet those targets.

This is why we don’t support charter schools, or big payouts to private schools, or national standards which are used to compare schools and drive them to compete on narrow markers of so called success.

Research shows that between 60 and 80 per cent of the influence on a child’s educational achievement comes from out of school factors, the lives that kids bring with them to the school gate.

We believe all kids, not just those whose parents can afford a private education or who have been cherry picked for a Charter School, deserve small class sizes, great teachers, amazing out of school opportunities, 100 per he Green Party believes any initiatives to cent inclusion and the health and social support improve teacher quality need to be done they need to thrive. in tandem with the efforts to mitigate the real he Green Party believes in 100 per cent impact that factors to do with poverty have on inclusion, which means centrally funding education. support staff and special education services so Education is the most sensible investment we that schools are not forced to pick and choose as a country can make. That’s why we sup- from their stretched ops grants and support is port restoring, and improving, funding to early funded based on need. childhood so centres can employ fully trained We believe that to honour Te Tiriti, and give teachers Māori and Pasifika kids the best chance, All our kids deserve a great early childhood edu- schools should develop placed based relationcation with trained teachers who know how to ships with tangata whenua and demonstrate expand their horizons. It is simply not good respect for whānau and tikanga. enough to enrol poorer kids in lower quality services to make up the Minister’s achieve- Cultural inclusiveness can be lived throughout the school by developing the understanding of ment targets.

Te Tiriti through sustained professional develWe know that under National the impact of povopment of teachers and by developing the erty on education has got worse. Recent PISA capacity for Te Reo to be available to all children. results show that poorer kids here are less likely to do well than poorer kids in other devel- Education can be a route to a great life, full oped countries, and their chances of doing of possibilities, and the means by which kids well have lessened over the past eight years. can reach their full potential. The Green Party Research shows equity in education improves believes investing in children is the smartest when public education is strengthened and investment a society can make.

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• put a dedicated school nurse in every decile 1 to 4 school; • provide a healthy lunch for all children who need it; • build quality early childhood education centres onsite where they’re needed; • offer free after school care so that all children can experience sports and cultural activities regardless of their parents’ income, and parents can work knowing that their kids are safe, having fun and are well looked after.

From there, it’s up to the individual school community to decide what they want in their hub.

Adult and parenting education, disability coordination, cultural and after school experiences, community gardens are just some things that could become part of the mix.

Green Party MP Catherine Delahunty, left, with Metiria Turei.

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ducation should everyone.

be

available

to • Train more kaiako for special education.

• Invest in research to support and build the A 100 per cent free, quality public educontribution of kōhanga to language revitalication system, from early childhood to zation and Māori educational success. tertiary, is the best investment a country can • Fund kōhanga to provide meals and health make in its own future. care services.

For this to happen, the system needs an overhaul. More needs to be done to ensure the quality provision of early childhood education and more needs to be done to boost participation and quality in kōhanga reo. Much more also needs to be done to ensure tamariki in kōhanga reo can attend a quality kura kaupapa in their local area. Alongside this, all public schools, including kura kaupapa and wharekura, need to be supported by policies that are known to work, such as embedding learning in a wellbeing framework that includes food in schools, health care, small class sizes, and culturally supportive and relevant learning contexts.

• Improve the quality of ECE • Raise minimum standards to improve quality, including setting minimum qualification levels for home-based services, and requiring 100% qualified and registered teachers in teacher-led services.

• Increase funding to non-profit ECE centres to meet these standards.

• Increase Playcentre funding to remove reliance on volunteer administrators.

• Streamline processes for parents to establish new ECE services.

• Reinstate funding for research and professional development to ensure services are hanges also need to be made to address culturally relevant. inequality as students’ learning achievement is directly related to family incomes. • Support ECE services to better support children with special needs.

Raising achievement requires investment in

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job creation, raising wages and benefits to • Introduce meals and health care services in livable levels, alongside direct investment in all non-profit ECE centres. education.

