For decades, politicians have promised to ‘fix’ the perceived shortcomings of New Zealand’s education system. The language shifts – ‘back to basics’, ‘literacy crusade’, ‘plain English reporting’, ‘National Standards’ – but the underlying assumptions remain remarkably consistent.
From Prime Minister Robert Muldoon lamenting insufficient attention to basics in 1978, to Prime Minister John Key’s 2008 pledge for standards and accountability, to today’s calls for ‘teaching the basics brilliantly’, the pattern repeats. Each government diagnoses a crisis. Each vows to deliver measurable improvements. Each frames education reform as a matter of standards, testing, and transparency
But beneath these promises lies another story: one about what we choose to measure, and what gets lost in the measuring. When education becomes data points and league tables, when schools are treated as service providers and students as units of productivity, we risk forgetting the purpose of education.
For education professionals navigating yet another reform cycle, this history offers perspective: not as ammunition to dismiss reform, but as a foundation for asking better questions about what genuine improvement requires.
The quotes that follow span six decades of New Zealand political discourse on education. Read together, they reveal deeper questions that transcend policy shifts between governments: what is the purpose of education and what kind of future we want for young people. Are we teaching students to think critically and creatively, or simply preparing them to pass tests? Are we fostering genuine curiosity and learning, or encouraging compliance? Are we nurturing every child’s potential, or merely sorting students by achievement?
These questions extend beyond politicians and policymakers. They ask what we believe is the purpose of education, and whether our current approach serves that purpose.
1978: A call to refocus on educational basics
“We have given insufficient attention in recent times to basics in education, and that neglect shows up through the secondary system on to tertiary education and on into adult life, wherever that may lead.”
(Prime Minister Robert Muldoon, 1978)
In 1978, the Department of Education released Educational Standards in State Schools, a comprehensive report evaluating standards across state-funded schools nationwide. Submitted amid intensifying debate about declining standards in literacy and numeracy, the report reflected growing public anxiety about whether students were adequately prepared for further training and employment.
The report’s findings emerged within a long-established educational framework. New Zealand schools followed detailed syllabuses and textbooks that dictated curriculum content and how much time should be spent on each topic. Success was measured primarily through mastery of subject matter. The prevailing model positioned students as recipients of knowledge who would prove their learning through examinations that determined access to further education and employment. Yet the 1978 report revealed this system was failing to deliver. It emphasised the urgent need to reinvigorate the teaching of fundamental skills considered essential for success in higher education and the workforce.
1990: The Achievement Initiative and curriculum reform
“The change [to increased Government involvement in assessment and curriculum matters] is a result of the Government’s heightened recognition of education as a significant aspect of national development, its central position in the development of a sound economic strategy.”
(Minister of Education Dr Lockwood Smith, 1991)
While in opposition, National had expressed concerns about Tomorrow’s Schools (the 1988–89 administrative restructuring of New Zealand’s education system) and identified curriculum change as essential to improvement. Dr Lockwood Smith, then the party’s education spokesperson, advocated a ‘back-to-basics’ strategy, championing the establishment of achievement benchmarks for students at each year level and focusing on three core competencies: English, mathematics, and science.
In 1990, the newly elected National Government introduced the Achievement Initiative, marking a significant shift to outcomes-focused curriculum design. This represented a fundamental change in how educational success was understood. Rather than defining a successful school leaver simply as someone who had mastered subject content, the emphasis moved towards capability and application.
Students were now expected to use and apply their knowledge, demonstrating they were, in the Government’s words, ‘ready, willing, and able’ to carry on learning for life. The learner’s role shifted from passive absorption to active participation: making meaning, learning from and with others, and using knowledge to solve problems as they arose.
The Achievement Initiative was also framed as a response to persistent questions about educational equity, with explicit goals to improve outcomes and narrow achievement gaps. Policymakers believed that focusing on what students could demonstrate rather than what content they had covered would allow schools greater flexibility in their teaching methods while maintaining clear expectations for student learning. This approach, they anticipated, would lead to more equitable results.
1998: Ambitious literacy and numeracy targets
“By 2005, every child turning nine will be able to read, write and do maths for success.”
(Prime Minister Jenny Shipley and Minister of Education Wyatt Creech, 1998)
In 1998, Prime Minister Jenny Shipley and Education Minister Wyatt Creech made a bold pledge on foundational education, setting a definitive deadline and measurable target for student achievement in literacy and numeracy.
This announcement came as alarm mounted over declining standards. The 1998 commitment was intended to demonstrate the National Government’s dedication to improving core educational outcomes and ensuring all students acquired the basic skills necessary for future success.
The ambitious goal was never realised. Writing in 2017, education specialist Dr Lester Flockton observed that such political promises in education are typically forgotten as election time rolls around, “superseded and overshadowed by new promises”. The Shipley-Creech pledge became emblematic of a broader pattern in New Zealand education policy: high-profile commitments to raising literacy and numeracy standards, quietly abandoned when they prove unattainable, only to be replaced by fresh promises from successive governments.
