Open Letter To Ministers Of Education From South Otago Principals' Association

Ministers of Education

Parliament Buildings Wellington

Dear Erica Stanford and David Seymour

The South Otago Principals Association is very concerned about the recent interventions by the government into education policy and procedure.

We are very concerned about the pace of change and the political nature of this change. We have long believed that education has become too much of a political football and that changes have been made by those who are not directly involved at the coal face of education.

We support the New Zealand Principals' Association in their stand over changes to the NZ Teachers Council. We are alarmed by the changes to the structure of this professional body and insist that these changes are not rushed through until there is sufficient time for consultation to take place.

We are also deeply concerned about the legislative changes which strip boards of their obligations to recognise Te Tiriti o Waitangi as this document has always provided schools with a basis to support actions to lift Māori achievement and provide equity of access to education for all students.

The South Otago Principals' Association wishes to very clearly voice its concerns about the pace of change in the Maths and English Curriculum implementation. Schools have worked very hard on implementing the 2024 curriculum over the previous 12 months - in good faith - and felt blind-sided when the new "new" curriculum version arrived without warning. Now it appears that we only have until the beginning of 2026 to have these "revised" versions implemented. Having this arrive at the end of an already busy year, with an expectation of rushed implementation, is not manageable. In alignment with the NZPF, we would like to request that the expected implementation of these 2 Curriculum areas be deferred till the start of Term 3 2026. This would allow schools to have the necessary professional development required to make these changes. We are exhausted by the continual changes.

We are also deeply concerned about the content proposed in the new curriculum areas and the timeline for consultation and implementation. Anyone directly involved in education knows that the remainder of the school year is taken up with a multitude of end of year tasks. It is inconceivable that educators will have the time to look deeply into these new documents and be able to take part in meaningful consultation by April 2026.

We ask that the consultation period be extended and the implementation of the new curriculum deferred until the beginning of 2028.

We are also concerned that the input made by recognised NZ experts in these curriculum areas has been ignored and it appears to no longer be a "New Zealand Curriculum"

Our Principals are tired and suffering from the impact of continual change. It appears that the only thing certain at the moment is further change. The analogy of the plane being built while it is already in the air has never been more true. This is not the way that our education system should be developed. You should know better!

South Otago Principals support the stand taken by NZPF to:

- Halt the restructure of the NZ Teacher's Council to give time for meaningful consultation

- Rethink the legislative change to boards' responsibility to recognise Te Tiriti o Waitangi

- Defer the implementation of the Maths and English curriculum until Term 3 2026

- Defer the implementation of other curriculum areas until the beginning of 2028 to allow for adequate and meaningful consultation regarding their content and relevance to NZ education

Yours Sincerely

Anneta Payne

Chairperson

South Otago Principals Association

Kaitangata School

Balclutha Primary School

Stirling School

Romahapa School

Warepa School

Tokoiti School

St Joseph's School

Rosebank School Taieri Beach School

Waiwera South School

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