• Ensure there are kura kaupapa for all More investment is also needed in tertiary edukōhanga 5 year olds cation so it can be provided free of charge and • Increase the number of kura kaupapa to for students to be properly supported while greatly improve accessibility, and increase studying. High costs stop too many from parfunding to ensure quality. ticipating or stop them from enrolling in longer • Invest in the ongoing development of a curdegree courses which boost their employment riculum and assessment system consistent and earning opportunities down the track. with Te Aho Matua.

Students, staff, and communities must retain their voices on TEI governing bodies to con- • Invest in the professional development of kaiako and whānau. tinue to advocate for free education.

• Support state schools to provide quality MANA policy priorities are to: teaching and learning environments • Reinvigorate kōhanga reo • Cancel public private partnership contracts • Increase the number of kōhanga reo and and abolish charter schools. provide funding for up to 40 hours/ week for • Invest in the professional development each child. of teachers and school leaders to provide • Improve access to te reo classes for culturally supportive and relevant learning whānau and staff. contexts.

• Develop a policy framework to increase • Develop all schools, kura, and wharekura participation and quality into Taiao Hauora centres with free dental, • Increase funding to implement the framework, equitable to teacher-led ECE.

healthcare, social support, and breakfast and lunches.

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• Develop kura, wharekura, and schools as community hubs with home-school and whanau literacy partnerships, adult and community education, trades training and other tertiary courses, and the creation of community-based jobs.

• Abolish National Standards and replace with a better system.

• Boost funding for special education, including for gifted children.

• Make te reo Māori a compulsory subject in schools and develop a plan to ensure there are sufficient teachers and learning resources to do so.

• Greatly improve access to tertiary education • Abolish all fees and provide students with a living allowance (or Universal Basic Income) while studying.

• Develop a plan to write off student debt. In the meantime, there should be no further interest on student loans.

• Reinstate compulsory student unionism to support the push for free education, with students setting fees and determining how they are spent.

• Provide students with community-based jobs to help them complete their courses and reduce debt.

• Provide graduates with incentives to work in areas where there is an identified need.

Ensure that incentives are culturally appropriate where applicable.

• Increase funding to the sector to ensure quality of provision, and ensure it is equitable across all parts of the public tertiary sector.

• Reduce competition by phasing out funding for PTE’s while reviewing public TEIs to ensure ongoing accessibility for all. Māori PTEs to be funded as a Treaty partnership responsibility of the Crown.

• Require public tertiary institutions to plan together for the provision of courses to meet student needs and community development goals, and ban spending on expensive and unnecessary marketing campaigns.

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hat our society has asked, and indeed demanded, of our public education system continues to change. New Zealand First believes that it is time to have an education summit; a forum for robust discussion between all stakeholders after 25 years of ‘Tomorrow’s Schools” that includes the voice of students, parents and caregivers, support staff, teachers, school leaders and school trustees.

Our national curriculum document provides our teachers and learners with wide success criteria but current government policy has narrowed the definition of success to the detriment of learners. We believe that “success for Kiwi kids as Kiwi kids” needs to be identified, agreed and implemented. We, politicians, parents and community leaders, need to return to a high-trust model partnering with the people in and around our classrooms and school grounds who share the responsibility for educating our children.

New Zealand First believes that we have a quality public education system but acknowledges that there are always areas for reflection and review to meet the needs of all learners.

New Zealand First is strongly opposed to the current government direction. Charter schools are publically funded privately owned profit making opportunities that would be removed

by New Zealand First.

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ew Zealand First believes that all students need to be literate and numerate but does not believe that the black and white National Standards imposed on our primary school children are fit for purpose. Our national curriculum has identified curriculum achievement levels that are progressive and overlapping – children are not expected to achieve at the same level at the same time. Discussion on refocussing data, analysis and reporting using these levels

would be part of any educational summit.

learners are funded is timely to ensure that there are no barriers to using highly experiThe often repeated phrase that public schools and our teachers are failing ‘1 in 5 of our stu- enced and skilled support staff in the delivery dents’ is simplistic and does not address the of teacher aide support hours. real concerns of many New Zealanders regardur recent work on the Pasifika languages ing the effect of economic and social conditions inquiry has reinforced the importance of outside the school gate. The recent announce- heritage recognition to student achievement. ment of a top-down injection of $359 million Until recently, New Zealand schools had the of new funding does nothing to support clearly opportunity to participate in the well-respected identified student need in the early years of initiative, Te Kotahitanga. New Zealand First compulsory schooling. would re-establish this funding support alongNew Zealand First would “front end the side nationwide professional development by rolling out this initiative for all schools. It is our spend”.

