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Massive education fail
Written By: - Date published: 11:58 am, November 30th, 2016 - 45 comments
Thanks National: “NZ kids worst at maths in English-speaking world”.
unCOOL
Written By: - Date published: 1:35 pm, October 17th, 2016 - 6 comments
In August Hekia Parata announced her new COOL solution, that distinctly isn’t what it says on the tin.
Now’s your chance to submit your feedback on her proposal.
Nats push stupidest education plan ever
Written By: - Date published: 2:26 pm, August 23rd, 2016 - 218 comments
It’s not April 1st, so I’m forced to conclude that this is a genuine announcement: Students to learn online from home instead of at school under major education reform.
All aboard the charter schools gravy train
Written By: - Date published: 7:34 am, May 21st, 2016 - 32 comments
Charter schools are pretty nice work if you can get it, no wonder groups are lining up. But there’s no evidence that they are good for education.
National standards – a failed crusade
Written By: - Date published: 9:35 am, May 3rd, 2016 - 260 comments
National told us “New Zealand elected a Government that promised to introduce national standards so that every single child could read, write, and do maths when they left school.”
Postcard from the “brighter” future
Written By: - Date published: 11:27 am, March 30th, 2016 - 31 comments
Evidence of growing poverty hitting “mid-decile” schools.
Family First on the important issues of the day
Written By: - Date published: 11:10 am, March 14th, 2016 - 13 comments
Don’t conservative cranks have anything better to do with their time?
Charter schools paid ideology bonuses
Written By: - Date published: 7:15 am, February 29th, 2016 - 30 comments
Charter schools showered with even more money for missing their targets. Something to do with forests, apparently.
Good money after bad into the bottomless pit of charter schools
Written By: - Date published: 10:37 am, January 29th, 2016 - 73 comments
Yesterday the Nats confirmed the closing of a failed Northland charter school. Turns out we’ll be paying an extra $400,000 for the first quarter of this year, even though the school will not open. Brilliant.
The great big list of John Key’s big fat lies (UPDATED)
Written By: - Date published: 7:00 am, January 27th, 2016 - 79 comments
How many more lies will John Key tell today in his so-called State of the Nation address? Virtual chocolate fish to whomever guesses the closest number.
Education mess
Written By: - Date published: 10:37 am, December 12th, 2015 - 14 comments
Details of a mess in tertiary education published yesterday. On top of the mess in charter schools. National aren’t very good at this.
John Key’s hedge fund mate behind Teach First (NZ)
Written By: - Date published: 7:36 am, December 9th, 2015 - 195 comments
Julian Robertston, a US billionaire who made his money with hedge fund Tiger Management, Merryl Lynch’s largest customer when John Key was working there, is the man behind privatisation trojan horse Teach First (NZ).
NRT: Compare and contrast
Written By: - Date published: 2:16 pm, November 27th, 2015 - 2 comments
I/S at No Right Turn compares the government’s treatment of two very different schools. “National’s racism and pandering to the rich pervades every aspect of policy.”
The education review
Written By: - Date published: 7:01 am, November 4th, 2015 - 31 comments
National is initiating a review of education. They will of course be excluding consideration of resourcing and their sacred cows (national standards, charter schools). One possible outcome appears to be shifting resources from poorer schools to richer ones.
More charter school hypocrisy
Written By: - Date published: 7:03 am, October 9th, 2015 - 21 comments
Turns out the Education Minister overrode Ministry advice to protect National’s pet charter schools from being evaluated on their actual outcomes. Plus a bonus side order of hypocrisy on class sizes.
Even Catherine Isaac thinks Parata has no idea
Written By: - Date published: 5:15 pm, October 8th, 2015 - 18 comments
When Catherine Isaac (wife of Roger Kerr (deceased) of the former Business Round-table and ACT party stalwart) is at odds with Parata, something must be amiss.
Hekia has gone rogue
Written By: - Date published: 9:00 am, October 5th, 2015 - 41 comments
Hekia Parata has announced that student achievement and not need caused by poverty will be a central part of any future funding system.
A schools league table that we need
Written By: - Date published: 11:09 am, September 4th, 2015 - 15 comments
The Nats have created the (spurious) data for school “league tables” so that parents can be fully informed and make choices, so they tell us. But it seems that parents don’t deserve to be fully informed about the dangerous physical health of schools. That would be just too inconvenient.
Charter $chools
Written By: - Date published: 8:41 am, August 22nd, 2015 - 20 comments
Today’s Herald has an excellent piece on charter schools – School cash flows to owners’ pockets. What a surprise!
Well he would wouldn’t he
Written By: - Date published: 1:05 pm, August 3rd, 2015 - 52 comments
Key denies claims that he said Maori language month would be boring. Whatever the phrasing it’s clear that he was insensitive and a 16-year-old girl has been upset. Key should just do the decent thing and apologise.
