Hon Hekia Parata

Minister of Education

13 February 2016

NZ teachers among most professional

Education Minister Hekia Parata has welcomed an OECD study that has found New Zealand teachers are among the world’s most professional.

The Teaching and Learning International Study (TALIS) ranked New Zealand teachers fourth out of 35 participating countries, behind the Russian Federation, Estonia and Singapore.

“This is great news, and a real bouquet for our teachers,” says Ms Parata.

In New Zealand the study looked at more than 2800 Year 7-10 teachers and their principals at primary, intermediate and secondary schools.

New Zealand teachers did well in teacher training and professional development, autonomy in their work, and networking with peers.

One of the report’s main findings was that, unlike many other countries, there was no drop in teacher professionalism at socio-economically disadvantaged schools.

“This is very encouraging,” says Ms Parata. “It shows our kids have access to great teachers, no matter what their background.”

The report’s recommendations include providing more support for individual and collaborative research, and encouraging participation in networks with other teachers.

“We already do well in these fields, and we’ll do even better as our newly-established Communities of Learning gain momentum,” says Ms Parata. “That’s exactly what the communities are designed to do – help schools to cooperate so all kids can benefit from the expertise of our best teachers.”

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