04 Sep 2025
1 year ago
1487 views
The Government is proposing changes to the Immigration Act to enhance deportation settings and immigration compliance in New Zealand, aiming to strengthen the integrity and trust in the immigration system. The Immigration (Enhanced Risk Management) Amendment Bill will expand deportation liability for serious criminal offenses, false information provision, and historic crimes, among other measures. Additionally, the Bill will increase penalties for migrant exploitation to combat this crime and improve compliance within the immigration framework.
27 Aug 2025
1 year ago
1415 views
The Government of New Zealand is modernizing visa settings to attract experienced businesspeople through the new Business Investor Visa, aiming to stimulate economic growth and job creation. The visa offers two investment options: a $1 million investment with a three-year work-to-residence pathway and a $2 million investment with a 12-month fast-track to residence pathway. This initiative replaces the Entrepreneur Category, aims to deliver real economic benefits, and is part of a broader refresh of business visa settings to support the country's economy.
19 Aug 2025
1 year ago
1416 views
The Government is launching a Writing Action Plan to improve writing achievement among Kiwi kids. New data from 2024 reveals declining writing performance as students progress through school, with only 24% of Year 8 students meeting curriculum benchmarks. Initiatives like the Writing Acceleration Tool and Handwriting Teacher Guidance aim to address these challenges and ensure every student has the opportunity to succeed academically and beyond.
19 Aug 2025
1 year ago
1444 views
Education Minister Erica Stanford emphasizes the importance of focusing on literacy and numeracy skills, as highlighted by the latest Curriculum Insights & Progress Study (CIPS) data collected in Term 4 2024. The government's initiatives, including an hour a day dedicated to reading, writing, and maths, have shown improvements in maths achievement and writing against the new curriculum standards. The ongoing education reforms aim to provide strong foundations for students, with structured literacy in primary schools, a new Maths and English curriculum, and targeted interventions to support student learning.
13 Aug 2025
1 year ago
1528 views
The Government expresses disappointment over the secondary school teachers' union (PPTA) walking out of classrooms after only six days of bargaining, deeming their actions disproportionate despite a fair offer being made. Ministers Collins and Stanford highlight the disruption caused to student learning and families due to the strike, emphasizing the importance of constructive dialogue for a realistic settlement that supports teachers, students, and the public education system. The current offer includes a 3% increase over three years, reflecting fiscal constraints and past salary increases, with a call for the PPTA to return to the bargaining table for productive negotiations.
10 Aug 2025
1 year ago
1638 views
The Government is introducing two new seasonal visa pathways to assist New Zealand businesses in accessing necessary workers during peak periods, while also prioritizing job opportunities for New Zealanders. The Global Workforce Seasonal Visa (GWSV) is a three-year visa for experienced seasonal workers in various industries, while the Peak Seasonal Visa (PSV) is a seven-month visa for short-term roles. Visa holders must spend time offshore before returning, and employers must advertise roles and engage with MSD to prioritize New Zealand workers.
04 Aug 2025
1 year ago
2807 views
The Government, led by Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and Education Minister Erica Stanford, is proposing to replace NCEA with new national qualifications to better equip young people with the necessary knowledge and skills for success in the modern global economy. The proposal includes removing NCEA Level 1, introducing new qualifications at Year 12 and Year 13, requiring students to pass five subjects with clear grading, and developing vocational pathways in collaboration with industry. The aim is to provide consistency, clarity, and improved opportunities for students, ensuring they are well-prepared for further study, training, or employment.
24 Jul 2025
1 year ago
1964 views
The Government is investing $30 million to support roll growth in state-integrated schools, providing more choice for parents in their child's education. This funding will create up to 1,250 new student places over four years, using cost-effective designs and offsite manufactured buildings. Education Minister Erica Stanford emphasizes the importance of integrated schools in meeting community needs and ensuring high-quality education options for students and teachers to thrive.
18 Jul 2025
1 year ago
2244 views
The Government is establishing the New Zealand School Property Agency to address issues in the school property system, including high costs, delays, and inefficiencies. The agency will be a separate entity responsible for planning, building, and maintaining school properties, allowing the Ministry of Education to focus on education policy. The new agency aims to improve project delivery, transparency, and value for money in managing the school property portfolio, with a dedicated board overseeing informed investment decisions.
18 Jul 2025
1 year ago
2448 views
The Government is investing over $120 million to build 137 new classrooms in Auckland, creating space for 3,014 additional student places in schools facing growing rolls. The investment includes cost-effective repeatable designs and offsite manufactured buildings to maximize funding impact. Additional projects include establishing new schools in Pōkeno and Chapel Downs to accommodate future growth and ensure a safe and conducive learning environment for students in Auckland.
24 Jun 2025
1 year ago
2493 views
The Government is taking another step to strengthen the fiscal sustainability and integrity of the immigration system following the successful first reading of the Immigration (Fiscal Sustainability and System Integrity) Amendment Bill. “Our immigration system needs to be smart, responsive and flexible to keep pace with the changing geopolitical context. The changes proposed will help ensure our settings appropriately respond to risk and are sustainable,” Immigration Minister Erica Stanford says.
23 Jun 2025
1 year ago
3711 views
The Government is attracting new migrants to bring their capital, experience and skills to New Zealand with a flood of formal interest in the new 'golden’ visa. Since only April – less than three months – Immigration New Zealand (INZ) has received 189 applications for the Active Investor Plus visa, significantly more than the 116 applications received over more than two-and-a-half years under previous settings, Economic Growth Minister Nicola Willis says. “New applications under the scheme represent a potential $845 million of new investment in New Zealand business.
23 Jun 2025
1 year ago
2857 views
The Government is enabling more tāmariki access to full immersion learning in safe, warm and dry classrooms. A $28 million investment will deliver 20 new classrooms across four Māori Medium and Kaupapa Māori Education kura and the commencement of a permanent site for a kura north of Auckland – Te Kura Kaupapa Māori o Ngāringaomatariki. The announcement was made at Takaparawhau, Bastion Point, during Matariki Hautapu celebrations with Ngāti Whātua Ōrākei.
19 Jun 2025
1 year ago
2369 views
The Government’s ensuring hundreds more students in Otago benefit from new, safe, warm and dry classrooms. A $27 million investment into new infrastructure will help make sure schools meet the needs of their communities and gets ahead of new growth. It will support the construction of:
Six new teaching spaces at Dunstan High School
A twelve-teaching space expansion at Te Kura Whakatipu o Kawarau
The investment is in addition to the purchase of a site at Ladies Mile in Queenstown last year, which will accommodate a new primary school in the area.
19 Jun 2025
1 year ago
2132 views
The Government’s ensuring some of New Zealand’s most isolated schools get the pipeline of teachers they need to teach the basics brilliantly. “For most new teachers, school placements play a significant role in deciding where they choose to teach once they qualify as a teacher. We know rural and isolated schools struggle to fill these rolls.