Ministry of Education NZ

Ministry of Education NZ Official page for the New Zealand Ministry of Education | Te Tāhuhu o te Mātauranga We shape an education system that delivers equitable and excellent outcomes.

Ko tō mātou whare mātauranga, he rangatira, he mana taurite ōna huanga.

Did you know Papua New Guinea has close to 900 different tok ples (indigenous languages), making it one of the most ling...
06/09/2026

Did you know Papua New Guinea has close to 900 different tok ples (indigenous languages), making it one of the most linguistically diverse countries in the world?

While many Papua New Guineans speak their own local language, Tok Pisin is one of the country's official languages that connects people across hundreds of language communities.

This Papua New Guinea Pidgin Language Week, try using a few Tok Pisin words with tamariki at home or in the classroom:

👏 Gutpela wok!
Great work!

💛 Mi amamas long yu.
I'm proud of you.

🌟 Yu ken mekim.
You can do it.

🤝 Yumi lain wantaim.
Let's learn together.

For more information and resources on Papua Niugini Tok Pisin Wik - Papua New Guinea Pidgin Language Week, head the Ministry of Pacific People's website: https://bit.ly/4h3Mzgd

Sometimes a picture says it best 🎨Happy Father's Day to the dads, stepdads, grandads, pāpā, koro and all the father figu...
05/09/2026

Sometimes a picture says it best 🎨

Happy Father's Day to the dads, stepdads, grandads, pāpā, koro and all the father figures and whānau who support and care for tamariki.

Thank you for the encouragement, school drop-offs, homework help and everyday moments that make a difference.

We also acknowledge those who may find Father's Day difficult and send our aroha to you.

🖌️ Artwork by Josephine from Wellington (age 5).

Parents, caregivers and whānau 📢 Did you know you can access a free, interactive Maths tool on the Parent Portal to help...
03/09/2026

Parents, caregivers and whānau 📢 Did you know you can access a free, interactive Maths tool on the Parent Portal to help your child build their confidence and skills at home?

The Maths practice tool offers hundreds of activities for Years 3–8 based on the New Zealand Curriculum and can be accessed on a phone, tablet or laptop.

You can use the website to help your child practice what they have learned at school, including:

✔️ Number problems
✔️ Working with money
✔️ Grouping to count larger quantities
✔️ Multiplying and dividing whole numbers
✔️ Fractions
✔️ Decimals and percentages
✔️ Ratios
✔️ Rounding and estimation
✔️ Squared and cubed numbers
✔️ Powers
✔️ Roots
✔️ Multiplies and factors

You don’t need to be a mathematician. Spending just 10–15 minutes a few times a week and celebrating their progress can make a real difference.

Head to the Parent Portal to give it a go: https://bit.ly/4uXptNb

Dallas Wichman, Principal of St Anne’s Catholic School in Christchurch grew up without a strong connection to his Cook I...
02/09/2026

Dallas Wichman, Principal of St Anne’s Catholic School in Christchurch grew up without a strong connection to his Cook Islands language and culture. It was not until an iwi immersion course prompted him to explore his whakapapa that he began looking more deeply into his own story.

He discovered that when his grandfather settled in New Zealand, Cook Islands Māori was not passed on to his father. Suddenly, the impact of language loss became deeply personal.

Over the past five years, Dallas has been reclaiming that connection, learning Cook Islands Māori, reconnecting with family and strengthening his cultural knowledge.

That journey has helped shape an ambitious vision at St Anne’s where Dallas champions bilingual education and opportunities for Māori and Pacific learners to succeed through their languages, cultures and identities.

The impact is already visible.

“Since beginning our Samoan unit, our Samoan children have been happier, their attendance is higher because they love being there and they love the learning.”

Dallas’s passion for language revitalisation extends beyond the school gates. Through his work with Kuki Learning, he has helped create Tamariki Kanga, a series of preschool educational videos supporting Cook Islands Māori language learning particularly for New Zealand-born tamariki.

His journey shows what is possible when we reclaim what was once at risk of being lost and create space for the next generation to hold onto it.

“I hope my legacy is that it’s possible.”

MATAVAI
This story is from Matavai, our newsletter for Pacific families and caregivers with children in education.