We would urgently and immediately review view that this programme has positive outthe funding model for play centres and kin- comes for Maori learners and all learners, no dergartens as these are the backbone of our matter what their heritage background. We public early childhood education system and see a greater role for Resource Teachers of are currently having to compete with a plethora Maori within mainstream classrooms specifiof privately owned centres. New Zealand First cally around teacher support to deliver quality is most concerned about the loss of access teaching and learning Te Reo Maori in Englishto these services for our rural and isolated medium schools Years 1 to 13. communities.

New Zealand First is concerned that our secNew Zealand First asks why is the Ministry ondary schools are being held to ransom by of Education not collecting baseline data that NCEA league tables through the emphasis on clearly identifies the learning needs of brand ministerial targets. There needs to be greater new ‘schoolies’ - every new entrant teacher flexibility concerning successful pathways and in the country would be able to tell you who positive outcomes for students after NCEA needs extra support and who needs extension. Level 1. Secondary schools can be financially We are working with Resource Teachers disadvantaged through recently introduced of Literacy, Resource Teachers of Maori, quarterly roll returns which may affect their Resource Teachers of Learning and Behaviour, ability to maintain the range of academic and Speech Language Therapists and ESOL teach- cultural classes throughout the school year. ers to understand how best to meet the needs New Zealand First believes that alongside of all children including those learners chal- the extension of ‘fees-fee’ Youth Guarantee lenged by dyslexia, dyspraxia, Asperger’s and places for 16 to 19 year olds, there needs to autism. be greater flexibility for rural youth who do not New Zealand First would review the imple- have easy access to a wide range of tertiary mentation of the operations grant with a view education provider’s classrooms. New Zealand to increasing it and creating a separate fund- First supports the move towards greater use of ing structure for support staff. A review of how in-business training outside the current apprenORS, SLS, special needs and special abilities ticeship models.

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Tracey Martin, pictured with kapa haka students, is Deputy Leader of New Zealand First and Spokesperson for Education. Leaving the paid workforce in 1995 to be the full-time at-home caregiver of her three children she was elected as a list member of parliament at the 2011 election. With early beginnings on the various administrative and fundraising committees of Helensville Playcentre, Mahurangi Kindergarten, Warkworth Primary School and Mahurangi College PTA’s, Tracey was elected to the Warkworth Primary School Board of Trustees in 2004, a position she held for seven years with the policy and finance portfolios. Tracey resigned from the Warkworth Primary School Board in 2011 due in part to the introduction of National Standards. She was elected to the Board of Trustees of Mahurangi College in 2007 and during chaired the finance sub-committee and was the board’s liaison to Te Whanau O Mahurangi, a support group for Maori, families, students. Tracey became Chair of the Board in 2009 and currently retains that position.

Portfolios: Deputy Leader, Education, Research, Science and Technology, Women’s Affairs, Youth Affairs, Arts/Culture/Heritage, Communications and IT

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he Conservatives are committed to ensuring that New Zealand has a world-class education system, one that works for all New Zealanders and provides our young people with the opportunity to have successful and fulfilled lives.

We have become increasingly concerned in regards to the way education is being managed in this country. The Budget for education has continually increased, however our position in the world with regards our educational outcomes is dropping. The question needs to be why? We believe the bottle necking of funding in large bureaucracies and the emphasis on a single educational pathway are among two of the most pressing problems that are having significant impacts on New Zealand’s educational outcomes and the prospects of our young people.

