Ending the education culture wars

As reported this morning, the Education and Training Act will be amended so that School Boards will no longer be required to ‘give effect to Te Tiriti o Waitangi, including by working to ensure that its plans, policies, and local curriculum reflect local tikanga Māori, mātauranga Māori, and te ao Māori…’

The changes will be introduced to Parliament this afternoon and passed before the end of the year. They are part of ACT’s Coalition Agreement to make educational achievement the paramount objective of school boards.

“This is a major step forward for Education in New Zealand. We are fixing the Education and Training Act that the Labour-New Zealand First Government introduced in 2020,” says ACT Leader David Seymour.

“I’ve heard from parents exasperated that their child’s education has turned into an eternal marae visit with karakia before every class and Māori words littered through their maths questions. It is possible to respect and value the place of the Māori language and culture without artificially inserting it into every part of life.

“Taxpayers don’t fund Education to further the political projects of adults. Education should equip children to navigate the world on their own terms, not shoehorn them in to a particular view of New Zealand by legislating goals that are political, not academic.

“Under these changes school board will retain the choice to teach as much tikanga, mātauranga Māori, and te reo Māori as they like. However, the law won’t force them to, and that’s the difference. Self-determination should be for all New Zealanders.

“As part of the changes, educational achievement will be the paramount priority of school boards. Student attendance will also be added as a goal. It’s hard to achieve if you don’t show up on time.

“Our children’s future needs every taxpayer dollar spent on education to realise its full value. Focusing education on actual achievement is critical to raising our academic performance, once again we are fixing what matters to New Zealanders."