Read the full issue: https://us19.campaign-archive.com/?u=3454e4d3eaa0870c745ed02cc&id=41c94d45e7

Subscribe to receive the issue free to your inbox each month: https://govt.us19.list-manage.com/subscribe?u=3454e4d3eaa0870c745ed02cc&id=39a77666ed

📸 Caption: Dallas Wichman with Samoan bilingual teachers Mareta Togiaso-Pelenato (right) and Ateliana Tiatia (left), creating space for language, culture and identity to thrive at St Anne’s Catholic School.

Kaikorai Valley College assistant principal Damian Burden is a local legend, and champion for positivity. “When I had my...
01/09/2026

Kaikorai Valley College assistant principal Damian Burden is a local legend, and champion for positivity.

“When I had my homeroom class, I worked really hard to create a place where every kid would feel welcome and happy to take risks, happy to try stuff, happy to express themselves and have a go," said Damian.

“The value of creating a positive culture is that it allows everyone to perform their best. It’s what I’m most proud of as a teacher.”

What have KVC been doing to create a positive school culture?
✔️ Gratitude Week: “The kids wrote gratitude notes to each other in whānau class. Over the week, well over 1,000 notes were written – and we're a school of approximately 450. Then there was the gratitude wall in the office – that really took off and it was a very humbling exercise reading the kids’ messages.”

✔️ Positive > Negative: “Every school has rules, but we focus more on expectations – on the positive rather than the negative.” This approach was used to great effect midway through term 1 when concerns emerged about uniform standards.

“We stationed our pastoral team at the school entrances and, rather than hammering the kids that were scruffy or late, we gave lollipops out for prompt attendance and tidy uniform. The kids were stoked. It was awesome.”

Damian has also started opening the gym three times a week during his lunch hour to encourage students to get active.

Read more 👇
This story is from the latest edition of the Education Gazette. Head to our website to read the full story: https://gazette.education.govt.nz/articles/kaikorai-valley-college-puts-positivity-into-practice/

📸 Caption: The Kaikorai Valley College leadership team: Deputy principal Janette Potter, assistant principal Stewart Tagg, assistant principal Damian Burden, and principal Jatin Bali.

Schools and kura can now apply for 2027 funding to deliver the Mathematics and Statistics and Pāngarau Years 7–8 / Tau 7...
31/08/2026

Schools and kura can now apply for 2027 funding to deliver the Mathematics and Statistics and Pāngarau Years 7–8 / Tau 7–8 Acceleration Programme (MAPHP).

The programme provides targeted support for Year/Tau 7 and 8 students who are not yet ready to access Phase 3 of the New Zealand Curriculum Mathematics and Statistics learning area, or Tūārere 3 of the wāhanga ako: Pāngarau of Te Marautanga o Aotearoa.

Approved schools and kura will receive:
✔️ Funding to deliver the programme
✔️ Ready-to-use teaching resources developed by maths and pāngarau experts
✔️ Professional learning and ongoing support for teachers and kaiako

Schools and kura can choose to deliver the 12-week programme through either an in-person model led by a teacher or kaiako, or a hybrid model that combines online learning with teacher or kaiako support.

Applications close 4 September 2026.
Funding decisions will be communicated by 18 September 2026.

🔗 Learn more and apply on Tāhūrangi:
NZC: https://shorturl.at/B0C6M
TMoA: https://shorturl.at/m9He3

30/08/2026

Who’s been to a school play, concert, or cultural performance this term? Here are 5 benefits for students in performing arts.

1. Confidence and self-esteem: students can express themselves, find community and a sense of belonging (whakawhanaungatanga), and experience pride in what they’ve achieved.

2. Maths, memory, time management, critical thinking – performance isn’t only about art: it supports a range of other disciplines and academic success.

3. Connecting with others: there is a huge amount of teamwork that goes in putting on a show. As part of the process, students learn key life and interpersonal skills like how to work well with others, respect, responsibility, and perseverance. The sharing of stories, perspectives and traditions also promotes an appreciation for diversity, inclusion, and kindness.

4. It’s not all about being on stage: lighting, sound, set and costume design and construction, project management, photography – there are plenty of roles behind-the-scenes that involve just as much collaboration, creativity, and brilliance as those in the spotlight.

5. The joy of getting to do something you love ❤

What have we missed? What are the biggest benefits you’ve seen as a parent, teacher, or student?

Lucy Keung knows the kind of doctor she wants to be, one who feels less like an authority and more like part of the vill...
28/08/2026

Lucy Keung knows the kind of doctor she wants to be, one who feels less like an authority and more like part of the village.

