Questions answered about school zoning

Do schools in New Zealand skew their zones towards higher socio-economic areas?
Yes, and both primary and secondary schools do so. This is particularly apparent in areas which have a mix of wealthy and poorer areas. In our 2005 research, one area of Christchurch was zoned to three primary schools, while other areas were not contained in any zone, but were surrounded by zones.

Why is this allowed?
Under Tomorrow’s Schools, schools are self-managing and are expected to make these decisions for themselves. The Ministry of Education has had no political mandate to order schools to change zones, and indeed has been generally prohibited from doing so both by law and by political will.

Is it fair?
Zoning has been the most contested area of the Tomorrow’s Schools legislation. The law has been changed four times: in 1989, 1991, 1997 and 2001. The pre-1997 free market was chaotic, unsustainable and blatantly unfair at times. Stories of children living right next to a school being excluded from it, and children been selected on dubious and potentially murky grounds, were common at this time.

Since then, National (1997 legislation) and Labour (2001 legislation) have both supported the use of ‘reasonable convenience to a school’ as the guideline for schools in setting zones. Such a term is deliberately vague, and allows schools huge leeway in setting their zones. In short, the right to draw zones that are favourable to schools is enshrined in the legislation. Whether it is fair is an empirical question, and Lubienski’s detailed study demonstrates that poorer students get reduced access to some schools, as does our own work.

Are things changing?
There does seem to be a growing understanding that school choice and competition actually reduces chances for some children to do well in New Zealand schools. The Ministry is now putting large amounts of money into schemes such as PB4L (positive behaviour for learning), health-promoting schools, Te Kotahitanga and other schemes to overcome disadvantage. While it has taken over 20 years, the shortcomings of Tomorrow’s Schools are now fairly evident. The move towards charter schools to enshrine more choice is out of step with the current moves.

Is the call for a review a good thing?
New Zealand researchers have amassed a huge amount of evidence about how the school system in New Zealand works, and where the problems lie. An evidence-based review that lays bare political agendas and seeks high quality solutions would be a good thing. On the other hand, education does tend to be a political football, so I am unsure about whether a proper review on those terms is possible.

Liz Gordon, PhD, LLB
Managing Director, Pukeko Research
Vice President, New Zealand Association for Research in Education

© Scoop Media