Does the Minister accept the 2024 NCEA results, which found that while overall achievement rose, Māori learners fell further behind non‑Māori, and if so, what immediate changes is she exploring to address this gap?

Answer

Yes. Noting that almost none of the Government's education reforms came into place until 2025, these results are a failure of the previous Government to intervene and ensure that Māori students were set up for success in the national curriculum. Our Government is now tasked with implementing initiatives to counter years of inaction. We have invested heavily in programmes and resources to boost educational achievement, such as: • The Year 7-8 maths acceleration programme • Expansion of the Maths and Pāngarau acceleration support to Years 9 and 10 • Digital Writing Tool Years 6 – 8 • The writing acceleration modules for Years 0-5 • The Online Writing Tool to accelerate learning for Years 6-10 • Expanding access to structured literacy approaches (SLA) intervention teachers up to 349 FTTE (up from 271 FTTE originally) • Expanding access to maths and pāngarau intervention teachers up to 179 FTTE (up from 143 FTTE originally) • Maths textbooks (1981 schools received a total of 1,112, 748 maths resources made up of 815, 271 books and 297, 513 manipulatives) • Structured literacy approaches and Te Reo Matatini decodable books for older readers in Years 3 – 10 • Trialling of maths and pāngarau hubs • Maths equipment for every 0 – 8 classroom • Writing and tuhituhi workbooks for Years 4-5 • Phonics Checks at 20 weeks and 40 weeks and Hihira Wetero at 20 weeks, 40 weeks and 55 weeks to check children’s phonic and decoding abilities in the first year of school or kura • Development of Year 2 maths and pāngarau check • Development of Year 2 literacy and Te Reo Matatini check • Twice yearly assessments for Years 3-10 with SMART • Times tables and Division check for Year 5 • SLA PLD for English medium Years 0 – 8 936,206 teachers have participated since 2021) • RRāTā PLD tau 0 – 8 – 1,442 kaiako from 194 kura have participated as of 23 March 2026) • Maths PLD for Years 0-8 o Pāngarau PLD 0 – 8: As of23 March 2026 a total of 930 participants from 121 kura are currently in training. Of these 227 participants are from tau 7 – 8 • Maths knowledge-building PLD for Years 7-10 teachers • Structured literacy and writing PLD for Years 7-10 teachers • Secondary maths PLD for Years 9-10 teachers • Secondary English PLD for Years 9-10 teachers • Literacy leadership PLD for Years 0-10 teachers – starting 2027 • Maths leadership PLD for Years 0-10 teachers – starting 2027