Search

Education Minister Anne Tolley says that Government investment in early childhood education and parenting programmes has made a significant contribution to the progress made in the Drivers of Crime strategy.

“All children deserve the best possible start to their education, and to be engaged in learning, which is why Budget 2011 invested an additional $550 million in ECE over the next four years,” says Mrs Tolley.

Education Minister Anne Tolley and Revenue Minister Peter Dunne have today launched a new tax education online curriculum tool for school students.

The Citizenship and Tax Education tool is designed for Year 7-10 social studies classes.

“This will be a welcome addition to the resources currently available to schools,” says Mrs Tolley.

“It’s a useful and practical programme and it’s aligned to the new curriculum, so students and teachers will benefit.”

The Government’s roll out of fast broadband to rural New Zealand is underway today with the first three rural schools connecting to ultra fast fibre.

Connecting ultra-fast broadband to schools means fibre optic cables going deep into rural New Zealand, bringing fast, fixed and wireless broadband technology to a quarter of a million New Zealanders currently struggling with dial up.

Education Minister Anne Tolley says construction of a proposed new school on the site of the former Waimokoia residential school in Auckland has been put on hold to allow proper consultation to take place with neighbouring schools and the wider community.

Thurston Place College was due to open in January 2012, to cater for thirty students under the care and protection of Child, Youth and Family.

“I’m disappointed that the Ministry of Education did not carry out sufficient consultation,” says Mrs Tolley.

Tuatahi me mihi ki te tangata whenua, ki a Ngai Tahu.

Me mihi ki nga mate o te wa

Me mihi hoki ki nga iwi maha o Nga Pakihi Whakatekateka o Waitaha, o Otautahi, e hemanawa nei, e whakamomori nei i nga ru whenua, e ngaueue nei o koutou kainga, e koropupu nei te wai i te whenua. Ka nui te aroha ki nga whanau e raruraru ana, ka nui te mihi hoki ki to koutou maia.

Good morning and thank you for inviting me to speak at your conference today.  It’s great to be here today. 

I believe the best education systems are those where parents have a genuine choice of schools.  And a diverse range to choose from.  

High quality integrated schools make an important contribution to this diversity.

Parents value the range of educational programmes on offer at your schools – particularly the religious or philosophical values and aspirations that underpin them.

Education Minister Anne Tolley has announced two professional support days for secondary school teachers, to assist with planning and preparation for the implementation of the new curriculum-aligned NCEA standards.

“Teachers began working on the phasing-in of the new curriculum-aligned standards in early 2010, and this extra support will be valuable,” says Mrs Tolley.

Education Minister Anne Tolley has announced the Government is investing $9.5 million in property funding to build eight new early childhood education services.

440 new places for children will be created in areas of high need in South and East Auckland, as the Government targets increased participation for Maori, Pasifika and children from lower socio-economic backgrounds.

Education Minister Anne Tolley has launched an eight-week consultation on the recently-released independent Early Childhood Education Taskforce report.

“I want to encourage parents, families, whānau, employers and the ECE sector to have their say on the report’s recommendations,” says Mrs Tolley. 

“The taskforce was established to review the effectiveness of ECE spending and to make recommendations on proposed improvements, including changes to funding and policy settings.

Associate Minister of Education Dr Pita Sharples says he is excited by recommendations from the Maori Youth Council relating to professional development of teachers, because they align with his own views and work he has been doing.

“I have been developing a programme called ‘Tataiako’ for nearly two years now, of cultural competencies for teachers of Maori learners, and I am hoping to make an announcement quite soon,” said Dr Sharples.

Education Minister Anne Tolley has welcomed the release by the Independent Taskforce of a report on the future of early childhood education in New Zealand.

The Minister established the Taskforce in October 2010 to review the effectiveness of ECE spending and to make recommendations on proposed improvements, including changes to funding and policy settings, for a sector which will benefit from $1.4 billion of taxpayer investment in the year ahead, and which received a $550 million boost over four years in Budget 2011.

Education Minister Anne Tolley has officially launched the Canterbury Tertiary College Trades Academy, which is offering vocational trades and technology training to up to 144 students as part of the Government’s Youth Guarantee.

