Teachers outraged as registration fees more than double

Amid the budget hype on Thursday, the New Zealand Teaching Council announced it would be increasing teacher registration fees twofold. Teachers and teaching groups say the decision shows their opinions aren’t valued. The Teaching Council’s move to more than double registration fees is “unacceptable” and amplifies teachers’ mistrust in their professional body, Post Primary Teachers’ … Read more

The reality of routine at home

In the second part of a new series sharing the stories of families learning from home during lockdown, Charles Anderson tries to impose some order on his household and learns that disorder is OK too. It was somewhere between week two and three of level four lockdown when Ivie Anderson, aged 5, began to have … Read more

Covid-19: It’s back to school in NZ today – but how many children are going?

Under alert level three, school doors are open to students up to Year 10 who need to attend. Initial signs are that only a trickle are heading through the gates. Five weeks after they closed their doors as New Zealand went into the strict lockdown of alert level four, schools across the country are reopening … Read more

How an Auckland school is responding to the Covid-19 crisis

Dilworth School was founded on the principle of providing quality education for students from families in hardship. Now, as Aotearoa prepares to navigate a post-Covid-19 world, they’re stepping up. Nestled among Auckland’s leafy suburbs, Dilworth School’s normally bustling grounds have been eerily quiet in the past month. The boarding school for boys, which has two … Read more

Together, apart: Keeping kids connected under rāhui

In the first part of a new series sharing the stories of families learning from home during lockdown, Emily Writes watches her sons hold on to connections in isolation.  I think when I look back on this time as a parent one of the things that will stick with me is my seven-year-old son desperately … Read more

Teachers voice concerns around school reopenings under alert level three

The country has been asked to prepare for a shift back to alert level three, which will entail the reopening of schools and early childhood education centres. Educators are worried lack of clarity around the reopening of schools could risk student and teacher safety.  On Thursday, Jacinda Ardern laid out guidelines for a relaxation of … Read more

Emily Writes: You don’t need to turn your home into a lockdown school

Parents who have had it drilled into them that their under-10s will fall behind if they don’t homeschool all day are stressing out. There’s absolutely no need to, and teachers agree.  Today marks a return to school for most primary school kids in New Zealand, except that they won’t be returning anywhere. It’s groundhog day … Read more

What is on the new home-school TV channels and how do they work?

The low-down on the lockdown educational TV channels, which launch tomorrow. We’re still in lockdown, but term two begins this week. What’s the story with the new TV channels?  This week sees the launch of two new television channels dedicated to broadcasting educational programmes for school students during the Covid-19 lockdown. The first is Home … Read more

How to get kids out in the wild while staying at home

There’s never been a better time to connect our tamariki with nature than now. Paul Ward, co-founder of the gamified learning platform Wild Eyes, explains how.  Thanks to Covid-19, cabin fever is on the curriculum for primary and intermediate school kids and their parents. Keeping Kiwi kids active, curious (and awake!) during lockdown – let … Read more

High School 2.0: It’s time for education to prepare for the new normal

As New Zealand looks toward an uncertain future in all areas of life, Auckland school principal Claire Amos sees an opportunity to change high school education for the better.  The last week has been an interesting one for school leaders. Monday arrived, it was all on – schools were closing the next day, schools across … Read more

How Nanogirl built a lockdown-ready online learning platform in three days

Business is Boring is a weekly podcast series presented by The Spinoff in association with Callaghan Innovation. Host Simon Pound speaks with innovators and commentators focused on the future of New Zealand. This week he talks to Dr Michelle Dickinson (Nanogirl) about how her new online learning platform and how it will work during the … Read more

Covid-19: Simple tips for teachers in schools and early education

From hygiene and ventilation through to seizing the educational moment, there are some basic steps worth taking, writes Dr Mike Bedford, a specialist in health and wellbeing in early childhood education settings. The Spinoff’s coverage of the Covid-19 outbreak is funded by Spinoff Members. To support this work, join Spinoff Members here.  Hygiene – get the … Read more

How well is a school really performing? We built a lab to find out

We wanted to find out how schools were doing, irrespective of the privilege of their students. So we created a new measure to assess it, and we’re urging the Ministry of Education to pick it up, writes Eric Crampton of the New Zealand Initiative. If your school has strong NCEA results, is it because it’s … Read more

The Covid-19 travel ban is racist and disastrous for international students

New Zealand’s travel ban on China has been extended another week. The president of the New Zealand Union of Students’ Associations argues for a student exemption. The loss of lives and poor health caused by coronavirus is devastating. We must acknowledge the families, across the globe, who have lost loved ones or who are supporting … Read more

Rhodes Scholars are meant to serve humanity. Crimson Education wanted them to tutor wealthy students