Funding is certainly part of the issue; however the amount that is appropriated is not the problem, rather the problem lies in the ever increasing costs of running an ever-burgeoning bureaucracy in the form of the Ministry of Education. The budget for the ministry increases year on year, while we ask our teachers, students and parents to do more with fewer and fewer resources. Given the chance we would attempt to streamline the Ministry of Education, by reversing the increased centralization of decision making to the ministry, and allow schools to make more decisions affecting positive outcomes for their students.

We believe that the size and functionality of the MOE should be about half of what it is now. We would reallocate half of what we would save in this restructure to schools for their frontline services for use on classroom resources and for targeted resources such as staff to ensure the best outcomes for children in our schools.

and Labour’s, which seek to increase funding for low decile schools, have fundamental flaws in our opinion. While it might seem like a positive thing to do, we have concerns about the children in higher decile schools that consistently fall through the gaps as a result of this funding method, this needs to be addressed.

It simply does not follow that all of those who live in higher decile areas are actually better off. It is our belief that funding should follow the child, and schools should be funded and resourced to educate the students they have.

Of particular concern to us is the way this funding problem filters through to students who have special needs. We have spent a lot of time talking with teachers across the country about the issues they have in accessing the funding and the resources they need to teach children with special needs. We believe that learning difficulties and other special needs to be identified much earlier on and adequately resourced for the success of all students.

Testing particularly for conditions such as dyslexia should be mandatory for all children so that these difficulties can be identified and practical steps taken to help early on in a child’s learning. We are committed to ensuring this is brought about. Once these issues have been identified we believe that local schools, teachers and parents are best placed to assess the modifications to the learning environment needed and implement these changes. We

would look at policy changes including a reassessment of the effectiveness of RTLB’s to ensure the delivery of effective special learning programs occur in the most seamless and efficient way possible.

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ith an increase in the shortage of particular skills in New Zealand, we would like to see a repositioning of emphasis in our education system, particularly at secondary level to encourage students into the trades.

We believe that the emphasis on the pathway to university education needs to be pivoted so that our labour market’s requirements can be filled with well-trained and qualified young New Zealanders. It is apparent that in the last few decades, New Zealand has moved down a path which has encouraged the proliferation of university graduates, the majority of whom gather major state sponsored debt in the process without guarantee of any tangible career prospect. We believe that more opportunities should be given at secondary school level either in the existing school system, or specialist colleges that will cater for and provided career pathways for 1000’s of young kiwis who would excel in a trade. We believe that providing these options at a younger age and encouraging New Zealanders with more opportunities when going through their education will produce fewer younger people who go from education onto welfare and provide a generation of successful and prosperous kiwis.

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nother aspect that concerns us with regards funding is the arbitrary decisions that are made as a result of the decile rating system.

We believe that every child should be funded so that they can achieve. However we are concerned that the way in which this is assessed creates a porous net, one which many children are falling through. Policies like the Green’s

Colin Craig, pictured front centre, is a businessman and the founding leader of the Conservative Party of New Zealand.

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ime to end the deadweight loss of blanket national awards for their members. no coincidence that no other sector of such a industrial conflict size is paid centrally by the government (there The two positions are mutually antagonistic.

Education today is a fractious business. One association negotiates only 13 contracts are fewer than half as many nurses in public The teachers’ associations, Ministry for a whopping 48,000 members. Highly effi- and private practice) combined. Novapay is of Education and government are engaged cient from a negotiator’s point of view. It is just one example of the problems caused by in a bitter running battle with each other. A difficult for such an organisation to support any centralisation.

