SCOTT KENNEDY: Refocusing Education on Education

In early November, the New Zealand Principals’ Federation (NZPF) released a media statement criticising the Government’s plan to remove Treaty of Waitangi responsibilities from school boards. The Federation described the move as “extreme” and “far right,” urging boards to continue giving effect to the Treaty in their governance.

It’s hard to overstate how disconnected this concern is from the real challenges facing education in New Zealand. It raises serious questions about whether the Federation is primarily interested in education itself or in promoting a programme of left-wing social engineering.

The Treaty and Education

The Treaty of Waitangi, signed in 1840, contains just three articles:

• Article 1 records that Māori chiefs ceded sovereignty to the British Crown.

• Article 2 guarantees protection of property and the exclusive right of the Crown to purchase land.

• Article 3 grants Māori the same rights and privileges as British subjects.

That’s it. There is nothing in the Treaty about schooling, curriculum, or boards of trustees. The Treaty was not a framework for schooling or social policy. It was a simple political agreement defining sovereignty, land dealings, and equal rights under the Crown.

When “free,” compulsory, state-funded education was introduced through the Education Act of 1877, it came nearly forty years after the Treaty was signed. Quite simply, nobody signing the Treaty had any inkling or intention that these articles would ever apply to government-controlled education — because such a system did not yet exist.

To suggest that the Treaty somehow mandates a particular school governance model is anachronistic at best, and ideological at worst. It’s reading back 21st-century cultural preoccupations into a 19th-century political document.

What School Boards Should Be Focused On

Surely the core purpose of school boards is to ensure that children are well educated; that every student can read, write, and reason; that teachers are supported to teach effectively; and that schools are accountable for results.

Right now, those are precisely the areas where our system is struggling.

•    Large numbers of students reach high school unable to read fluently or perform basic arithmetic.

•    In 2000 the NZ school system came 3rd in maths and 4th in reading among 41 countries. But by 2018, NZ was ranked 27th in maths among 78 countries. (See here)

•    In 2024, only 35% of our boy leavers and 46% of our girl leavers achieved their University Entrance qualification. (See here)

•    Around 25% of primary teachers employed between 2017 and 2022 failed to gain an NCEA achievement level endorsement at level 1 in mathematics. (See here)

•    School Principals and Boards make excuses for poor levels of UE and point to cultural group successes or sporting achievements (See here)

These are the urgent issues that should occupy the attention of educational leaders. Yet the response from the NZPF shows how far priorities have drifted. Instead of introspection about why so many students are failing, there is outrage that boards might no longer have to perform symbolic Treaty obligations that have no bearing on educational quality.

The Real Partnership That Matters

The true partnership in education is not between “the Crown” and “tangata whenua.” It’s between parents and schools — families and teachers working together for the good of children.

When educational leaders and boards ignore that partnership, and instead focus on symbolic gestures and empty tokenism, they forsake their true purpose. The energy that should be devoted to improving literacy, discipline, teacher quality, and academic achievement is diverted into ideological box-ticking and enforced conformity.

Good intentions cannot compensate for poor outcomes. A child who cannot read by the end of primary school is being denied both dignity and opportunity — and that is a far greater breach of justice than any imagined failure to “honour the Treaty” in school governance paperwork.

Refocusing on Excellence

The Minister’s proposal is not “extreme.” It’s common sense. It’s an attempt to bring schools back to their primary mission: educating children well.

If New Zealand education wants to regain credibility, it must rediscover its purpose. Schools exist to educate, not to virtue-signal. Let’s hope this move marks a turning point away from political distraction and back toward academic excellence.

Our Focus

That’s why at Manukau Christian School, our attention remains fixed on what truly matters. While we honour the Treaty of Waitangi as a significant historical document that has had an important bearing on the story of our nation, we recognise that the best way we can serve our students, whatever their ethnic background, is by giving them the highest quality education possible: one that ensures they can read, write, compute, and think clearly and confidently. This focus enabled us to once again achieve 100% University Entrance rates in 2024.

That is what will equip our students to contribute meaningfully to New Zealand’s future.

Scott Kennedy is Principal at Manukau Christian School