education policy cover web

Education policy in Aotearoa New Zealand

Editors
Publication year
2026
ISBN
978-1-991412-24-9
NZ$95.00
Digital editions available 20 November

Available 12 November

This volume offers students a comprehensive understanding of the forces driving education change in Aotearoa New Zealand, and equips educators with the knowledge and tools to navigate a complex policy landscape. It is intended both for education policy courses, and for researchers seeking to understand our distinct cultural, social, and political context and how it shapes the development and implementation of policy. Nearly 50 colleagues contribute, both tangata whenua and tangata Tiriti. Contributors are scholars who are Māori, Pacific, Pākehā, and migrants who now call Aotearoa New Zealand home. The breadth of contributors enriches this volume through multiple perspectives and voices.

"This book will help us as educators walk in the shoes of policymakers, stakeholder groups, and policy practitioners in order to better understand our role, wherever in this system we work." Professor Mere Berryman, University of Waikato

 Dr Jo Smith has long studied how policy can address inequities and shift power imbalances. From 2020-2026 she was senior lecturer at Waipapa Taumata Rau The University of Auckland, where she designed the Masters’ course that inspired this book, which fills a gap her students identified: a volume on Aotearoa New Zealand education policy. She now serves in the Graduate Research School at Federation University, Australia.

 

Contributors

Claire Amos, Sally Birdsall, Mazelle Chuardy, Jane Corcoran, Sarah-Kay Coulter, Fiona Ell, Marta Estellés, Jo Higgins, Maria Hirschi, Taylor Hughson, Maraea Hunia, Angtola Huy, Bevan Holloway, Meredith Kennett, Farid Ullah Khan, Andrew King, Jessie Moss, Huidan Nui, Pam O’Connell, Hana O’Regan, Billy Osteen, Ro Parsons, Jenny Ritchie, James van Schie, Rae Si‘ilata, Jo Smith, Taule‘ale‘ausumai Tofaga Violet Tu‘uga Stevenson, Jennifer Tatebe, Pip Tinning, Shannon Walsh, Bronwyn Wood, Yan Xie, Carlos Liuning Yang