September 25, 2006
NZEI Vision For Quality Public Education
Zealand’s largest education union, NZEI Te Riu Roa, has today launched a position paper that sets out its members’
vision for building a quality public education service in New Zealand for the 21st century.
Entitled ‘QPE 4 21C: Quality Public Education For The 21st Century,’ the paper was endorsed by the 400 NZEI members
attending the union’s Annual Meeting in Wellington.
“This paper outlines how we can build a public education service which will ensure the education of New Zealand children
is of the highest quality,” says NZEI Te Riu Roa National President, Irene Cooper.
“It puts a stake in the ground and states emphatically where NZEI members stand on the issue of education provision in
the 21st century.”
“We say that for the students of New Zealand to succeed the education system must be free, well resourced and
universally accessible,” says Irene Cooper.
The quality public education service envisioned by NZEI members is based on four principles. That education is a human
right and a public good. That every child is entitled to a good local school and a good local early childhood education
centre. That every child is entitled to quality learning. And that teachers play a critical role in providing quality
learning.
“We acknowledge that not all young New Zealanders are achieving their potential,” says Irene Cooper.
“We know that a child’s financial and social circumstances affect their learning. But we also know that a well resourced
public education service can do a lot to level the educational playing field.”
“NZEI members believe that everyone in the country shares the responsibility of ensuring that all our children reach
their potential.”
“We must all work together, schools, families and whanau, and governments, to identify the barriers, change the
attitudes and overcome the hurdles, that are causing some of our children to fail.”
“We invite anyone who shares NZEI members’ passion for education to read the paper, debate it,
then join us in building a quality public education for the 21st century,” says Irene Cooper.
Copies of QPE 4 21C: Quality Public Education For The 21st Century can be obtained from NZEI’s website at
www.nzei.org.nz. Click on the Annual Meeting logo and scroll down to resources section
ENDS