Secretary of Education was sent packing initiative that would lead to more individualised aving given the profession more autonomy, almost before getting her feet under the desk. agreements. the Government might look to commit to a Online, teachers are sharing ‘the list’ of harms It is inconsistent, though, to insist that teacher more Finnish-style, long term plan with respect the government has done to them. There are quality is one of if not the most important to policy. Rather than regularly imposing exterprotest marches and education issues are factors in education (true), while making it nal shocks on the sector, as governments seldom far from the front pages. extremely difficult to dismiss bad teachers and of both stripes have done, an attitude that The situation in education today resembles insisting on pay scales that reward only senior- schools are competent and competitive, and industrial relations in the wider economy four ity and management units rather than teaching deserve the space to get on with educating the next generation, should prevail. decades ago. The energy used for conflict is excellence. a deadweight loss, and removing deadweight Such a bargain, more autonomy to schools in So long as the Associations maintain an induswould be better for everybody. return for abandoning the industrial trial, rather than professional, approach, they Better results for everybody are an urgent will have to choose between collectivism and relations model, would lead need as the latest PISA results show. The con- excellence. Members of the Law Society, the to better outcomes for cern should not be the recent drop in average Institute of Professional Engineers, and the everyone. The teaching scores but the long-standing poor performance College of Surgeons, to name a few examples, profession would be in equity. Our self-image as an equalitarian would not tolerate this approach, and neither elevated and over time students would receive society (and the reality of it) is at stake. We should the teaching profession. better service from an have to do better. or their part, though, the Government elevated profession.

It is not difficult to sympathise with the could return much of the autonomy that teaching profession. Today, what was once Tomorrow’s Schools promised to the school Until then, educatomorrow’s vision of a proud and autonomous campus. The most obvious is remunera- tion politics in New profession teaching in self-governing schools tion decisions for teachers. Indeed, control Zealand looks like the remains a paper reality. It is not, however, a over budgets in at the core of whether an 1970’s all over. practical one. It is easy to sympathise with organisation is truly autonomous. Under David Seymour is ACT’s a profession that is routinely disrupted by such a model, some schools might choose Education Spokesman.

Wellington edicts about how they should teach, to continue single agreements. That is a He can be reached assess, and resource themselves. legitimate choice, but it should be a choice. at david@seyThe Teachers’ Associations find themselves in No other sector of New Zealand that employs mour4epsom. an invidious position as they attempt to fight for 100,000 people has faced the scale of debacle co.nz

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professional autonomy while also negotiating that education has seen with Novapay. It is

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Election inspection C

ould National’s refusal to reform MMP lead to the defeat of the government? Is the media providing voters with the information they require to make an informed electoral decision?

What directions might John Key’s leadership take if he secures a third term?

These questions are part of a five-week course about the 2014 New Zealand election, run by Victoria University of Wellington’s Continuing Education programme.

Five academics from Victoria’s Political Science and International Relations programme are providing a variety of perspectives on the general election.

Members of the public can sign up to the full five-week course or join individual sessions.

Jeff Ashford, Director of Victoria’s Centre for Lifelong Learning, said the course was for anyone interested in politics and the electoral system in New Zealand.

“It will provide a valuable context for understanding this year’s election and insight into the parties, personalities, media and policies that will feature.”

COURSE OUTLINE Wednesday 6 August Continuity and Change in Electoral Politics: The 2014 New Zealand General Election Professor Stephen Levine: Cycles of change and continuity in electoral politics, with a sketch of the historic context in which the 2014 competition for votes will take place.

Wednesday 13 August Foreign Policy and the General Election: Positioning in an Age of Asian Growth Dr Jason Young: Diplomatic and security relations in the Asia-Pacific will remain central to New Zealand’s foreign policy over the coming decades. Examine the positions of the major parties on New Zealand’s place in the Asia Pacific.

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Wednesday 27 August John Key in Political Time Redux Dr Jon Johansson: Look at Prime Minister John Key’s leadership in political time post-1984. Dr Johansson will locate John Key and his government as continuing the long post-Rogernomics consolidation. He will discuss some of the underlying dimensions of Key’s leadership and what future directions it might take should Key secure a third term.

Wednesday 3 September Media’s Role in the 2014 New Zealand Election Campaign Dr Kate McMillan: Assess the degree to which the New Zealand media are carrying out the roles expected of them in a representative democracy. Look at a range of challenges currently facing the media and ask how these challenges have enhanced and diminished its ability to provide voters with comprehensive information ahead of the election.