What’s a charter school gotta do?
Written By: - Date published: 9:23 am, July 30th, 2015 - 7 comments
What exactly does a charter school have to do in order to be held accountable?
More charter school fiascos
Written By: - Date published: 11:48 am, July 22nd, 2015 - 15 comments
Charter schools continue to hit the headlines for all the wrong reasons. Right-wingers continue to back them for all the wrong reasons.
School lunches – Key vs data
Written By: - Date published: 7:11 am, July 6th, 2015 - 29 comments
Key claimed that the number of hungry kids in schools was limited to “the odd one or two”. Everyone knew it was nonsense. Now a survey by the New Zealand Principals’ Federation indicates the true extent of the problem.
It’s great to be a charter school!
Written By: - Date published: 9:15 am, July 2nd, 2015 - 48 comments
A charter school banks an “operating surplus” of $2.4 million, while state schools remain chronically underfunded.
Anti-union rant in The Herald
Written By: - Date published: 12:43 pm, June 8th, 2015 - 72 comments
An anonymous editorial in The Herald this morning really is atrocious. Apparently the limited uptake one of the Nats’ pet education policies is all the fault of the unions.
National standards aren’t
Written By: - Date published: 8:03 am, June 3rd, 2015 - 67 comments
Further evidence that “national standards” are an omnishambles.
Schools under pressure
Written By: - Date published: 2:38 pm, May 31st, 2015 - 12 comments
Schools are not adequately funded for the job we ask them to do.
The education horse race
Written By: - Date published: 11:38 am, April 9th, 2015 - 15 comments
On the one hand the government are pushing for more and more NCEA passes to feed the league tables, and on the other they are acknowledging that those passes are no longer enough to suggest success at Tertiary level and tightening criteria to exclude students. Mixed messages, perverse incentives, a giant shambles.
Shame shame shame
Written By: - Date published: 7:12 am, March 19th, 2015 - 206 comments
Last night in Parliament National voted down Harawira / Turei’s Feed the Kids Bill, David Shearer’s Food in Schools Bill, and Phil Twyford’s Healthy Homes Guarantee Bill.
The Second Climate Change Problem
Written By: - Date published: 12:09 pm, March 12th, 2015 - 23 comments
Creativity expert Sir Ken Robinson challenges the way we’re educating our children. He champions a radical rethink of our school systems, to cultivate creativity and acknowledge multiple types of intelligence
Charter schools mess – what a surprise
Written By: - Date published: 10:35 am, February 21st, 2015 - 193 comments
One of National’s first five charter schools is a failure, and applications for new charter schools have been cancelled. Who could have predicted such a mess? Just about everybody…
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1 week ago - The people have spoken
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ANALYSIS: By Jane McAdam, UNSW Sydney The details of a new visa enabling Tuvaluan citizens to permanently migrate to Australia were released this week. The visa was created as part of a bilateral treaty Australia and Tuvalu signed in late 2023, which aims to protect the two countries’ shared interests ...16 hours ago
- Labor and Coalition support for new home buyers welcome but other Australians also struggling with h...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Cull, Associate Professor, Western Sydney University doublelee/Shutterstock There is no denying housing reform is urgently needed in Australia to make housing more affordable and accessible to everyday Australians. Both major parties have now announced the incentives they are offering to ...18 hours ago
- Voters have a clear choice. Labor’s long term and equitable tax reform or the Coalition’s big b...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Isaac Gross, Lecturer in Economics, Monash University Tang Yan Song The election campaign has erupted into a economic battleground as Labor and the Coalition unveiled major new tax policies at their campaign launches. Each policy package is aimed at addressing the ...19 hours ago
- Election Diary: Liberal and Labor launches focus on housing, but who thinks either side can fix that...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra If anyone had any doubts before, Sunday’s Liberal and Labor launches highlighted that this election is an auction for votes, in particular those of the under 40s and people in the outer suburbs. Amid the ...19 hours ago
- Accra is a tough city to walk in: how city planners can fix the problem
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Seth Asare Okyere, Visiting lecturer, University of Pittsburg and Adjunct Associate Professor, Osaka University, University of Pittsburgh Humans are walking beings. Walking is intrinsically linked to our physical development from childhood and enables our connections with people and places. We can say ...19 hours ago
- Driving licence changes: One practical test instead of two
Drivers will not need to take a second practical test to get their licence, with the government proposing the first major changes to NZ's driver licence system in 14 years. ...20 hours ago - ER Report: A Roundup of Significant Articles on EveningReport.nz for April 13, 2025
ER Report: Here is a summary of significant articles published on EveningReport.nz on April 13, 2025. ‘Trump fatigue’ is putting Kiwis off the news, with trust in media still low – new reportSource: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Merja Myllylahti, Senior Lecturer, Co-Director Research Centre for Journalism, Media ...1 day ago
- Winston Peters says talk of ‘trade war’ is ‘hysterical’, ‘short-sighte...
