by Steve Saville Let's hope the Fikas in all of our schools don't get lost in all this current craziness.

by ELV Created in Aotearoa to honour Māori and all Indigenous peoples whose voices are being silenced. Te Tiriti o Waitangi lives in our classrooms, our whānau, and our hearts. When a government chooses erasure over equity, the world must listen. A teacher folds away a classroom poster of Te Tiriti o Waitangi. A child asks why it’s gone. That is where this story begins — in the quiet acts of erasure happening across Aotearoa New Zealand. The pain and onslaught on our tamariki

by Steve Saville A few years ago I read Owen Eastwood’s wonderful book “Belonging.” Even though Eastwood wrote more from a sporting leadership/culture perspective I found his book perfectly captured all that I believed to be important with regards to the purpose of a school and of school leadership. It was profoundly rewarding and comforting to see what I held so dear articulated so clearly and logically. If you are feeling a bit despondent right now [hardly surprising] and h

by ELV What was once co-designed is now being shredded — and the Ministry’s name is on every balloon. We are loving the open letters and the passionate campaign to refuse to teach the shocking curriculum. It’s heart-warming to see some of us trying to make the best of it—trying to hold the line while everything around us spins. And still, Erica continues to tell lie after lie, removing herself from any wrongdoing, deflecting blame like it’s sport. As we consume story after st

by Rebecca Thomas Lay Your Dreams: A kōrero for our tamariki — past, present, and rising. They are the dream-carriers. Like so many others on this page — and in the circles of education that still hold our tamariki and their whakapapa with deep reverence — yesterday I was all things at once: Angry. Frustrated. Ashamed. Utterly heartbroken. The release of NZC 2025 ( I refuse to address it as Te Mātaiaho) was one blow — but what broke me was the sound of our Minister’s voice o

by ELV Governor Hobson, hands behind his back — a carving that speaks of concealed intent. Let this not become the image of our curriculum. MOE: Not in our name. Let’s be really explicit. To take a framework gifted by Māori, reshape it through a Western epistemological lens, and then present it back to the sector as if it still holds the same mana — is cultural misappropriation. It is colonising. It is a theft of worldview executed through framework manipulation. It is a br

by ELV ​​We’ve all been waiting, haven’t we? For someone — anyone — from Camp Roadshow to step forward and tell us what really went on. Not the soundbites, not the policy gloss, but the actual story behind the speeches, the data, and the packed rooms. Well… Erica decided to let someone speak on her behalf. Not a kaiako. Not a principal. Not even a New Zealand education leader. No — she let her overseas admirer take the mic. Last night, RNZ’s Emile Donovan sat down with forme

by Rebecca Thomas — looking out to the horizon where every wave carries the memory of promises made and the weight of what we risk losing. As a nation, when we greet others or show our gifts to the world, we begin with pōwhiri and haka. These are the ways the world knows who we are — the sound and spirit that remind everyone we are not Australian. We wave the cultural flag proudly when it suits us — at stadiums, on stages, in speeches. But when it comes to weaving those same

By Steve Saville Illustrated by Steve Saville I made a decision to not say too much online about the current storm raging around our profession. Mainly because others were articulating the concerns much better than I could and so I saw very little need to add more ‘noise’ that would risk clouding the picture. So first up, I would like to thank again the brave voices who have been pushing back on our behalf. However, reading recent posts from the likes of Kylie Hogan and Bee T

by ELV Aotearoa’s educators, the storm that won’t be silenced. Maybe that’s why the silence. Because thunder doesn’t always arrive on cue — sometimes it brews underground. While the Ministry was polishing its hashtags and prepping polite applause, teachers were busy building something stronger: solidarity. The press might have missed the photo-op, but they didn’t miss the feeling. There’s a hum beneath this quiet — a pulse that says enough. Educators are winning this round. N

by Protective Educators in Aotearoa The Curriculum Shit-Show Was Real Teachers across the motu are only just noticing that the familiar Understand–Know–Do framework has quietly vanished — replaced by a shiny, standardised spreadsheet of “knowledge and practices.” What’s dawning now is how much unpacking, alignment, and translation this “glowed-up” curriculum will demand — and it’s falling on an already exhausted workforce. Not to mention the time, money, and professional lear

by ELV Before Erica Stanford rolls into town with her roadshow banners and big promises, educators deserve to hear the truth. Over the last few years, a handful of small PLD providers, curriculum writers, and school leaders have poured themselves into shaping the New Zealand Curriculum Refresh. They worked ridiculous hours, argued passionately for local voice, and tried to make Te Mātaiaho more than a token reference. Then, quietly, they were told to stop talking. Some were d

Land a glowing ERO report that evaluates how effective this government is — and how much support they’ve supposedly given teachers. by ELV Once upon a time, the Education Review Office told stories. They were not fairy tales, but careful chronicles of how learning was lived — each school its own chapter, each child a line in the nation’s unfolding book. Back then, an ERO report was an independent, honest voice — not an evil stepmother’s looking glass. It spoke of context, rel

by ELV Minister Erica Stanford delivers bold claims on structured literacy progress — backed by a single phonics score and no baseline data. Tonight we were told the government’s mandated structured literacy reforms are “ working for everyone, in every school, in every setting. ” The evidence? A jump in phonics scores from 36% to 58% after 20 weeks of schooling. Fewer students needing targeted support. An increase for Māori, Pacific, and low-decile learners. Cue applause. Co

By Rebecca Thomas Back to Class — and Back to Class Systems Oversight should be a light, not a leash. ERO was created to help schools...

By Rebecca Thomas How tidy numbers hide the children we stopped counting Attendance is up, youth are lazy, The government wants you to...

by Rebecca Thomas Cillian Murphy as ‘ Steve ’ — the teacher holding space when no one else will “It’s 4:45pm, Sunday... I can feel my...

Teachers, nurses, carers, public servants: standing together, sacrificing together. by Rebecca Thomas The Mockingjay stands for those who...

by Rebecca Thomas Erica smiles from flattery This year, in the Mood of the Boardroom survey, CEOs crowned Education Minister Erica...

by Rebecca Thomas Image NZ Herald The government keeps telling us they’ve “invested in education.” They boast of having their “eye on the...