14 local secondary schools are working in partnership with Christchurch Polytechnic Institute of Technology (CPIT) and employers to enable 16 and 17 year olds to earn NCEA credits and a tertiary qualification, free of charge, while gaining practical skills.

Associate Minister of Education Rodney Hide today announced the three high quality private consortia, shortlisted by the Ministry of Education, for the first school property public private partnership (PPP) in New Zealand

Expressions of interest were called for in April and, following a robust selection process, the following consortia have been selected to proceed to the next stage of the tendering process.

Government Ministers Anne Tolley and Steven Joyce say ultra fast broadband to schools will transform the education system by enhancing the way teachers teach and children learn.

Their comments follow the award today of the final two contracts for the roll out of ultra fast broadband around New Zealand and the award last month of a contract for the roll out of broadband in rural areas.

Combined, the plans will see all state and state-integrated schools given a broadband boost by 2016.

Budget 2011 will provide significant capital and operational funding to strengthen delivery of school and community-based Māori language initiatives, Associate Education Minister Pita Sharples says.

It will also help teachers to engage better with Māori students, improve literacy teaching, and support Kura Kaupapa Māori.

Budget 2011 provides new funding for Māori education:

Budget 2011 invests a significant amount of additional funding in education during constrained fiscal times, Education Minister Anne Tolley says.

“The Government has allocated an extra $1.3 billion in operating funding and $109 million in capital for education out to 2014/15, with student engagement and achievement our absolute priorities,” Mrs Tolley says.

Budget 2011 delivers significant investment to lift achievement in schools and keep students engaged to gain worthwhile qualifications, Education Minister Anne Tolley says.

“Budget 2011 invests an extra $1.3 billion in operating funding and $109 million in capital for education, of which $621.2 million is for schooling,” she says.

“This includes an increase in operational funding for schools of 2.92 per cent – that’s $118.1 million over four years, as we focus on giving every New Zealand student the chance to succeed.

The Government will invest an extra $550.3 million in early childhood education over the next four years, to allow as many families as possible to access quality services where they are needed the most, Education Minister Anne Tolley says.

Budget 2011 provides an 11.5 per cent increase in ECE spending from Budget 2010 - or an additional $147 million in 2011/12 - bringing the total annual investment to $1.4 billion. 

Canterbury Earthquake Recovery Minister Gerry Brownlee and Education Minister Anne Tolley have announced that full pre-earthquake operational funding for Christchurch schools is to be extended until the end of the year.

“This will provide certainty and stability for schools in Christchurch until the end of 2011,” says Gerry Brownlee.

“It means schools in Christchurch will continue to receive full funding for the number of pupils they had before February’s earthquake.”

Education Minister Anne Tolley says new study centres are providing extra support for Christchurch students whose schools are still affected by the February earthquake.

The centres provide a supervised place for students to study, and are aimed at students at colleges which have been temporarily relocated to another site or are co-located with another school because of earthquake damage.

“This is something that students and their parents will welcome,” says Mrs Tolley.

Education Minister Anne Tolley says a new award for New Zealand’s top scholarship student will be presented at a ceremony in Wellington tomorrow.

The inaugural Prime Minister’s Award for Academic Excellence will recognise the success of the country’s leading secondary school student, and will be presented at the Top Scholar award ceremony at Government House.

Education Minister Anne Tolley has decided on a number of changes to schools in South Dunedin to strengthen the provision of education for children in the area.

“I have carefully considered a report on the second round of consultation on the future of Year 1 – 8 schooling in South Dunedin, and believe changes must be made to strengthen education,” says Mrs Tolley.

“This reorganisation will ensure there is a sustainable network of quality schooling in the area to provide the best possible education for students.”

Education Minister Anne Tolley has made a decision on the future of schooling in Kawerau, following a second round of consultation.

“Following extensive consultation with schools and the community, I believe a number of changes need to be made to ensure that students in the area have access to the best possible education,” says Mrs Tolley.

“These changes will strengthen the quality of education for the young people of Kawerau, which has been at risk due to viability issues such as roll decline.”

The reorganisation will:

Education Minister Anne Tolley says an Education Review Office report on the implementation of National Standards is extremely encouraging and shows primary and intermediate schools are continuing to make great progress.

“Lifting the reading, writing and maths skills for our children is an absolute priority for the Government, and National Standards are already making a difference for students and parents,” says Mrs Tolley.