Figure 1.--The state system is made up of primary, intermediate, and secondary schools. Here we see boys in year 9, the beginning year of secondary schools. In addition to these basic categories there are also schools of a unique character. |
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New Zealand's state school system has a number of different types of schools, including Catholic and other private schools integrated into the state system. The Government has given substantial attention and funding to integrating private schools. State schools are co-educational at primary and intermediate level but some offer single-sex education at secondary level. Some offer special programmes for adult students or run community education classes. There are growing links between schools, universities, polytechnics and other tertiary and early childhood education providers. There are a variety of interesting components of the state system. Kura kaupapa Maori are state schools where teaching is in the Maori language (te reo Maori) and is based on Maori culture and values. The curriculum is the same as at other state schools. Kura kaupapa were developed to build on the success of kohanga reo (Maori language early childhood centres) in preserving and increasing the use of te reo Maori and one of the key goals is to produce students who are competent in both Maori and English. Integrated schools are schools which were previously private and have now been integrated into the state system. The term integration does not mean racial desegration as in the United States, only that the school has been absorbed into the state system, but with the understanding that the schools's special character will be preserved.
New Zealand has two types of elementary schools, contributing (years 1-5 or 6) and full primary (years 1-8). The full primaries are generally in rural areas where intermediate schools are not available. Students in urban areas are much more likely to go to contributing primary schools.
Intermediate schools (years 7-8) are similar to American junior high schools. They are designed to more effectively deal with the transition from elementary to secondary schools. The intermediate school takes children from the contributing primary schools and feeds them into secondary schools.
Most New Zealand high schools (years 9-13) are now coeducational. They have many different names based on the schols foundation, including high schools, colleges, and grammar schools. All of the newer schools are coeducational.
New Zealand primary schools are coeducational. The secondary system is more varied. Boys education, especially secondary education, was considered much more important than girls education in the 19th century. Some of the most traditional New Zealand state secondary are the single gender schools. Most early secondary schools in New Zealand were established a single gender schools. Gender separation was considered appropriate at the secondary level. After World War II attitudes had changed. Almost all new secondary schools were opened as coed schools. Today in New Zealand coed schools outnumber the single gender schools. Most large New Zealand cities, however, have single gender schools, giving parents a choice as to their child's education.
Students and parents in many areas have the choice of all girl schools. Many of these schools are some of the older more traditional state schools.
Area schools (years 1-13) service rural areas that do not have the population for a secondary school. They handel children of all ages on one campus.
Kura kaupapa Maori are state schools where teaching is in the Maori language (te reo Maori) and is based on Maori culture and values. The curriculum is the same as at other state schools. Kura kaupapa were developed to build on the success of kohanga reo (Maori language early childhood centres) in preserving and increasing the use of te reo Maori and one of the key goals is to produce students who are competent in both Maori and English.
Integrated schools are schools which were previously private and have now been integrated into the state system. The term integration does not mean racial desegration as in the United States, only that the school has been absorbed into the state system, but with the understanding that the schools's special character will be preserved. These schools follow the state curriculum requirements but incorporate their own special character (generally a philosophical or religious belief) into the school programme. Integrated schools receive the same government funding for each student as state schools but the buildings and land are privately owned so they meet the costs of property development from attendance dues. They also receive government funding for their maintenance costs. Successive New Zealand Governments have pursued a policy of inegrating private schools into the state system. T The modern New Zealand Educational System is thus composed of many different types of schools. There are now a wide variety of state schools reflecting different areas, religions, and gender policy. As a result of the Governments integration policy, New Zealand has a relatively small private sector. Parental concerns over standards in the state sector mean that some parents continue to opt for an independent education. Many different types of private schools, however, have been integrated into the state sector.
New Zealand' Catholic schools have been fully integrated into the state system. This arrangement suited both the Government and the Catholic hierarchy. The Government has sought to reduce private school roles, primarily to promote a more egalitarian society and the Catholic schools were the largest component of the private sector. The Catholic hierarch was having great difficulty financing the system. Thus when the Government, as part of the integration policy, plefged to retain the special charactervof the schools, the Catholic hierarcy agreed to integration.
