This study, conducted in partnership with Hutt City Kindergartens, explores story sharing - a critical aspect of early literacy development. We studied the naturalistic story interactions of tamariki aged 2–5 years, kaiako, and whānau within six equity-funded kindergarten settings and family homes. Key themes evident in our findings were:

• that stories are diverse and multimodal;  
• story sharing is embedded in cultural contexts;  
• and story sharing takes place ...

For the English version of this report, click here.

Ko tā te pūrongo nei he arotake i te mana tautika e ai ki te tirohanga o te kura mana motuhake, ā, ki Te Kura Māori o Ngā Tapuwae (“Ngā Tapuwae”). E ai ki a Fortune mā (2024), ko te whakapuakanga tika mō te mana tautika e ai ki te tirohanga Māori, ko te mana motuhake, ko te ...

For the reo Māori version of this report, click here.

This report analyses equity, as viewed through the lens of Te Kura Māori o Ngā Tapuwae (hereafter “Ngā Tapuwae”), a kura mana motuhake. According to Fortune et al. (2024), the more appropriate terms for equity from a Māori perspective are mana motuhake or tino rangatiratanga (self-determination). 

Ngā Tapuwae is one of many kura mana motuhake that have high ...

This report presents the findings of a research project carried out for the School Library Association of New Zealand Aotearoa Te Puna Whare Mātauranga a Kura (SLANZA) and the National Library of New Zealand Te Puna Mātauranga o Aotearoa (the National Library) in 2024. 

School libraries are not mandatory in Aotearoa New Zealand schools. Consequently, investment in library spaces, collections, and staffing is discretionary and variable between schools. Research about ...

The 2024 Uiuinga ā-Motu o ngā Kura | National Survey of Primary Schools is a pair of reports on principal and teacher perspectives regarding their school and the wider education sector.  

This report, focused on principal perspectives, is based on a nationally representative sample of 187 principals from English-medium full primary, contributing and intermediate schools across Aotearoa New Zealand. The report covers all the questions asked of principals, including ...

This report is the fourth in the COMPASS series, analysing a subsample of data from Professor Melinda Webber’s Kia tū rangatira ai: Living, thriving and succeeding in education project.

In this publication, we analyse responses from 1,665 whānau of Māori learners, focusing on three key areas:

• whānau engagement;
• whānau perceptions of children’s school engagement and enjoyment;
• and intrinsic, extrinsic, and whānau motivation.

The whānau of Māori children who completed the ...

In March 2022, curriculum content for teaching Aotearoa New Zealand’s histories (ANZH) in the New Zealand Curriculum, and Te Takanga o te Wā (TToTW) in Te Marautanga o Aotearoa, was released and gazetted for schools and kura to begin using in 2023.  

This report provides insights into the thinking and practices of tumuaki (school leaders) and kaiako (teachers) from eight schools—four primary schools, one intermediate school, one composite school ...

In 2024, the Ministry of Education commissioned Te Wāhanga, NZCER’s Kaupapa Māori research unit, to conduct a literature review on the concept of “equity” in kura mana Māori motuhake - a term that includes kura kaupapa Māori te aho matua, and kura ā-iwi.  

This review aims to inform the Ministry's evaluation of the Equity Index (EQI) funding system, with a particular focus on how it relates to ...

This report presents a summary of results from a 2024 survey of School Boards, developed by NZCER in collaboration with Te Whakarōputanga Kaitiaki Kura o Aotearoa—New Zealand School Boards’ Association, and with assistance from the Kōkirihia Collective.  

NZCER plans to use the findings to inform the school professional learning and development (PLD) and advisory support we provide during our current assessment refresh programme.  

The survey focused ...

"It's like having a guardian to help guide us"

This report aims to provide emerging evidence of effective engagement with the Tūturu initiative through its second year of operation (2024). The report also offers feedback to assist the New Zealand Drug Foundation (NZDF) to continue to build Tūturu.

The report includes six case stories and findings from a cross-case analysis of short-term outcomes, factors that assist schools to engage with ...