The foreign minister has taken another veiled swing at the prime minister's phone call to world leaders over US tariffs. ...1 day ago
- ‘Trump fatigue’ is putting Kiwis off the news, with trust in media still low – new report
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Merja Myllylahti, Senior Lecturer, Co-Director Research Centre for Journalism, Media & Democracy, Auckland University of Technology Getty Images The news media is doing its best to keep everyone up to speed with the pace of Donald Trump’s radical changes to the ...1 day ago
- An Ode to .. Admiral Judith
War and PeaceMinister of Peace, Lady Crusher of Oravida,accesorised with an ammo belt and camouflage face paint, addresses the press conference.The two remaining Scribes who still have jobs huddle in the front row.“We are preparing for peace!,” barks Admiraless Crusher.“To whom do we go to peace against?,” asks a Scribe.“Our ...1 day ago
- Anti-women views aren’t confined to the manosphere
Opinion: Jamie whimpers for his dad, wets his pants and looks frightened and bewildered in the opening scenes of Adolescence. Just as we’d imagine a little 13-year-old boy might react to a swarm of masked, helmeted, armed police confronting him in his bed in the early morning. A vulnerable and ...1 day ago
- Health workers call for NZ government to join global demands for ambulance massacre inquiry
Asia Pacific Report Health workers spoke out at a rally condemning Israel’s genocide in Gaza and the latest atrocity against Palestinian aid workers today, calling on the New Zealand government to join global demands for an independent investigation. They were protesting over last month’s massacre of 15 Palestinian rescue workers ...2 days ago
- Albanese pitches to aspiring home buyers with $10 billion plan and removal of means test on deposit ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra Anthony Albanese will promise a $10 billion scheme to facilitate the building of up to 100,000 homes that would be earmarked for sale to first home buyers. To be unveiled at Labor’s formal campaign launch ...2 days ago
- Dutton to offer targeted income tax offset of up to $1,200
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra Peter Dutton at his party launch on Sunday will offer a “cost of living tax offset” of up to $1,200 to more than 10 million taxpayers. The one-off offset would go to taxpayers earning up ...2 days ago
- Caitlin Johnstone: Israel’s innocent oopsie-poopsie medical massacre mistake
Report by Dr David Robie – Café Pacific. – COMMENTARY: By Caitlin Johnstone The Israeli military changed its story many times about why its forces killed 15 medical workers and then buried them and their vehicles to hide the evidence. After their initial claim that the medical vehicles were ...2 days ago
- Foreign Minister wraps up Tonga visit, heading to Hawai’i
Immigration, maritime safety and a $13.8m Landcare Research programme were on the cards as Winston Peters completed the first leg of his Pacific tour. ...2 days ago
- ER Report: A Roundup of Significant Articles on EveningReport.nz for April 12, 2025
ER Report: Here is a summary of significant articles published on EveningReport.nz on April 12, 2025. Pacific climate activists join 180+ groups calling on COP30 hosts Brazil to end fossil fuel dependenceRNZ Pacific Pacific climate activists this week handed a letter from civil society to this year’s United Nations climate ...2 days ago
- Pacific climate activists join 180+ groups calling on COP30 hosts Brazil to end fossil fuel dependen...
RNZ Pacific Pacific climate activists this week handed a letter from civil society to this year’s United Nations climate conference hosts, Brazil, emphasising their demands for the end of fossil fuels and transition to renewable energy. More than 180 indigenous, youth, and environmental organisations from across the world have signed ...2 days ago
- Let’s get physical: a smashing finale for women’s Super Rugby
When the Blues beat Matatū in their first encounter this season, halfback Tara Turner memorably told Sky Sport afterward that the Blues’ “Mongrel Dogs” had come out to play. Matatū was battered into submission, 28-7. But in late March, the tables turned and Matatū stunned the physical northerners, inflicting the first ...2 days ago
- Short story: Old dogs, by Jackie Davis
Penny can see it all from here. The lawn that needs mowing, the gardens, once a riot of colour, her pride and joy she says when she describes it to the book club ladies, is now over-run with dandelions and ragwort. In the paddock beyond, she can see the sheep ...2 days ago
- New Zealand’s estuaries ‘in hot water’
Wading in among scratchy branches, sticky mud and ocean water might not be everyone’s cup of tea, but for Karin Bryan it’s a favourite pastime.Estuaries are her happy place.“I wouldn’t have said that 15 years ago. Fifteen years ago I had never walked in a mangrove in my life,” she ...2 days ago
- ‘I’ve watched them all’: David Lomas on his soft spot for rom coms
The host of David Lomas Investigates takes us through his life in TV, including the power of the Chesdale Cheese ad and his passion for 90s romantic comedies. It’s hard to imagine these days, but David Lomas never actually wanted to be on television. “Oh, I had no ambition to ...2 days ago - The Weekend: The lone wolf rarely triumphs