Wednesday 20 August The Electoral System and the Election Professor Nigel Roberts: How our electoral system converts votes into seats in Parliament has profound consequences for the government and politics of New Zealand. Given the rules governing MMP, To join courses: it can spell success or disaster for political par- http://cce.victoria.ac.nz/ ties. What’s likely to happen on Saturday, 20 courses/248-elections-2014-be-informed

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September? Will National’s refusal to reform MMP lead, ironically, to the defeat of the government.

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news

Love needs money

CYF, Police Youth Aid and schools (through embarrassment are also normally part of the their School Counsellors) recognise our exper- mix, in ways that can impact severely on health, tise and send parents to us. We would really put a huge strain on relationships and corrode appreciate funding levels appropriate to that or destroy families. expertise and to the job we need to do,” Mr “Nor is the impact always restricted to the immeAltmann adds. diate family, as grandparents, uncles, aunts,

ToughLove’s approach includes weekly Parent friends and neighbours can all be affected by a Support Groups, which provide participants dysfunctional relationship between parent and with a sympathetic forum and the opportunity teen. Moreover, there’s an economic cost to to learn and share effective and proven strat- New Zealand, as stressed-out parents often egies for coping with youth at risk. Support need to take time off work to cope with family groups are typically facilitated by parents who issues. have themselves experienced such issues in “Contrary to a widespread misconception, the their own immediate families. name TOUGHLOVE doesn’t mean we favour

Peter Altmann describes unacceptable teenhe only organisation in New Zealand spe- age behaviour as a spectrum that can include cifically founded to help parents cope with violence, defiance, verbal abuse, bullying of siblings, truancy from school, promiscuity, youth at risk needs more money. drug or alcohol usage and compulsive gaming.

ToughLove spokesman Peter Altman said during the last three decades the organisation Also part of this spectrum are staying out all had mentored and supported tens of thou- night, disappearing for days on end, trashing the family home, staying in bed all day, refusing sands of mothers and fathers through the pain to do homework and behaving in a disrespectand disruption caused by their teens’ behaviour. ful or manipulative manner.

“Although we’re grateful for contracted fund“All these behaviours can be found across New ing from the Ministry of Social Development, Zealand, in every social, economic or educathere’s a limit to the numbers of parents our tional quartile and across all sorts of family tightly-budgeted, overwhelmingly volunteer- units, including nuclear families, single parent based organisation is able to assist without families, blended families and those with additional income,” Mr Altmann said. same-sex parents,” Mr Altmann said.

“It’s a cause of concern that lack of resources “Those who can no longer reason with their prevents us helping every parent in need. teenage children typically suffer a massive loss Well-funded statutory organisations such as of confidence. Shame, grief, stress, worry and

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a heavy-handed, authoritarian approach. We advocate clear and consistent boundaries and consequences. But we also recommend that parents back off from constant arguments. Our name reflects the realisation that parenting is always a tough job and that love is one of its essential ingredients,” he said.

According to a survey carried out between October 2011 and April 2012 by Wellingtonbased research company, Litmus Limited, 91 percent of parent attending TOUGHLOVE Support Groups would recommend the experience to other parents.

ToughLove employs four paid staff members, based respectively in Auckland, Canterbury, Waikato and the Bay of Plenty.

LINKS www.toughlove.org.nz

Call for language leadership E

nglish and community languages teach- “Acquiring language fluency is a significant bar- “If we make sure our migrant children are coners attending the 14th National CLESOL rier to people getting jobs, understanding the fident in both languages, this benefits them Conference in Wellington last month want system, getting a basic education and connect- individually as well as the wider society. In some cases it will also have a direct economic the government to develop a New Zealand lan- ing with the community. guages policy “as a matter of urgency”.

“We need to increase our competency in other future benefit, by enabling them to work confiThe conference at Rutherford House con- languages to trade and do business in an dently across two or more cultures.” nected hundreds of community language increasingly complex world — especially now teachers who work to maintain the first lan- English is not the first language of many of our guages of migrant and refugee groups settled major trading partners. in New Zealand, and English (ESOL) teachers “We also need to see the existing language who work with speakers of other languages in skills of new migrants as an asset — not an all sectors of education. impediment — to their learning,” she said.

