Head of the Institute of Education, Professor John O’Neill, is one of five experts recently appointed to an independent taskforce panel by the Education Minister, Chris Hipkins, to review the Tomorrow’s Schools reforms introduced at the end of last century. Based on the Picot Report (headed by Brian Picot), Tomorrow’s Schools dismantled centralised education administration by making schools into autonomous entities, managed by boards of trustees.

Professor O’Neill hopes the taskforce will find ways to address growing social and economic gaps that undermine children’s learning and achievement, and that have led to “gated and gutted’ communities.

He says his own academic career in education policy scholarship at Massey has been “greatly shaped by the watershed Tomorrow’s Schools reforms of the 1980s and 1990s and their practical effects on learners, families, local communities and the work of diverse education professionals.”

The taskforce will make recommendations to ensure the education system is fit for purpose now and in the future to reflect significant social and economic shifts since Tomorrow’s Schools, which he says was introduced “very rapidly through ‘trial and error’ with almost nothing by way of small scale pilots.”

“In that sense the Tomorrow’s Schools architects had a strong conviction of what they no longer wanted in terms of the old Department of Education’s so-called monolithic bureaucracy but only a vague concept or ideology of what should replace it,” says Professor O’Neill. “Tomorrow’s Schools was a review of, and for, its time. After thirty years we have a lot of evidence of the strengths and weaknesses of a completely devolved school system experiment. It really was an experiment.”

New era for NZ education?

He says New Zealand’s education system and culture have evolved since Tomorrow’s Schools thanks to the influence of events such as the ratification of United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child, as well as the impact of new national curriculum documents, the public education service commitment to being te Tiriti-led, and greater economic and civic engagement by iwi and hapū. 

“We are also a far more ethnically, culturally and linguistically diverse population than in the 1980s. That’s wonderful for the health and vibrancy of our society,” he adds. “Sadly, though, we are also now far more divided socio-economically, between what I often call ‘gated and gutted’ communities. One in four children live in material hardship and income poverty.” 

“That knowledge occasionally makes me weep and daily reminds me of the magnitude of the task if we want to create a more level playing field for our youngest members of society. Schooling has a role to play but it cannot in and of itself fix the harms caused by an inequitable society. In terms of our immediate taskforce work, though, these too are certainly major challenges to grapple with when we think about systems and processes to promote meaningful school governance and administration that makes a difference in kids’ lives. Tomorrow’s Schools certainly hasn’t caused educational inequalities, but I think it’s fair to say it has contributed to a greater divide between the haves and the have nots.”

Big questions ahead for taskforce

Along with other taskforce members Bali Haque (Chair), Barbara Ala’alatoa, Mere Berryman and Cathy Wylie, Professor O’Neill will advise on changes within a “very broad remit, effectively allowing us to make recommendations on most aspects of the schooling system as we see fit. Essentially, the requirement is to ensure that the schooling system is re-purposed for this and the generations of tamariki and mokopuna that will follow.”

He says the Minister and the Ministry have been at pains to emphasise that the taskforce is genuinely independent. “That’s great to know but also more than a little intimidating given that the schooling system involves something like $10 billion annual government expenditure and that there are around three quarters of a million students in the system at any one time.”

Professor O’Neill says he was “very surprised to receive a phone call out of the blue from the Secretary of Education saying that the Minister of Education would like me to be a member of the Independent Taskforce. It is such an honour, and a privilege, to have been shoulder-tapped.”

His “fundamental moral compass” is to ask “how does the system work in all children’s best interests and materially advance the rights of each and every child? How do we govern and administer state schooling as a coherent national system of provision so that children learn richly and holistically and are fully prepared to grapple with the environmental, social and economic ‘wicked problems’ that may otherwise be our only legacy to them?”

The taskforce members will attend the national Education Summits in May and will also be consulting as widely as possible in the time available before reporting back to the Minister by November 2018.

The review will explore the following key themes: 

• The ability of governance, management and administration of the schooling system to respond to the education needs of the future; 
• The ability of schools to respond flexibly to their local communities and the need to balance this with every child’s right to a responsive education at their local school, regardless of where they live; 
• The roles of governance, management and administration in schools, and how they could better support equity and inclusion in the educational progress and outcomes for all children throughout their schooling; 
• Giving active expression to te Tiriti o Waitangi by exploring the impact of the governance, management and administrative system on the ability of schools to meet the needs of all Māori students and assessing its effectiveness for Māori medium students. 
• The environment within which schools operate, including the roles of the Ministry, ERO, NZQA, Education Council and NZSTA in supporting schools (and the yet to be established Education Advisory Service and the Leadership Council). 

More information on the review, including the Cabinet paper is available at http://www.education.govt.nz/tsr

His win netted him nearly $12,000 worth of prizes, including an XR150 Honda farm bike.

The rural consultant was raised on a sheep and beef farm at Gropers Bush in Southland. It was his fourth time competing in a regional final. The event saw eight finalists tackle a series of gruelling modules, including a fast-paced agri-knowledge quiz.

“Hopefully I can do Aorangi proud,” Mr Black told the crowd. “I’ve got a good support crew who came from all over the country to be here.”

