Tertiary Education, Skills and Employment Minister Steven Joyce and Education Minister Hekia Parata have today announced the release of a new Youth Guarantee Secondary-Tertiary pilot programme, DualPathways.

DualPathways students will be enrolled part-time in secondary school at Year 12 or 13 and part-time in either tertiary education or industry training. The programme will come into effect next year and replaces a small scale Secondary-Tertiary pilot that finishes in December this year.

Education Minister Hekia Parata will today travel to the United States to examine one of that country’s most successful education systems and to discuss training with leading academics.

Ms Parata will meet with a number of education experts in Massachusetts and New York.

Education Minister Hekia Parata is urging New Zealand teachers to put their names forward for the Special Education study awards for 2017.

“The Special Education study awards are an excellent professional opportunity for teachers to develop their skills in working with students with additional learning needs,” says Ms Parata.

“For 2017 there are more than 150 new Special Education study awards available to New Zealand teachers so that they can train in specialist areas.”

Contractors will be on site this week, ready to begin the $4.2 million upgrade at Papatoetoe Central School in Auckland, Education Minister Hekia Parata announced today.

“The start of work on a new, two-storey classroom block makes this an exciting time for the school,” says Ms Parata.

The new block will have eight learning spaces, to replace six older classrooms at the school. The two additional learning spaces are to accommodate expected roll growth.

A sod turning ceremony at Western Springs College this morning marked the start of a redevelopment that represents the largest-ever investment in a New Zealand school, says Education Minister Hekia Parata.

Tertiary Education, Skills and Employment Minister Steven Joyce and Education Minister Hekia Parata have today welcomed a report which shows the performance of New Zealand’s education sector, at all levels, compares well with those of other developed countries.

The OECD Report, Education at a Glance 2016, measures 35 countries on the output of educational institutions, the impact of learning, financial and human resources invested in education, and participation.

Education Minister Hekia Parata has welcomed a new report from the University of Waikato showing the positive impact that participating in early learning has on Māori and Pasifika children and their whānau.

“The stories of the children and their families contained in this study demonstrate beyond doubt why early learning is so vital,” says Ms Parata.

A legislation update to future proof New Zealand’s education system for the 21st century has passed its first reading.

“The Education (Update) Amendment Bill is the biggest update to education in this country for nearly 30 years,” says Education Minister Hekia Parata.

“This Bill is about putting the achievement of our children and young people at the heart of the education system.

Around $19 million will be invested to redevelop Flaxmere College and Kimi Ora Community School in Flaxmere, Hastings, Education Minister Hekia Parata announced today.

Ms Parata made the announcement during a visit to Flaxmere this morning.

“Around $14 million will be spent on Flaxmere College, to replace the existing classrooms with 22 new, flexible learning spaces. The school’s hall and gym will also be repaired,” says Ms Parata.

Education Minister Hekia Parata today launched a new initiative that will bring social service agencies and communities together to support young people in Northland at risk of poor outcomes.

Kainga Ora is a new Place-Based Initiative that will bring government agencies, NGOs, iwi, and community leaders together to support programmes that will have a positive impact on young Northlanders.

Education Minister Hekia Parata visited Kamo Intermediate School in Whangarei today to announce a new $1.7 million classroom block.

“Kamo Intermediate School has a steadily increasing roll so the new block, made up of four modern learning spaces, will accommodate this growth,” says Ms Parata.

“This school is working hard to raise student achievement and with these additional learning spaces the Kamo Intermediate School community will be able to continue to support Northland’s young people to achieve at school.”

Education Minister Hekia Parata has welcomed the report from the Funding Advisory Group and acknowledged the finding that six out of seven of the Funding Review proposals should go forward for further work.

“This review is about putting our children and young people at the heart of the funding system, ensuring that students are getting the best support they can to achieve their full potential”, says Ms Parata.

Almost every state, state-integrated school and kura will receive a share of an extra $12.3 million to support students at risk of under achieving.

