It is not clear whether the increased visibility of vocational education and training in New Zealand is due to worsening skill shortages and/or to a change in government, but either way it is a discussion worth having. Read more

In The Paradox of Choice: Why More is Less, Psychologist Barry Schwartz argues that too much choice can hinder rather than support our decision making. That the validity of this theory has been challenged is beside the point. What I do know is that if I were a student right now deciding my next steps after school, I would likely feel more apprehensive than I do when I am confronted with a 100-item menu in a Chinese restaurant. Read more

When my colleague Oliver Hartwich first tried explaining the German school system to me, he might as well have been speaking German. It seemed entirely foreign. Germany’s vocational education system, like some others in Europe, combines on-the-job training with study for many teenagers who would be sitting their first year of NCEA in New Zealand. In March, I travelled to Germany, Switzerland, Austria and Denmark to learn about their approaches to vocational training. New Zealand has vocational training. Read more

Many of you must remember that ‘oh, shoot, now what?’ feeling you had with your graduation cap in one hand, and a hefty bill in the other. I do. Read more

We all want a New Zealand where citizens can enjoy a healthy and prosperous life. But, there is still a long way to go. To pick one statistic: in 2017, 90,000 youth were neither in education nor in employment. When we have such high numbers of disengaged youth, often with few marketable skills, it is worth considering whether there is a better approach. In Germany, Switzerland, Denmark, and Austria, post-school training serves a dual purpose: it prepares young people for... Read more

New Zealand school principals should add to their skills repertoire: ‘Magician’. In the week leading to the first day of school, leaders were reaching into their hats of creative tricks to fill vacancies. The Herald reported that one in five Auckland schools, and one in 10 in the rest of the country were still trying to find staff. Work-arounds included increasing class sizes, enticing overseas and retired teachers, or, in worst case scenarios, scrapping subjects altogether. Read more

With a new government comes opportunities to shake up a long-entrenched status quo. Read more

Our newly sworn-in Government has about 1000 days to deliver on its campaign promises.Fixing the education system will take more time. Too many fundamental aspects are in need of reform.So it was encouraging to read in the coalition agreement about a planned 30-year strategic plan for education.The long term outlook should enable strategic prioritisation of incremental and transformational changes.And so working backwards we should outline the kind of system The New Zealand Initiative envisions 30 years from now.We want a... Read more

New Zealanders are lazy patriots and even worse politicians.In last week’s election, a bit more than a fifth of us held onto our vote and hoped for the best. And while provisional results show the current government in the lead by double digits, its continued reign rests in the hands of one kingmaker.As a proud dual citizen, I had the benefit of following two recent elections - watching Rwanda’s gave me a sliver of hope for Aotearoa. Read more

On Wednesday evening, Oliver summed up our event à la Casablanca. Thanking our guest speakers, he rightly said ‘I think this is the beginning of a beautiful friendship’. Discussing our latest education report, we were joined by Education Minister Nikki Kaye; Post-Primary Teachers’ Association President, Jack Boyle; and Forsyth Barr Managing Director, Neil Paviour-Smith. Speakers commented on the findings and conclusions of the report Amplifying Excellence, the final in a trilogy analysing the performance of New Zealand’s education system. Read more