He also won the coveted Ravensdown Agri-Skills Challenge, the AGMARDT Agri-Business Challenge and the Meridian Energy Agri-Knowledge Challenge. 

His partner Soraya Zohrab received special mention in this acceptance speech.

“I think she probably knew more of tonight’s answers than I did, given the number of times she’s grilled me on quiz questions over the last month,” he said. 

William Green, who’s a farm manager on an 840-cow dairy farm at Fairlie, won the Massey University Agri-Growth Challenge.

The Young Farmer of the Year is an iconic agricultural contest which began in 1969 and is now celebrating its 50^th year.

Cameron Black hard at work on one of the challeneges. 

The programme aims to raise Māori participation and achievement in the areas of science, technology, engineering and maths by engaging with secondary school students from years 11-13. Last year, NCEA pass rates for Pūhoro STEM Academy students surpassed nationwide averages. Participants represent 75 iwi throughout Aotearoa and involved schools from Manawatū, Bay of Plenty and Horowhenua regions.

Now that success is set to spread to the South Auckland, including students from Auckland Girls’ Grammar, Manurewa High School, Alfriston College, Mangere College, Rosehill College, Pukekohe High School, Onewhero Area School and Tuakau College.

Student selection into the programme is based on their desire to join the programme and commitment to undertake the additional requirements including the tutorial/mentoring sessions. Students who are already excelling in science are not chosen; instead those who are on the cusp of success or who need extra help are admitted into the programme.

The South Auckland programme has a strong health workforce focus and is supported by Counties Manukau District Health Board and the Tindall Foundation. It is driven by Pūhoro Navigators, who work within schools to complete a tutorial/mentoring session for one hour each week. Once each term, all participants meet at Massey’s Auckland campus in Albany for an interactive field trip or wānanga, which explores hands on science linked to their NCEA study.

Director of the Pūhoro STEM Academy programme, Naomi Manu says that Counties Manukau DHB and Tindall Foundation resourcing made it possible to expand into South Auckland.

“What we have is a scalable model that increases Māori student engagement and achievement in STEM programmes. This programme has the potential to build a critical mass of Māori scientists who will change the science and technology landscape.

“We want them to experience aspects of science and engineering that they would not usually see in their school environment. We want more Māori students progressing into tertiary education by building a skills pipeline to support the Māori economy,” Ms Manu says.

This Friday’s wānanga will involve year 11 students going into biology labs with Monika Merriman from the Institute of Natural and Mathematical Sciences to complete DNA extraction of their own cheek cells.

The other session involves Professor Meihana Durie, head of Massey’s School of Māori Art, Knowledge and Education, Te Pūtahi-a-Toi, and the school’s academic coordinator Hone Morris who will speak about their learnings from the world of their ancestors and the modern world of Māori, through the medium of Kōrero Pūrākau (story telling).

The programme is funded by Massey University and the Our Land and Water National Science Challenge with support from Te Tumu Paeroa, Callaghan Innovation, Google, New Zealand Qualifications Authority and Palmerston North City Council.

Earlier this year Pūhoro become an official partner of the Āmua Ao programme, joining forces to run the largest bilingual STEM challenge in the country, involving three one-day science and engineering challenges involving around 250 year 9 and 10 Māori students at each event being held in South Auckland, Rotorua, and Palmerston North, later this year.

Behind the scenes, Bonnie Erickson has created characters that have winkled their way into the hearts of entire generations as a key collaborator with The Muppet Show; she takes centre stage at Massey’s Wellington campus on Friday for a talk about her time with the internationally popular programme.

As a member of the original design team she created crowd favourites such as Miss Piggy, the hilarious theatrical hecklers Statler and Waldorf and multiple other characters across a range of Jim Henson productions.

She will share memories of her design and storytelling work, discuss the impact of Jim Henson’s vision across puppetry, television, film, special effects and media technology, as well as offer insights from her time as a creative director for the product division of the Jim Henson Company and Children’s Television Workshop. Ms Erickson is also credited with creating caricatures of Henson, Frank Oz and Jerry Nelson for the Country Trio. She went on to become creative director of the product division of Children’s Television Workshop for 13 years. She is visiting New Zealand as a special guest of the Jim Henson Retrospectacle, a celebration of the legendary puppeteer Jim Henson, his legacy, his collaborators and his much-loved characters.

Designer and typographer Associate Professor Anna Brown from the College of Creative Arts says its especially apt that Ms Erickson is visiting Massey’s School of Design at the Wellington campus.

“The audience will be full of design students studying areas as diverse as digital and interactive media, film and television, visual effects, animation, game development, web and interactive development and fashion and textile design. For students studying the art of creative studio practice, story-telling and character development – what better place to start than with the creator of icons such as Miss Piggy and Statler and Waldorf.

“The appeal for this event has been extensive with not only our students, but also the wider creative arts sector in New Zealand and Muppet fans generally. Bonnie will be in conversation with Duncan Sarkies, a New Zealand screenwriter, playwright, novelist, stand-up comic and short story writer – best known for his film Scarfies. Duncan is the perfect person to let us get to know these peerless characters: how they were born and how their individual personalities made each and every one a firm friend – eventhe bad-tempered ones,’ Ms Brown says.

