A cochlear implant (CI) allows children and young people with severe and profound hearing loss to access sound – but it doesn’t restore normal hearing. The CI bypasses the normal acoustic hearing process and replaces it with electric signals which directly stimulate the auditory nerve. The devices are government funded and there are a range of support services throughout Aotearoa to help children and their whānau.   “In New Zealand, the devices can be implanted from six months old, which maximises the window from 0-3 years that is the critical age f ..read more

Opinion Piece: Josh Williams, Principal Consultant, Skills Consulting Group There were some pretty important takeaways over the past couple of Friday nights in New Zealand, and I don’t just mean the fish and chips. It was also when Education New Zealand, Te Pūkenga and Skills Consulting Group hosted an Asia-Pacific virtual conference on vocational education and training. Participants from 58 different countries joined together to discuss a range of perspectives on Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) systems across, and beyond, the APAC region. Why? Because these are very int ..read more

Dr Eunice Gaerlan-Price’s doctoral research focused on the lives of academically successful teenage girls from diverse socioeconomic, racial-ethnic and schooling backgrounds and examined how social media was adding a complicating layer to their lives.   Now a teacher educator, Eunice first became interested in the impact that social media was having on girls she was teaching at an Auckland secondary school.   “The idea that originally piqued my curiosity was this notion of ‘friending’ and ‘following’. I noticed specifically in the all-girls college I was working at, th ..read more

In October 2021, Marisa Pene was appointed as Tui Tuia | Learning Circle’s Programme Manager, Te Whānau Maioha. The appointment coincides with the transition of the University of Auckland organisation known as FLS Future Learning Solutions to its new Tui Tuia | Learning Circle brand and name. Marisa (Ngāti Kuia, Ngāti Apa ki te Rā Tō, Ngāi Tahu, and Tokelau) comes to Tui Tuia with an impressive skillset in management, strategic development, community engagement, entrepreneurial and creative processes. She also brings with her extensive experience in designing Kaupapa Māori and Pasifika framewo ..read more

In her role as National Agribusiness Subject Advisor, Melanie Simmons thrives on instilling a passion for the primary industries in teachers and students throughout New Zealand.   The Ministry of Education is currently making changes to NCEA and is undertaking a Review of Achievement Standards. On 30 September 2021, the Minister of Education announced the final NCEA Level 2 and 3 subject list for The New Zealand Curriculum (NZC), which includes Agribusiness as a standalone subject.   This means a Subject Expert Group (SEG) will be convened to develop a complete suite of new ..read more

Education Gazette explores the value of New Zealand’s participation in large-scale education studies, and how the insights gathered go beyond the headlines of achievement and rankings.   As a country, we regularly participate in five large-scale education studies that provide valuable insights into our education system.   This research helps Te Tāhuhu o Te Mātauranga to understand the wellbeing of school communities – what is functioning well, and where more work is needed to help learners, teachers, schools, and parents/whānau thrive.  In ..read more

The vocational education sector has come together to create a free online TVET conference. The Covid pandemic has seen a massive disruption to workforce upskilling and retraining throughout the Asia Pacific region, and the only solution to ensure the sustainability of workforces is a joint approach now from government, industry and educators. Prioritising this has led leaders from some of New Zealand’s top vocational education institutions to come together to offer a free forum for the Asia Pacific region. With the theme of ‘bringing us together’, the free virtual APAC Technical & Voc ..read more

School principals are confident their staff will comply with the Government’s order to get vaccinated before January 1. They are also relieved Cabinet did not push ahead with plans to reopen Auckland’s schools next week. School and early childhood staff who have contact with children must get their first vaccination by November 15, 2021 and their second by January 1, 2022. It’s not clear how many might refuse or what will happen to them and a petition opposing the vaccine mandate had more than 25,000 signatures by last night. Auckland teacher and Post Primary Teachers Association regional chai ..read more

In 1921, children and young people with disabilities in New Zealand were denied education and confined to institutions. A century later, we know that inclusion works for all, and celebrate the fact that more than 99 per cent of learners are enrolled in local schools. What happened in between is the evolution of learning support. The door to inclusive learning opened when the Education Act 1989 stipulated equal rights to learners with disabilities, however that law change did not bring schools the services they needed to deliver education to students with disabilities. “Prior to 1989 there was ..read more

Future Learning Solutions – the University of Auckland’s professional development service for educators – is delighted to launch its new bilingual name: Tui Tuia | Learning Circle. Tui Tuia |Learning Circle provides services and programmes to strengthen the capability and resilience of New Zealand educators in our rapidly changing world. Working alongside leaders, teachers and school communities, the organisation has a history of designing and delivering quality professional learning and development. This includes leadership development, language learning, literacy development and Reading Reco ..read more