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Alwyn Poole
Began teaching in 1991. TBC, HBHS, St Cuths. Founded/led Mt Hobson MS–18 years. Co-founded SAMS and MSWA. Econs degree, Masters in Edn, tchg dip, post grad dip – sport.
A lot has been made of “significant” changes to the NZ education system under Erica Stanford. Some things have been put in place (e.g., changes to early reading, cell-phone ban). Primary school curriculum changes are being rolled-out by schools during this year. Other changes – qualifications changes, senior curriculum – still have a long way to go and there is much division in these areas.
However, from an education outcomes perspective – the point of education – the coalition has been hugely disappointing.
A successful pattern for education is theoretically simple. Have all in place in our society to see children develop well within pregnancy and the first five years of life. Have them turn up to school bright-eyed and bushy tailed. Then have a combination of parental emphasis and quality/purposeful schooling that brings children in EVERY day. See to it that the VAST majority of students leave schooling with a purposeful qualification that provides a chance for an aspirational life.
Despite Erica Stanford telling me directly that National would have a parenting policy – there has been nothing and we are stuck with the situation where many children are arriving at their first school lacking the most basic skills. Research tells us that they rarely catch up.
David Seymour – as associate minister of education – has responsibility for improving school attendance. He has completely failed and the response to him at Waitangi gives context to how the lowest attending demographic feels about his contribution to Māori aspiration. He is the wrong man for the attendance role. In term three of 2025 only 36 per cent of Māori students fully attended their schools. To call that a disaster is a major understatement. It is no use having a flash curriculum, methods, etc – if students are not going to school. On top of the attendance crises there are 10,000 children not enrolled anywhere each year – and the Ministry is not even looking for them.
Very little effective has been done for the MANY students stuck between the senior curriculum/qualification reforms – this will have many being a part of a neglected generation. It has just been released that 15,000 more year 12 and 13 students are at risk of leaving school with no qualifications through not getting through the numeracy and literacy requirements. The co-requisites was a reasonable idea. It was poorly implemented by Labour but has not been improved by the current minister. We have an ongoing decline in the full range of qualifications outcomes and when the LEAVERS data comes out later in the year it will show a very significant downward trend – especially for Māori, Pasifika and poorer students. For 2024, 16 per cent of students left school with no qualification at all. Under Minister Stanford’s watch – in 2025 – it is will be even higher.
Despite the Ministry of Education being a key feature of the failure of the New Zealand education system, the minister has left the ministry largely untouched and appointed a long-term deputy secretary to the top job. Stanford/Seymour promised the Ministry of Education would come back to 2,700 full-time employees – i.e., pre-Hipkins numbers. In September 2025, it had 3,939 employees and climbing. Surely Nicola Wills should be eyeing significant budget savings here. To get a full understanding of how Ministry of Education staff feel about their job – their employee evaluation is worth a read in full. Note: only 41 per cent of employees would recommend the Ministry of Education as a good workplace. Twenty-six per cent say they intend to leave within 12 months. Only 62 per cent believe the ministry is able to give “free and frank advice” to the minister. The taxpayer resource consumed by the ministry would be far better transferred to the schools in significant part.
If the trends above occurred under Labour, the political right would be castigating them. It is easy to point the finger at the last Labour government, but National have been the main party of government for 11 of the last 17 years.
In 2026 there needs to be clear emphasis on supporting parenting and child development for 0–5s. Working much more effectively to get the missing 10,000 enrolled and hugely increasingly regular attendance (a benchmark could be England’s 75 per cent). Placing a great deal more emphasis on keeping students in school until 17 and lifting all qualification levels for current high-school students (not just hoping for possible primary schooling to drift through in future years). And, getting the taxpayer resources for education into the right places.
This article was originally published by Education – the Absolute Best Ways.