Born and raised in South Auckland, Lucy is proudly of Cook Islands, Tahitian, Māori and Chinese heritage. Now in her fifth year of medicine at the University of Otago, she is completing a rural immersion programme in Blenheim.

Her decision to pursue medicine is deeply personal. Lucy grew up knowing how access to healthcare had given her grandmother another 10 years of life. Later, while serving her church mission in the Philippines, she saw what could happen when people did not have the same access to quality care.

It changed her path.

Lucy turned down an offer to study dentistry realising medicine would allow her to serve people wherever they were.

That commitment to service is grounded in the values Lucy carries from her Pacific family.

“We’re very much people of service,” she says. “You do things in quiet and you’ve got so much time and energy to help people without expectation.”

Receiving a Pacific Education Foundation Scholarship has helped Lucy continue that journey, easing some of the financial pressures of studying away from home. She describes it simply as a “big blessing”.

Lucy’s own path is proof there is no single route to success. She started university several years after leaving high school and completed a Certificate in Health Sciences before beginning medicine.

Now, as she moves closer to becoming a doctor, Lucy hopes other Pacific students will back themselves too.

“You are more than able to do anything and everything. Take all the opportunities.”

MATAVAI
This story is from Matavai, our newsletter for Pacific families and caregivers with children in education.

Read the full issue: https://us19.campaign-archive.com/?u=3454e4d3eaa0870c745ed02cc&id=41c94d45e7

Subscribe to receive the issue free to your inbox each month: https://govt.us19.list-manage.com/subscribe?u=3454e4d3eaa0870c745ed02cc&id=39a77666ed

The updated Pūtaiao for the Tau 0-10 in Te Marautanga o Aotearoa is now available on Tāhūrangi: https://kauwhatareo.tahu...
26/08/2026

The updated Pūtaiao for the Tau 0-10 in Te Marautanga o Aotearoa is now available on Tāhūrangi: https://kauwhatareo.tahurangi.education.govt.nz/mi/kauwhata-reo-online/curricula/w-hanga-ako/p-taiao/5637165607.c

Mihi nui to everyone who contributed to this wāhanga ako.

Tau 0-10 mokopuna will be able to start learning from Pūtaiao from 2027.

The remaining wāhanga ako will be released in September.

Find out more about the Years | Tau 0-10 curriculum changes on our website: https://tahurangi.education.govt.nz/years-0-10-curriculum

For Kupe Scholarship recipient Robyn Hakaraia, becoming a teacher is about more than choosing a career. It is an opportu...
24/08/2026

For Kupe Scholarship recipient Robyn Hakaraia, becoming a teacher is about more than choosing a career. It is an opportunity to serve her community, uplift future generations and continue a legacy of learning and service deeply connected to her whakapapa.

Now in her third year of Te Tohu Paetahi Ako (Bachelor of Education) at Te Whare Wānanga o Awanuiārangi, Robyn is balancing study, work and whānau commitments while working towards becoming a kaiako.

Before entering education, Robyn spent six years working as a personal trainer. It was her older sister who pushed her to apply for a Kai Takawaenga (Whānau Liaison) role at Whangārei Intermediate, supporting students to reconnect with learning following the COVID-19 lockdowns.

"Education wasn't part of the plan, but it turned out to be exactly where I was meant to be."

Robyn also credits her partner, Troy, as one of her strongest supports throughout her journey.

"Ko taku hoa rangatira, a Troy, tētahi o ōku tino pou. Nāna ahau i whakakaha, i tautoko, i whakapiki wairua i roto i tēnei haerenga. Without the constant reassurance, belief and encouragement from Troy, I don't think I would be where I am today."

Interested in becoming a kaiako? Find out about the Kupe Scholarship: https://workforce.education.govt.nz/becoming-teacher-new-zealand/become-teacher-scholarships/kupe-scholarship-maori-and-pacific-high-achievers

This story is from Kia Manawaroa, our pānui for whānau Māori.
➡️ Read the latest issue: https://mailchi.mp/education/kia-manawaroa-21-august-2026

➡️ Subscribe to receive Kia Manawaroa direct to your inbox: https://govt.us19.list-manage.com/subscribe?u=3454e4d3eaa0870c745ed02cc&id=54a157741a

📸: Robyn and her partner Troy at the Kupe Scholarship award ceremony.

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