Figure 1.--The primary minority group in New Zealand schools has been the Maori children. In recent years there has been a significant migration from the Pacific Islands associated with New Zealand. There is now a growing number of Pacific Island children in New Zealand schools, especially in the Aukland area. |
New Zealand has a significant and growing Pacific Island population with its own unique educational needs. The importance of meeting these needs is also growing,
with Pacific Islands' students showing lower levels of achievement than other students at senior secondary level. For the first time a formal education plan has been developed specifically for Pacific Island education. Its name - Ko e Ako a e Kakai Pasifika - means "education is the key to unlocking the potential of the Pacific Island community to pursue its own self-betterment". The Ministry of Education developed a draft plan in consultation with representatives from the various Pacific Island communities. These include the Samoan, Cook Islands, Tongan, Niuean, Tokelauan and Fijian communities.
Areas to be considered for policy development include:
early childhood education, language groups and bilingual education;
students at risk of educational failure;
research projects to identify and evaluate the best programmes and education structures;
community languages policy and Pacific Islands curriculum statements;
participation in post-compulsory education and training;
resourcing; and
training, and keeping the services of, Pacific Island teachers.
The plan brings together information and policy programmes designed to support the increased participation and achievement of Pacific Islands students in all areas
of education, from early childhood through to post-compulsory education and training. In the school sector the plan aims to support initiatives that will raise the
achievement levels of Pacific Islands students in the essential learning areas. These initiatives focus on a wide range of areas such as total schooling improvement,
management and governance, Pacific Islands teacher development and resources for teaching.
The plan will continue to be refined, revised and adapted to reflect the changing needs of Pacific Islands people.
