Hon Hekia Parata
Minister of Education

24 April 2013 Media Statement

Minister Announces New Zealand Will Host The 4th International Summit On The Teaching Profession

Education Minister Hekia Parata welcomes the news that New Zealand has been successful in the bid to host the fourth International Summit on the Teaching Profession (ISTP) in March 2014.

“The Summit is a great opportunity for the top performing education systems from around the world to hear how other countries manage and develop the critical area of teaching quality. I am delighted that New Zealand’s bid to host this prestigious event for the teaching profession has been accepted,” says Ms Parata.

The Summit is a unique forum where the top 20 education systems as measured by the OECD through PISA (the Programme of International Achievement) plus the five fastest rising, come together. Ministers of Education, together with professional leaders, and union leaders meet and discuss common interests.

The Summit is jointly convened by the OECD, Education International and the host country.

"On behalf of New Zealand I welcome this as an opportunity to showcase the great things happening in the New Zealand education system and to share the experiences and ideas that a summit such as this provides.

“We will be able to learn from international experience to help with our challenges, while promoting the high quality of the New Zealand education system to the world.

In March Ms Parata led the New Zealand delegation to the Summit in Amsterdam comprising NZEI President Judith Nowotarski, PPTA President Angela Roberts, NZPF President and Paparoa Street School Principal Phil Harding and Manurewa Intermediate Principal, Iain Taylor.

“The Summit showed that New Zealand is highly regarded for our education system, which is a great credit to the nearly 100,000 professionals who work in it,” says Ms Parata.

"I look forward to working with our Ministerial Cross-Sector Forum on Raising Achievement to plan for and host the 2014 Summit. It is a highly representative body with key participation by the NZEI, PPTA, professional bodies and individuals from early childhood, primary, secondary, and post-secondary sectors.”

ENDS

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