Foreword Minister for Tertiary Education

To achieve an economic transformation, New Zealand needs a thriving and globally competitive economy and a highly-skilled workforce. The Government’s goal of Economic Transformation sets the strategic context for the Ministry of Education’s work in respect of tertiary and international education.

Well-developed strategies for the tertiary and international education sectors guide the ministry’s work. The ministry shows leadership and works in partnership with education agencies, tertiary education providers, innovation agencies, business, industry and community.

The Tertiary Education Strategy and the Statement of Tertiary Education Priorities provide the overall direction for the tertiary sector and the ministry’s priorities. We want more young people to achieve qualifications at level four and above by age 25. We want stronger literacy, language and numeracy levels for the workforce. We want to increase the development of skills that meet regional and national industry needs. We want to create economic opportunities through stronger research connections.

The International Education Agenda sets out how international education supports the goals of growing globally competitive firms and innovative and productive workplaces. Maintaining and improving New Zealand’s economic performance depends on the quality and depth of New Zealand’s engagement with the global economy. International research links will strengthen tertiary providers and contribute to New Zealand’s economic transformation and innovation goals, through exchange of teachers and researchers, and increased international collaboration, funding and commercialisation.

I expect the ministry to focus particularly on the New Zealand Skills Strategy and Schools Plus workstreams in the next year. I also expect the ministry to continue working with other agencies in my innovation portfolios to align economic development, research, science and technology, and tertiary education activity.

In all this work the ministry, and in particular the Secretary for Education, has a key role in supporting education agencies to achieve the Government’s Economic Transformation goal.

Hon. Pete Hodgson

Minister for Tertiary Education