Massey is grateful to Nicola Marshall and the Square Eyes Film Foundation, who have made this project happen.

New Zealand soldiers – from heroes to conmen – who served in other countries’ armies during WWI is the topic of a public seminar on April 17 by eminent historian Professor Glyn Harper.

He opens a five-part series running for the third year in a partnership between the Alexander Heritage and Research Library, the Whanganui Regional Museum and Massey University’s W. H. Oliver Humanities Research Academy. 

Professor Harper’s talk, For King and other Countries: New Zealanders at war 1914-1919, is a taster for his new book due out next year. The series, titled Home and Away, includes new and established historians talking about their research on the environment, immigration, war propaganda and naval history.

Professor Harper will share some of his latest research findings, including that a much higher number of New Zealanders than previously thought – more than 10,000 – enlisted in foreign armies during WWI, for a variety of reasons. Around 4000 joined the British army, often those from rich, middle-class families for the prestige. A further 4000 joined the Australian Imperial Army because it was easier to enlist, especially for younger, or older and infirm men who did not make the cut for the New Zealand army. Others joined armies of France, Canada, India and South Africa, and several even enlisted in the German army.

Professor Harper’s talk also touches on New Zealand war heroes in foreign armies, such as Alfred Shout – a New Zealand-born and Australian recipient of the Victoria Cross, and other distinguished soldiers and servicewomen, as well as the occasional conman or rogue whose stories he has uncovered.

The series aims to raise awareness of the presence of history in the local community as well as celebrating students embarking on careers in “the rich field of New Zealand historical research,” says the series coordinator Associate Professor Kirsty Carpenter. 

Professor Harper’s talk highlights the link between local and global history, she says. “Whanganui’s link to this was by correspondence with relatives and connections to the Whanganui Collegiate School, where a number of the soldiers who Glyn is going to talk about had been students.”  

Small events encapsulate grander stories

Local history is never just local – it fits into a much broader picture about what happened and how we understand the past, says Dr Carpenter, a specialist on the French Revolution who lectures in the School of Humanities at the Manawatū campus.

She says the key inspiration for the seminars is; “raising awareness of the value of our own history in the locality, and how local history and local archives fit and filter into national history and national archives –likewise to international history and international archives.”

“What has small beginnings can end up as central to the history of continents and empires. All the pieces of the puzzle are important, and they begin with people valuing their own family history and local history enough to preserve it and the documents that come into their possession. Only in this way can we arrive at histories of the local communities, towns and provinces of New Zealand.”

Dr Carpenter says the seminars in this series have “played a role in uniting people with interests, either as future university students, or adults interested in their family connections and local history with professional academic historians and trainee historians.”

She is currently working on a book – with local and distant links – about refugees during the French Revolution, including one who stowed away to New Zealand under an alias, married a niece of Te Rauparaha (chief and warrior of Ngati Toa who played a lead role in the Musket Wars), with which he had eight children, leaving a trail of New Zealand descendants right down to the present day. 

Venues: Alexander Research and Heritage Library, or the Davis Theatre, Wanganui Regional Museum. 

Tuesday 17 April, 5:30 pm, Davis Theatre

Glyn Harper: For King and other Countries: New Zealanders at war 1914-1919.

Glyn Harper is the Professor of War Studies at Massey University. He has been the Massey Project Manager of  the Centenary History of the New Zealand and the First World War, and is published widely – most recently; The Battle for North Africa. El Alamein and the Turning Point for World War II.

Sunday 29 April, 2.00 pm, Alexander Library    

Jess McLean: You can count on a good round of applause: Propaganda and the New Zealand public during WWII 

Jess McLean has completed her Master’s on ‘Propaganda and the NZ public during  WWII’ supervised by Dr Rachael Bell (Massey History Programme).

Tuesday 15 May, 5.30 pm, Davis Theatre

Catherine Knight: Our Rivers: complex histories, hopeful futures.

Catherine Knight is an independent historian living in the Manawatū. She is the author of New Zealand’s Rivers: An Environmental History, and contributor to Rachael Bell’s NZ Between the Wars (Massey University Press, 2017).

Sunday 27 May, 2.00 pm, Alexander Library

Gail Romano: ‘Generous action’ and ‘ministerial muddling’: Managing a Royal Navy battlecruiser tour in the Dominion in 1913.

Gail Romano is writing her history master’s on the 1913 visit of battlecruiser HMS New Zealand to this country and what the visit can tell us about ourselves in that pre-war period. She is supervised by Dr David Littlewood (Massey History Programme).

Sunday 10 June, 2.00 pm, Alexander Library

Sue McCliskie: The Nelson NZ Company Emigrants: How Family Histories can shed light on issues  of connection and mobility in New Zealand.

Sue McCliskie is doing a history master’s, supervised by Professor Michael Belgrave, on the Nelson New Zealand Company Emigrants, 1841-50 (Massey History Programme).