Madeleine Chapman reflects on the week that was. This week I found myself surrounded by collective action in all its forms. I watched the Auckland Philharmonia perform Hans Zimmer’s greatest hits to a packed out Aotea Centre for Art of the Score last weekend. It was incredible and rare to ...2 days ago
- Why I defended the men who hurt me
Allegations of sexual assault against Neil Gaiman have led the author to present texts from Scarlett Pavlovich that he says ‘demonstrate’ their relationship was consensual. One woman explains why she sent similar messages to men who hurt her. Sarah Grace is a pseudonym. When the story first broke to my ...2 days ago
- Can books change the world? A writer makes the case
Emma Sidnam debates with herself, and with friends, the value of writing with political purpose versus writing for entertainment. In the first real conversation I had with a friend, who is also a writer, we argued about art’s political power. He said that while an artless world is a depressing one, ...2 days ago
- The Secret Diary of .. Dirty Politics
A bedroom in MosgielSolid information is coming to light that Green MP and stain on the human race Benjamin Doyle wants to infiltrate a crèche so he can subject children to depraved sexual practises.The police need to be warned – and so do parents.A basement in HamiltonI told Mum that ...2 days ago
- The multibillion-dollar boost for New Zealand’s military: What you need to know
Explainer - $12 billion sounds like a lot to spend on the military. But is it, really? ...2 days ago
- Election Diary: Labor breaks practice of preferencing Greens to protect Jewish MP Josh Burns
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra It takes a bit for Labor not to preference the Greens but on Friday it was announced that in the Melbourne seat of Macnamara, where Jewish MP Josh Burns is embattled, the ALP will run ...3 days ago
- ‘Delusional’ Treaty Principles Bill scrapped but fight for Te Tiriti just beginning, say lawyers...
By Layla Bailey-McDowell, RNZ Māori news journalist Legal experts and Māori advocates say the fight to protect Te Tiriti is only just beginning — as the controversial Treaty Principles Bill is officially killed in Parliament. The bill — which seeks to redefine the principles of Te Tiriti o Waitangi — ...3 days ago
- Coalition plan to dump fuel efficiency penalties would make Australia a global outlier
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Anna Mortimore, Lecturer, Griffith Business School, Griffith University The Coalition has announced it would, if elected to government, weaken a scheme aimed at cutting car emissions. The scheme, known as the New Vehicle Efficiency Standard (NVES), was introduced by the Albanese government ...3 days ago
- Peter Dutton’s climate policy backslide threatens Australia’s clout in the Pacific – right whe...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Wesley Morgan, Research Associate, Institute for Climate Risk and Response, UNSW Sydney Australia’s relationship with its regional neighbours could be in doubt under a Coalition government after two Pacific leaders challenged Opposition Leader Peter Dutton over his weak climate stance. This week, ...3 days ago
- Trade Minister Todd McClay writes to US counterparts over ‘harmful’ tariffs
An additional tariff by the US on New Zealand exporters is harmful and the Minister of Trade has written to his American counterparts to tell them that. ...3 days ago
- Could changing your diet improve endometriosis pain? A recent study suggests it’s possible
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Evangeline Mantzioris, Program Director of Nutrition and Food Sciences, Accredited Practising Dietitian, University of South Australia ovchinnikova_ksenya/Shutterstock Endometriosis affects around 10% of women of reproductive age. It’s a chronic inflammatory condition that occurs when tissue similar to the lining of the ...3 days ago
- Kids cheering ‘chicken jockey!’ at A Minecraft Movie isn’t antisocial – it creates a chance ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Sophia Staite, Lecturer in Humanities, University of Tasmania Courtesy of Warner Bros. Pictures Social media is ablaze with reports of kids going wild at screenings of A Minecraft Movie. Some cinemas are cracking down. There are reports of cinemas calling ...3 days ago
- ‘Call me next time’: Peters disparages Luxon’s tariff talks
Winston Peters told RNZ the prime minister had not consulted with him ahead of the calls. ...3 days ago
- Manaia House opens in Whangārei after $21.6 million interior upgrades
Services scattered Whangārei are combining under one roof called Manaia House. ...3 days ago
- The unusual death of the Treaty Principles Bill
The Treaty Principles Bill has been brutally defeated in Parliament. We have highlights from key speeches, and explain why its demise is so unusual. ...3 days ago
- Traded like assets, expected to be loyal: the unique double standard of being an Australian footy pl...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Hunter Fujak, Senior Lecturer in Sport Management, Deakin University Few issues in Australian sport generate as much media noise or emotional fan reactions as player movement, especially in our major winter codes the National Rugby League (NRL) and Australian Football League (AFL). ...3 days ago
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