As controversy including a $10m lawsuit and ‘ghost’ offices continues to swirl around Jamie Beaton, his fellow Rhodes scholars have slammed him for trying to recruit them. Those who gain a prestigious Rhodes Scholarship must display “truth, courage, devotion to duty, sympathy for and protection of the weak, kindliness, unselfishness and fellowship”. Given this ethos … Read more

The Bulletin: Bizarre lawmaking billed as foreign donations ban

Good morning, and welcome to The Bulletin. In today’s edition: Government rams through foreign donations law under urgency, substance of cannabis referendum laws announced, and Samoan boy allegedly denied measles vaccine in NZ. Justice minister Andrew Little has announced that the government is banning foreign donations to political parties. Or rather, that’s what the press release was titled, but … Read more

Why I had to quit teaching to get science into primary schools

Every week over 8,000 primary school students around the country are doing science experiments in their classrooms, many in te reo Māori thanks to an initiative started in Tauranga. Chris Duggan explains why she felt compelled to start House of Science.    After 15 years of teaching secondary science, I was horrified at the lack of … Read more

The school donation ban kicks in next year. Here’s how principals will try to get around it

Though a government scheme to get rid of school donations is yet to begin, schools are looking for ways to push its rules to the limit. Radio NZ’s education correspondent John Gerritsen asked principals how funding changes will affect their schools. There are serious question marks over the future of lemon slice at Pakuranga College. … Read more

NZ’s internet is faster than ever, but a digital nation? Nope

New Zealand leaves Australia for dust on internet speeds and our children are practically born using fibre, but major challenges lie ahead, writes Rohan MacMahon. Congratulations, New Zealand: three quarters of you now have ultra fast broadband (UFB). This week Chorus hosted an event at Parliament to mark the completion of Phase 1 of the … Read more

A principal responds to the Tomorrow’s Schools Report 

Yesterday the government announced their reform of 1989’s Tomorrow’s Schools legislation. Claire Amos, a school principal in Auckland, reflects on what it all means.  When the first draft of the Tomorrow’s School Report landed back in December 2018, I reflected that “the only real concern is that we are not brave enough nor selfless enough to … Read more

The Bulletin: Big changes coming for how schools are run

Good morning and welcome to The Bulletin. In today’s edition: Big changes coming for how schools are run, highly anticipated OCR decision coming today, and a clear-eyed look at the protests up Ōwairaka/Mt Albert. The government has set up a fight with a dangerous political constituency – highly involved parents at affluent schools. That’s putting it facetiously … Read more

Cheat sheet: What is going to happen to our education system?

The government’s reform of 1989’s Tomorrow’s Schools legislation has been announced today, and it’s promising changes for students, teachers, principals and boards. What is “Tomorrow’s Schools”? In 1989, the government introduced the Tomorrow’s Schools reforms, which meant all schools became much more independent, giving Boards power over almost all school decisions, including those to hire … Read more

The Crimson Education enigma

Ambitious families are spending big money on Crimson’s services – but top New Zealand schools say they provide the same advice for free, and are sceptical of what the highly valued startup provides. Business editor Maria Slade reports. Crimson Education has been a darling of the New Zealand startup scene since precocious teenaged co-founders Jamie … Read more

The ticketing platform using booking fees to fund education

Backed by tech giants Google and Atlassian, not-for-profit Humanitix redirects thousands in booking fees to charitable causes while at the same time disrupting the highly competitive ticketing industry. Jihee Junn talks to the CEO of its New Zealand operations to learn more about how the platform works.  Founded in Australia in 2016, Sydneysiders Adam McCurdie … Read more

Cheat Sheet: New Zealand history to be compulsory in schools

Finally, New Zealand history will become a compulsory school subject. So what’s so good about that? New Zealand history will be a compulsory primary and secondary school subject within the next three years, Jacinda Ardern announced today. The decision has proved popular to campaigners and academics like Vincent O’Malley who have battled for years to … Read more

In their own words: what it means to be a teacher aide

New Zealand teacher aides say their pay reflects an outdated idea of what they do. Elizabeth McLeod hears from four TAs, and one parent, about the classroom realities they face every day Cleaning up poo, defusing violent situations, copping physical and verbal abuse: these are the realities of a teacher aide’s typical day. There are … Read more

The Bulletin: Regional alarm at polytech centralisation plans

Good morning, and welcome to The Bulletin. In today’s edition: Regional alarm at polytech centralisation plans, Pfizer confirms vaccines for Northland were available, and BNZ facing scrutiny after massive document leak. Alarm has been sounded in the regions about the confirmation of the government’s industry training centralisation plans. It has been confirmed that all 16 institutes … Read more

Welcome to NZ teaching, where you don’t get paid enough to be granted residency

Why do we strike? Because the profession is in crisis. Because Immigration NZ declined my teacher mate’s residency application owing to the fact her pay is 39 cents an hour too little, writes Christchurch teacher Annabel Wilson. I turned my school email to auto-reply at midnight on May 29 because I quite often get emails … Read more