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A word from the authors...
Observations and wonderings from Steve and Rebecca - creators of Engaging Learning Voices.

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The $50 Million Stand: Four Unions, One Voice
Teachers, nurses, carers, public servants: standing together, sacrificing together. by Rebecca Thomas The Mockingjay stands for those who...

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Sep 30, 20254 min read


From Classrooms to Boardrooms: Who Erica Really Serves
by Rebecca Thomas Erica smiles from flattery This year, in the Mood of the Boardroom survey, CEOs crowned Education Minister Erica...

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Sep 29, 20255 min read


Strikes Get the Blame, Because Government Backed the Wrong Investments
by Rebecca Thomas Image NZ Herald The government keeps telling us they’ve “invested in education.” They boast of having their “eye on the...

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Sep 26, 20254 min read


If Minister Stanford Can’t Show Up, Can She Still Lead?
by Rebecca Thomas Image: ROBERT KITCHIN / THE POST The room was full, but one seat was conspicuously empty. Educators from across the...

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Sep 23, 20253 min read


The Government Will Frame Teachers as Greedy
by Rebecca Thomas Public service commissioner Sir Brian Roche. Photo: RNZ / Samuel Rillstone (A Follow-Up to “ Why Our Nation’s Carers...

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Sep 22, 20254 min read


Why Our Nation’s Carers Are Striking: A Message for Every New Zealander
by Rebecca Thomas Humanity, not hierarchy "They do not leave their work at the door. They carry it home—on their shoulders, in their...

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Sep 17, 20254 min read


“At the Marae”, They Learned to Stand
by Rebecca Thomas Just a few bends in the road from the Waitangi Treaty Grounds, where the whenua still carries the breath of promises...

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Sep 15, 20254 min read


Why I signed the NCEA Petition
by Rebecca Thomas Play to hear my kōrero People sign petitions for all sorts of reasons. Some sign because they’re angry. Some because...

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Sep 13, 20253 min read


Don’t Get Trapped in the Subject List
by Rebecca Thomas The greatest trick? Making NCEA disappear — while calling it curriculum reform. They’re counting on us to obsess over...

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Sep 11, 20254 min read


The Charter School Move That’s Not About Profit — It’s About Survival
Escaping the System That Failed Us: The Real Reason Behind One School’s Charter Bid by Rebecca Thomas I never imagined I’d be writing...

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Sep 9, 20256 min read


Letting the Miromiro lift our spirits
by Steve Saville Drawn by Steve Saville I think we can all agree it hasn’t been a great term for teachers. As a profession we have been...

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Sep 9, 20253 min read


“Gaming the NCEA System” or Beating the Odds? What Our Kids Know That We Don’t
by Rebecca Thomas Chat GPT Image There’s a bad taste in the mouths of educators right now. Sharp. Lingering. Unmistakable. NCEA bashing...

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Sep 3, 20256 min read


Why Calling Te Tiriti a Cult Says More About You
by Rebecca Thomas Maimo Creative Image Why Call Te Tiriti a Cult? The power of language lies in this: to call something a "cult" is not...

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Aug 29, 20255 min read


Achievement rates are likely to decline… especially for Māori, Pacific, disabled, and low-income learners. The Government’s own words. The Government’s own choice.
by Rebecca Thomas This is what your Cabinet holds for our kids. Every parent, every whānau, every citizen in Aotearoa should be furious....

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Aug 27, 20254 min read


This Is Not a Government in Control — This Is a Government on the Defensive
by Rebecca Thomas The surface still stands, but the damage is starting to show. A government once so sure of its grip — on the narrative,...

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Aug 18, 20253 min read


The Cost of Being Told You Failed at School
by Rebecca Thomas That label wraps around a child’s identity and seeps into their sense of self. It tells them: You’re not smart. You’re...

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Aug 15, 20253 min read


Bunnies, Trampolines, and the Billions We’re Betting on the Wrong Future
by Rebecca Thomas Bunnies and kangaroos on a trampoline fooled millions — and Erica thinks she can too. This is a blog in two halves. The...

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Aug 12, 20255 min read


Professional Disobedience and the Future of NCEA: Rethinking the Gates of Learning
by Rebecca Thomas (but inspired by Welby Ings) “How you design those gates that our students walk through is very important. They have to...

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Aug 7, 20253 min read


NCEA’s Future Decided. Beaton vs Welby Ings and the Pretence of Consultation
by Rebecca Thomas Story We Are Being Sold As the Government’s announcement about the future of NCEA lands, we need to pause and think...

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Aug 4, 20255 min read


Teaching Through Tears—Theirs and Ours
by Rebecca Thomas For all those tears we share “I made two teachers leave,” he said with a smirk; his words heavy with defiance as I...

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Jul 31, 20255 min read
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