2000: Labour’s evolving approach: From national testing to school-based reporting
“Helping students grow educationally is the most important thing a school can do, so it seems strange we have never asked them to report on this before.”
(Minister of Education Trevor Mallard, 2000)
Labour’s position on education assessment had undergone significant evolution by the time they regained power in 1999. In 1997, while in opposition, Education spokesperson Trevor Mallard had proposed mandatory national testing for all Standard 2, 4, and Form 2 students in reading, mathematics, and science. Citing the performance of a sample of 9-year-old (Year 4–5) New Zealand students in the 1994 Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS), Mallard contended such testing would identify the relative strengths and weaknesses of individual teachers, enabling censure of poorly performing schools and removal of ‘incompetent’ teachers. He supported giving parents access to schools’ test scores to help them choose the ‘best’ school for their children.
However, facing overwhelming criticism from primary school principals and teachers regarding the validity of such tests, Labour withdrew its support for compulsory national testing.
Upon returning to power in 1999, Labour pursued a different approach: one that emphasised accountability and information flow to parents without the standardised national tests they had previously advocated. In December 2000, Education Minister Trevor Mallard announced significant changes to school reporting requirements through the Education Amendment Bill No 2, later formalised in the Education Standards Act 2001.
For the first time, schools would be required to set objectives and targets for student achievement and report annually on their progress. The Minister argued this would provide better information to parents, communities, and government while reducing administrative burden and enabling improved benchmarking of school performance. Crucially, this approach relied on schools setting their own goals rather than imposing national standardised tests.
The irony became apparent when National regained power in 2008, criticising Labour for inadequate standards and introducing their own comprehensive testing regime. They effectively revived the very approach to standardised assessment that Labour had abandoned in opposition after widespread criticism from the education sector, perpetuating a familiar cycle of mutual recrimination.
2005: Literacy professional development and evidence-based practice
“Work is underway to provide a foundation of literacy standards for all New Zealand students.”
(Minister of Education Steve Maharey, 2005)
In 2005, Education Minister Steve Maharey announced ongoing efforts to establish foundational literacy standards for all New Zealand students. At the forefront was the Literacy Professional Development Project, which the fifth Labour Government promoted as a cornerstone of its strategy to improve literacy outcomes nationwide.
The initiative focused on enhancing teacher expertise through targeted professional development. Literacy facilitators were placed in schools to support teachers in strengthening their subject knowledge, pedagogical skills, and professional collaboration. Over two years, the project operated in 85 schools, involving 1,183 teachers and impacting over 4,800 students from Years 1 to 8.
Measurable progress in reading comprehension and writing was reported. Minister Maharey highlighted these gains as evidence the Government’s approach was producing positive outcomes, noting that structured support from literacy facilitators enabled teachers to achieve improvements in both areas.
2008: A ‘crusade’ for literacy and numeracy
“National believes that the first task of our education system should be to ensure that every child from every background can read, write, and do maths at a level that allows them to participate in a modern economy.”
(Leader of the Opposition John Key, 2008)
After nine years in opposition, the National Party returned to power in 2008, making education reform a priority. Prime Minister John Key described the Government’s education initiatives as a ‘crusade’ for improving children’s foundational skills. Central to Education Minister Anne Tolley’s 10-point education plan was the introduction of mandatory, systematic assessments for all primary and intermediate students, measuring their progress against established National Standards in reading, writing, and mathematics (legislated in 2009, implemented in 2010).
A core objective was equipping parents with accessible, straightforward information about their children’s academic performance. The Government emphasised providing reports in ‘plain English’, ensuring parents could easily understand and engage with their child’s educational progress.
More broadly, the policy aimed to ensure every child, regardless of background, had equal opportunities to succeed. Proponents argued that by mandating consistent national benchmarks for literacy and numeracy, the policy would enable fair, reliable comparisons of achievement between schools, fostering greater transparency and accountability throughout the education system.
2012: Mandatory reporting and public data release
“Our Government introduced National Standards to raise achievement, to identify children who are falling behind, to help parents help their children, and help schools to focus on what they need to do. … Here’s the thing – schools are Crown entities, they are not secret societies. They are public institutions, funded by public money to do the public job of raising achievement. This information is therefore public information.”
(Minister of Education Hekia Parata, 2012)
Following the National Government’s re-election in 2011, widely seen as an endorsement of its economic and social policies, including in education, a more assertive market-liberal agenda was adopted. In 2012, the Government directed all primary and intermediate schools to report student achievement data against National Standards directly to the Ministry of Education. Schools were mandated to report the proportions of students assessed by teachers on a four-point scale (‘well below’, ‘below’, ‘at’, or ‘above’ the standards).
