Ministry of Education New Zealand

An exciting sight in the suburbs of Wellington 🏗️ After only being commissioned in August, a new classroom block was able to be craned into place at Rewa Rewa School in early October. This was able to happen to quickly largely due to Ministry staff working with the school to order a standard building with a standard layout. Principal Jan Otene visited the Niche Group factory before the project's launch, which she said helped change her perception of what a "pre fab" building could be! The new learning spaces will be fully operational and ready for tamariki in early December.

A huge congratulations to Aditi Cook, the Ministry's Chief Procurement Officer, for her recent wins at the New Zealand Procurement Excellence Forum Awards! The Forum brings together a community of procurement professionals dedicated to championing best practices in procurement, and each year, they offers support, mentoring, and recognition through an esteemed Awards event. Aditi attended the event with several of her team on 16 October, where she was presented with both the Leadership in Procurement Award, and the Supreme Award, reserved for the top winner across all six award categories! We are extremely proud of Aditi’s exceptional leadership and the Ministry’s commitment to procurement excellence. Congratulations again, Aditi!

HOW TO WRITE A WINNING TENDER ✍️ Aotearoa New Zealand construction suppliers and consultants who would like to learn more about the Ministry’s infrastructure procurement process and requirements are invited to attend our free online workshop on 15 November 2024, 8.00-9.30am. This workshop welcomes everyone in the New Zealand construction sector, especially the owners of small-to-medium-scale businesses who are keen to understand the Ministry’s key considerations when evaluating a tender. The session will focus on supporting the participants to be more confident and better prepared for future tender opportunities with the Ministry. It will also cover a crash course on how to use the Government Electronic Tendering System (GETS). Please register your interest to attend this online workshop here: https://bit.ly/3UhyEHs

During a demolition project at Newlands College, the original ceiling beams from the library, which have stood strong for 53 years, are getting a second life. After assessing their great condition, the Ministry decided City Mission was the perfect new home to donate the beams. Thanks to Naylor Love's careful preservation, and storage, these 17ft beams will be a part of Wellington City Mission’s new central hub. Naylor Love and The Wellington City Mission will be posting about the next chapter of their journey if you want to follow along 🏗️ 🛠️♥️

Transport is a major contributor to Aotearoa’s greenhouse gas emissions, accounting for nearly 17 percent of the total annual emissions. Aotearoa New Zealand's Emissions Reduction Plan (ERP) sets out the actions needed across all sectors to reduce emissions and achieve New Zealand’s emissions budget, as well as laying the foundations for greater reductions in the future. The ERP sets a goal to reduce emissions from the transport sector by 41 percent by 2035, using 2019 as the baseline. With everyone having a role in planning, developing, and operating a transport system that keeps everyone moving, the Ministry of Education estimates that the commute to school for 700,000 ākonga and 135,000 school staff accounts for over 30 percent of the state schooling sector’s total emissions. Most ākonga and school staff travel by private vehicle, covering 1.23 billion kilometres annually. This accounts for 89 percent of our transport emissions and 27 percent of our total carbon footprint reported in 2023. Accordingly, the Ministry of Education has developed and piloted a programme to respond to the transport emissions generated by the state schooling sector. The On Our Way programme offers a unique whole-school opportunity to build and develop climate literacy skills for ākonga. Schools can explore and participate in discovering their transport environment, how it has changed over time, what they use it for, the climate impact of that use, what choices are currently available, and what that transport could look like in the future. This starts with understanding their school’s carbon footprint, carrying out data collection and analysis, and teaching that provides a climate literacy view of transport across the components of the school curriculum. We talked to Birchville School in Upper Hutt about their participation in the On Our Way programme and what it’s taught students about the impact of transport on the environment.

FUNDING AVAILABLE ✨ Are you a recently retired teacher or teacher returning from leave and interested in supporting your school community? We are funding 200 one-year Limited Authority to Teach (LAT) applications and 150 practising certificate renewals to help you become a relief teacher. To be eligible for the LAT you must be a previously certified teacher while the practising certificates are for those whose practising certificate expired more than 12 months ago. ➡️ More information on relief teaching, including how to apply: https://lnkd.in/ggUyEm9s

SPIRIT OF SERVICE 💝 Our Learning Community Hubs and Zero Data tīma were both named finalists for the Te Hāpai Hapori | Spirit of Services Awards last week in Wellington! Learning Community Hubs was a finalist for the Te Tohu mō ngā Hua E Pai Ake Ana | Better Outcomes Award which celebrates the achievement of significant outcomes in areas that matter most for the long-term wellbeing for New Zealanders. Zero Data (a cross-agency initiative) was a finalist for the Te Tohu Auaha Hou | Innovation Award which celebrates new approaches or technologies that are creating positive change. Huge congratulations to these teams, and to all who were nominated.

INCLUSION IN OUTDOOR EDUCATION ❤️ Sport New Zealand, Education Outdoors New Zealand and Recreation Aotearoa | Te Whai Oranga have released new guidance on making outdoor experiences more inclusive. The Accessibility and Inclusion in Outdoor Education and Recreation Guide helps break down barriers for disabled tamariki and rangatahi by supporting outdoors providers and educators. 11% of tamariki and rangatahi under the age of 15 identify as disabled in Aotearoa New Zealand. This guide helps ensure they aren't missing out on the many benefits of being active outdoors. ➡️ Check out the guidance: https://lnkd.in/g5TXdtKz

KEEPING THINGS FAIR 🌟 Ombudsman New Zealand has developed new resources to support teachers and kaiako in teaching about the right to fairness. Keeping Things Fair is for school students in years 1-10 and Tuia Kia Ōrite is for ākonga in years 7-10. The resources have been designed to teach tamariki and young people to understand and know their rights, learn how to participate in society, and to learn about the Ombudsman. ➡️ Check out the resources at https://lnkd.in/dCTmqN-2

HAVE YOUR SAY 📢 Consultation is now open! The Government is proposing to: ⭐ make changes to the school board objectives in section 127 of the Education and Training Act 2020. ⭐ remove the statement of National Education and Learning Priorities (NELP) from the Education and Training Act 2020 and related regulations for early learning, primary and secondary education. Submissions are open until 14 October. To make a submission, go to https://bit.ly/4gqjitX or email legislation.consultation@education.govt.nz