“This extra funding represents a 1 per cent increase to the $1.35 billion in operations grants funding for 2017,” says Education Minister Hekia Parata.

“So let’s be clear, there is no funding freeze.

More than half of New Zealand’s schools are now working together in Communities of Learning, Education Minister Hekia Parata announced today.

“An additional 31 Communities of Learning have now been approved, taking the total number of Communities of Learning to 148, and including more than half of the schools throughout the country,” says Ms Parata.

“This is fantastic news – these communities will bring together local schools and early learning services to help boost student achievement.”

A Year 12 student who wrote an essay in te reo Māori drawing on his experiences during a pilgrimage to war sites in Europe has won the Supreme Award in a school competition honouring the 28th (Māori) Battalion, Educat

Education Minister Hekia Parata visited Carmel College in Auckland today to announce funding for new or expanded Asian language programmes at 63 schools across the country.

“Languages are an important tool for our young people to have as they venture out into the world,” says Ms Parata.

“I’m pleased to say that even more students will now have the opportunity to learn an Asian language, thanks to the Asian Language Learning in Schools (ALLiS) fund. A further $2.36 million is being provided from the fund to 63 schools who applied.”

Construction has started on a $4.5 million redevelopment at Takapuna Primary School on Auckland’s North Shore, Associate Education Minister Nikki Kaye announced today.

“This investment will see a new, two-storey classroom block built, and adds to three other upgrades and redevelopments either announced for or currently underway on the North Shore,” says Ms Kaye.

“Construction work began in April on the $26 million redevelopment at Takapuna Grammar School, and just under a fortnight ago work started on a $4 million upgrade at Bayswater School.

Christchurch’s Waitākiri Primary School, one of the first post-earthquake merged schools to open, is congratulated by Education Minister Hekia Parata for an exceptional first Education Review Office (ERO) report.

“Despite the challenges involved in the merger and relocation, Waitākiri Primary School’s achievement rates have remained very positive which is recognised in their excellent report from ERO,” says Ms Parata.

The new site for Christchurch school Ao Tawhiti Unlimited Discovery will be 177 St Asaph Street, Associate Education Minister Nikki Kaye announced today.

“The purchase of a new site means Ao Tawhiti Unlimited Discovery, which was formed by the merger of inner city schools Discovery One and Unlimited Paenga Tawhiti but has been operating from temporary sites outside the inner city, can now return home to the CBD,” says Ms Kaye.

A further $6.6 million will be invested in the redevelopment of Kaiapoi High School in North Canterbury, on top of the $15.5 million already announced for the project, Education Minister Hekia Parata and Associate Education Minister Nikki Kaye announced today.

“This upscaling to a $22 million project reflects higher than expected roll growth at the school since the redevelopment was first announced,” says Ms Parata.

The biggest update to education in New Zealand in nearly 30 years was introduced in Parliament yesterday by Education Minister Hekia Parata.

“The Education (Update) Amendment Bill is about enabling schools to provide a flexible 21st century education focussed on the achievement of every young New Zealander, says Ms Parata.

Education Minister Hekia Parata has today officially launched the Education Review Office’s new school evaluation indicators which identify effective practices to achieve equity and excellence for all children.

“Achieving equity and excellence for every child and young person at school can be a challenge for our education system,” says Ms Parata.

“The insights that the indicators will provide schools will act as a catalyst for change so that every Kiwi kid can achieve educational success.”

Minister of Education Hekia Parata and Associate Minister of Health Peseta Sam Lotu-liga today welcomed the release of the 2016 edition of the New Zealand Autism Spectrum Guideline.

The Guideline, launched at the Autism New Zealand Conference held in Wellington, is based on the most up-to-date information available and aims to improve the health, education and social outcomes for people with autism.

Education Minister Hekia Parata has today announced several initiatives to boost the number of teachers in high-demand subjects and locations.

“Right now we have enough overall numbers of teachers, but not necessarily in the areas or subjects that we need them in,” says Ms Parata. “That’s why we’re investing more than $9 million over four years to address teacher supply pressures.