TESOLANZ president Dr Hilary Smith said the changing ethnic make-up of New Zealand meant all political parties need to make language teaching a key priority.

Dr Smith said TESOLANZ supported the Royal Society and the Human Rights Commission who have both called for a national languages policy focusing on: Te Reo Māori and New Zealand Sign Language; Pasifika languages especially Cook Islands Māori, Niuean and Tokealuan; other community and heritage languages; and English language.

She said that although there are now over 160 different languages spoken in New Zealand and Auckland is one of the most culturally diverse cities in the world, we still don’t have a languages policy to support the complex and “Future policy initiatives must be based on good diverse needs of people who speak English as evidence from high quality local and internaa second language. tional research,” she said.

“The language profile of New Zealand is chang- “A strong body of international evidence now ing rapidly, and without good policy and shows that children who have a good foundaplanning to cater for the diverse language tion in their first language have better outcomes needs of a significant number of residents in all subjects, including English. This means we run the risk that many will not participate it’s important for teachers to understand how fully in our society, or reach their potential,” Dr to support children’s learning in and of their Smith said. first languages.

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Dr Smith said the “I’m not good at languages” mentality is now a luxury for people in English language speaking countries which is not shared by the rest of the world, and increasingly we are missing out on the social and economic benefits that an understanding of other languages brings.

SIDENOTE In the first half of 2014, there were 31,829 students from migrant or refugee backgrounds eligible for Ministry of Education ESOL funding, in 1,327 schools. There is a trend for these students to be more widely located in schools around the country. The number of Indian and Fijian Indian ESOL funded students was 4,855 in the first half of 2014, now the second largest group after Samoan.

news

Liar, liar, pants on fire

Black, white or multi-coloured with sparkles, a lie is a lie. DAVID CRAIG says as children develop they learn the ability to tell porkies from the adults around them - and they copy the behaviour.

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arents should be careful about telling lies, younger children had not yet developed the even white lies, to children as it can cause sophisticated abilities to do that. The researchers agreed they did not know why these the children to also tell lies.

This is the finding of two studies from America. results emerged.

The first study, from the University of California, “It could be the 5 to 7 year-olds were simply imiSan Diego involved 186 children aged 3 to 7 in tating the behaviour modelled by the adult, or it could be they were making judgements about a temptation-resistance game.

Half of the children were told that there was the importance of honesty to this adult,” said a large bowl of sweets in the next room avail- Professor Leslie Carver, who headed the study. able as a reward for playing a game. Then they “Even if it’s expedient for an adult to lie, to get were told that was simply a lie designed to get co-operation through deception, for example, them to participate. The other half of the chil- or to get children to control their emotions, it’s dren were not lied to, but simply invited to play probably a bad idea in the long run.” the game.

The other study from the Massachusetts

In the study, published in the journal Institute of Technology and published in the Developmental Science, the children were magazine Cognition, found that not only can asked to identify well known toys by their children tell when they are told white lies, sound (i.e. barking would indicate a dog). The they can even spot when important informachildren could cheat by peeking if they chose tion is being withheld from them by parents or to do so, but they were asked not to do that, teachers. and not to lie about it if they did in fact cheat. “Determining who to trust is an important skill One of the toys was difficult to identify and the to learn at an early age,” said Hyowon Gweon, researchers found that the 5 to 7 year-old chil- the lead author of this study. dren who had been lied to earlier were more “When someone provides us with information likely to cheat and lie about it than those who we not only learn about what is being taught had not been lied to. Interestingly, among the 3 we also learn something about that person. If and 4 year-olds there was no difference in the the information is accurate and complete you rate of lying and cheating. might also trust that person in the future,” she

The researchers concluded the older children said. were more inclined to lie if they discovered Professor Carver from the California study adults had not been telling the truth, but the said the actions of parents suggest they do

2* EducationToday.co.nz

not believe the lies they tell their children will impact the child’s own honesty, but “the current study suggests even a little white lie might have consequences.

