Introduction from the Chief Executive

We have set ourselves a task: to build a world-leading education system that equips all New Zealanders with the knowledge, skills and values to succeed in the 21st-century.

We have an education system that performs well for most students, and which has a strong tradition of research and innovation. However, such success does not mean that all our students are achieving as well as they could, nor does it mean that we are complacent about developing new ways of doing things. We must continue to adapt and build our education system to meet the changing needs of the future, and to ensure that our nation is connected to the rest of the world.

By international comparisons our students are doing well. Our best are as good as the best anywhere in the world. But the gap in achievement between those at the top and those at the bottom is too great. We know the system is under performing for many Māori, and achievement rates for Pasifika students are, on average, too low. The New Zealand Disability Strategy outlines a challenge for the education system – “to improve education so that all children, youth and adult learners have equal opportunities to learn and develop in their local, regular educational centres”.

Too many young people are leaving school early with low or no qualifications. Forty percent leave school with less than a level two NCEA qualification. It is estimated that 20,000 15- to 19- year-olds are not engaged in learning or work. That’s a huge loss of potential for New Zealand and lost opportunities for a large number of young people. Schools Plus aims to ensure all young people stay in school longer and leave with higher-level skills and qualifications.

We need to ensure that all students have equitable access to high-quality education. We have a solid base on which to build and we now need to tailor our efforts to support those students who are not achieving to their full potential, in particular, for Pasifika students, for students with specific barriers to learning and for Māori students. Ka Hikitia – Managing for Success is the ministry’s strategy for raising the achievement levels for Māori.

We must also be clear where the responsibilities and accountabilities for their success lie. We need to know how far we have come and how far we need to go.

This statement of intent sets out the key outcomes we have established which will guide our work over the next five years.

These outcomes are not achieved by working alone. A key objective, for the whole sector, is that education agencies work effectively and efficiently to achieve education outcomes. Just as we are focusing on building leadership, accountability, relationships, competence and confidence for our own “organisational success”, we must also address this across the sector.

By improving our own performance, we will be better able to focus our expertise and investments on those areas of the system which will deliver the key outcomes we want for all New Zealanders.

“We need to be the change we wish to see in the world” – Mahatma Gandhi.

Karen Sewell

Secretary for Education