Controversy soon arose when a senior political reporter submitted an Official Information Act request to all schools for their achievement data ahead of the Ministry of Education’s official release. Fairfax Media subsequently launched an interactive ‘School Report’ feature on its website, presenting aggregated National Standards data alongside contextual information for all participating schools. The lead political correspondent issued a statement explaining the rationale for publishing the information while acknowledging the data’s incomplete and potentially problematic nature. For the next five years, these standards would remain a defining and divisive feature of New Zealand primary education, until a change of government brought yet another reversal.
2017: Abolition of National Standards and shifting education policy
“We want teachers focused on less testing and more teaching because that’s the way we’re going to improve students’ progress.”
(Minister of Education Chris Hipkins, 2017)
Upon taking office in 2017, the Labour-led coalition moved quickly to abolish National Standards, a cornerstone of the previous government’s education policy. Education Minister Chris Hipkins cited declining reading performance among New Zealand children on international benchmarks, arguing that National Standards had failed to deliver promised improvements since their introduction in 2010. He contended that the standards inadequately measured progress across the curriculum while unnecessarily increasing teachers’ workload.
Academic research supported these concerns. A 2013 Massey University report analysing international assessment data found that New Zealand’s mean reading achievement scores showed no significant improvement between 2001 and 2011, while the gap between high and low-performing students remained one of the widest in the OECD. Despite years of policy interventions, the researchers concluded New Zealand’s literacy achievement gap had remained largely unchanged.
When introducing the Education Amendment Bill to end National Standards and charter schools, Minister Hipkins maintained that National’s focus on deregulation, privatisation, measurement, and compliance had undermined educational outcomes. He positioned Labour’s reforms as evidence-based, contrasting them with what he characterised as National’s ideological agenda: “We’re focused on improving education through policies based on robust research and evidence, not bumper sticker slogans and blind ideology”.
This rhetoric reflected a long-standing pattern in New Zealand’s education politics: successive governments claiming their reforms were grounded in research while dismissing their predecessors’ policies as misguided or ideological. The paradox runs deep. Labour had proposed mandatory national testing in 1997 while in opposition, but abandoned it after resistance from education professionals, implementing school-based target setting in 2000 instead. National then criticised this approach as inadequate in 2008 and introduced the very kind of standardised testing Labour had abandoned. By 2017, Labour was abolishing National’s Standards, claiming they represented the wrong approach to accountability.
This ongoing cycle illustrates a persistent debate over how best to improve student achievement. Each new government diagnoses its predecessor’s solution as the problem, convinced that their approach will finally succeed where others have failed.
2024: Reintroduction of standardised assessment and a refocus on basics
“Our education system is failing too many children. National will make sure schools are teaching the basics brilliantly, so every child has the opportunity to succeed.”
(National Party Spokesperson for Education Erica Stanford, 2023)
After the 2023 election returned the National Party to power following six years in opposition, Education Minister Erica Stanford expressed deep concern about New Zealand’s schooling system. She described it as failing too many children and bordering on crisis, pointing to declining international rankings to justify urgent reform. This echoed alarm bells sounded by then-Opposition leader Christopher Luxon in 2021, when he described New Zealand’s plummeting performance in global education assessments and low school attendance rates as “without doubt the most startling and worrying thing” he had found since entering Parliament.
Minister Stanford argued that the prevailing decentralised model placed too much responsibility on individual schools. She contended that the highly flexible system allowed school communities to make their own varied decisions about how students are taught and assessed. This decentralisation, she believed, often left educators without the specialised expertise necessary for curriculum development, assessment design, and effective teaching practices. “Until we fix our curriculum, our pedagogy, and assessment,” she maintained, “we will not lift our achievement and we will not see the closing of the equity gap.”
Consistent with its election commitments, the National-led coalition Government made reintroducing standardised testing an early priority. The reform agenda centred on what Minister Stanford described as a “relentless focus on teaching the basics brilliantly so all Kiwi kids grow up with the knowledge, skills, and competencies needed to grow the New Zealand of the future”. She positioned this agenda as evidence-based, with a renewed commitment to accountability, regular testing, and providing parents with clear, accessible information about their children’s progress.
The cycle had come full circle. The policy direction mirrored the National Standards introduced in 2010 and abolished by Labour in 2017. Once again, the emphasis was on basics, accountability, regular testing, and transparent reporting to parents.
The real question may not be which testing regime works best, or which party has the right approach to standards and accountability. Perhaps we should ask whether our persistent reliance on measurement has distracted us from addressing the deeper structural inequities that measurement merely reveals.
Author: About the Author
Dr Kim Hailwood completed her PhD in Education at Massey University in 2024. Her thesis provided a critical and comprehensive analysis of New Zealand’s 1989 Tomorrow’s Schools education reform, examining how school-parent partnerships are constructed within government policy discourse. Kim has extensive experience in policy development, research and evaluation, project leadership, and cross-sector programme management across a range of government departments, including The Treasury and the Ministry of Education. She has been working for the New Zealand Principals’ Federation since 2025.