LINKS • http://drwilda.com/2014/03/20/university-of-california-san-diego-study-lyingparents-tend-to-raise-lying-children/ • A recent survey of US university students showed 30 per cent of all students admitted to cheating on an examination, 50 per cent admitted to cheating on a class assignment, 66 per cent admitted to cheating at least once during their college career, and 66 per cent have seen classmates cheat on exams or assignments.

Paradoxically, 75 per cent of those in that survey believe that cheating is not justified under any circumstances.

Finally, 50 per cent of the students surveyed believe that the faculty of their university do not try to catch cheats.

• www.mnsu.edu/cetl/teachingresources/articles/academicdishonesty. html

book reviews

Performing brains The authors provide practical exercises to help Reduce stress and improve brain performance students improve their performance, to develop personally, to enhance physical and emotional health, for effective learning and deal with study and exam-related demands.

Authors: Dr Craig Hassed & Dr Richard Chalmers The exercises, not only for students but for anyone, Publisher: Exisle help people access creativity, identify mindsets and ISBN: 9781921966392 increase mental flexibility, improve problem solving RRP: $34.99 skills and foster intuitive learning as opposed to rote regurgitation of spoon-fed facts and figures.

From www.exislepublishing.co.nz

Title: Mindful Learning

Phone 09 8179192

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indful Learning shows ‘mindfulness’ tech- * Co-author Dr Craig Hassed has been speaking to niques to manage stress, improve memory school leaders from throughout the country on susand increase focus, all vital to success in any learn- taining leadership, and at the Secondary Principals’ Association of New Zealand www.spanz.school.nz ing environment.

Mindfulness refers to our ability to focus our atten- *Dr Richard Chambers is a clinical psychologist spetion. In the context of learning, this means training cializing in mindfulness therapy, and developed ourselves to ignore distractions and unhelpful self- Smiling Mind, a free iPhone and web app www. chatter and keep our attention on the job at hand. richard-chambers.co/Mindfulness.html

Fiction with a message Title: Flies in a window

Author: John Fergusson Publisher: JF Ministries ISBN: 978-1463751210 RRP: $20

brother’s last request, Wendy sets out on an adventure involving drug money, romance, and a bizarre family feud over a large Dorset estate.

As she unravels the mystery she gradually discovers what, or rather who, the truth really is.

Despite being set in the UK the themes are universal and the story will resonate for teenage readers. John hen Wendy’s 16-year-old brother falls from a Fergusson’s style has natural rhythm and a pace fourth-floor window in Reading, England, the keeping the reader involved. verdict is suicide. But Wendy doesn’t believe it. So it Flies in a window is refreshing fiction, with the larger was an accident? Or worse? life questions teen readers enjoy imagining and FROM: www.jfm.org.nz

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Compelled to discover the truth to honour her asking of the world around them.

We help you to make learning about money fun To access free resources visit www.youngenterprise.org.nz e: support@youngenterprise.org.nz t: 04 570 0452

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e n! ar o s gT ur in sa ell no W di To e Th ing m co

aT Te PaPa 27 sePT 2014 – 6 Feb 2015 charges aPPlY Discover the Tyrannosaur family tree, from the mighty T rex right down to the tiniest of dinosaurs. Explore how Tyrannosaurs became the world’s top predators with their massive skulls, powerful jaws, and bone-crunching teeth.

See fossil specimens, dinosaur models, and life-sized skeletons, and experience the might of these amazing creatures through augmented reality.

book a TYrannosaurs exPerience For Your class!

Term 4, 2014 Programmes and resources to support learning are available for Early Childhood, Primary and Secondary students.

This education experience will be popular, so don’t miss out, book today!

For more information and to book go to www.tepapa.govt.nz/education Or contact our Education Coordinator

reservations@tepapa.govt.nz

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Ph: (04) 381 7087