Kia ora koutou,

After thirty-two years in secondary education, mainly in Catholic schools, I find myself sitting at Paul Ferris’ desk in the role of CEO of APIS and NZCEO. Paul has made a remarkable contribution to integrated schools in New Zealand from his four decades as a primary and secondary principal in the Catholic system, his time with TCI through to the last five years as CEO of APIS and NZCEO. He has been a passionate and committed voice in support of the integrated schools’ sector and I would like to thank him for his service and his care in my transition to this role. Paul will be working with the Office for a little longer as he looks to finish off an important piece of work on behalf of our sector. Ngā mihi nui ki a koe Paul.

Those in our schools are on the last leg of what has been a very demanding and challenging year. The pandemic has impacted on society and education in many ways and it has been a very difficult year for the students and families that we serve. Pope Francis has released a new encyclical “Fratelli Tutti, on Fraternity & Social Friendship” as a call to community where we are all brothers and sisters who care deeply about the world and the people in it.  In this encyclical, Pope Francis challenges us to look at a vision of social relationships that is deeper than just words and one which is action orientated – to live the Gospel for our times. I am sure his thoughts also reflect the wider religious communities in New Zealand. The pandemic has been a significant event in which education and society have been challenged to walk the talk of the Gospel.

I believe our integrated schools sector can be very proud of how quickly we have responded to the needs of students in our care during the pandemic and there are great examples in the integrated sector of positive and constructive pastoral responses that both schools and proprietors have taken to promote human dignity and participation in education. The Secretary of Education reminded me of this recently in acknowledging the work of our sector in suppoorting our students, families and staff. There have been significant stresses and strains in our schools and I thank all our communities for their compassisonate responses in support of our ākonga while acknowledging the situation continues to evolve and the social and economic impacts are not yet fully known.

Property Maintenance Funds

You will know that the Minister of Education has deferred a decision regarding property maintenance funds for state integrated schools arguing he was unable to provide the funding because demands on the COVID-19 fund required him to keep a balance to use in the event of another outbreak. This was a disappointing outcome given the indications that Paul Ferris had received during an extended negotiation period in 2020. As a result, the NZCEO Board have asked Paul to continue to lead this negotiation and to pick it up with the newly appointed Minister of Education. We are preparing a comprehensive response based on our belief that our integrated schools are a full partner with the state school sector.

Lunches in Schools Programme

This programme continues to be a source of concern in the integrated schools network. State integrated schools continue to contact this office with concerns that neighbouring schools at the same decile or higher are included and they are not. This office is continuing to advocate to the Ministry of Education on your behalf as the lack of transparency regarding the application of the equity index and the decisions that are being made is leading to our schools questioning whether we are viewed as important partners in our education system. We will continue to raise this issue with our Ministry of Education colleagues and advocate for a process that is fair and transparent.

Teacher Supply Initiatives

The Minister of Education announced a range of teacher supply initiatives in early November as a response to the fact that our borders are currently closed to overseas trained teachers – therefore there is a need to focus on strategies to support domestic teacher recruitment. The emphasis will be on encouraging people already qualified back into classrooms, and career changers to choose the profession and retrain as teachers.

The Secretary of Education, Iona Holsted, in looking at data projections is positive about the overall supply of teachers, which includes primary demand being met by available supply for the next three years, while acknowledging more help will still be needed for certain locations. In terms of secondary education, the Ministry of Education anticipates an ongoing need for more secondary teachers especially in hard to staff subjects such as te reo Māori, STEM and for certain locations. This would indicate that there are challenges ahead for many principals in staffing their schools in 2021 and beyond and so some of the initiatives outlined will be important in the teaching sector.

For more information on this refer to the Ministry of Education Bulletin/He Pitopito Kōrero 129 or contact your local office of the Ministry of Education.

Final Word

Thank you to all who have taken the time to welcome me to the CEO position of APIS and NZCEO. I have already had the opportunity to visit some schools around the country and visiting more schools and connecting with our sector will be a focus for me in the early part of 2021. I look forward to serving this community in the years ahead.

Ngā mihi mahana koutou

Kevin Shore

NZCEO Handbook for Boards of Trustees

The NZCEO Handbook has been updated to reflect the Education and Training Act 2020.

The NZCEO has developed this resource to help Boards of Trustees focus on those aspects of a state-integrated school that differ from a state school.

An online version of the Handbook can be accessed here.

The Handbook is also available as a pdf, suitable for printing in A4 format. This can be found here.

Emergency response coordinators

If your school is damaged as the result of fire, flood or extreme weather your first step is to make sure your school is safe and secure. Emergency Response Coordinators (ERC) are available 24/7 to respond to property related damage as the result of a major incident. The ERC will inspect the damage and arrange any urgent work to be done in order to make the site safe and get the school functioning as quickly as possible. A list of ERC contacts throughout the country is available here.

The Ministry of Education has produced a guide to checking school property after a major incident. An emergency response checklist for schools is also available.

Fire safety checklist for this time of year

Schools are significantly more likely to suffer an arson attack than commercial buildings. Unfortunately the risk is higher in the later part of the school year and the lead up to Christmas.

Most arson attacks are opportunistic, and are sometimes carried out by young people who do not fully understand the potential consequences of their actions.

Fire and Emergency NZ has prepared a list of 5 simple steps that can help reduce the risk to your school:

1. Keep rubbish bins and skips well away from outside walls.
2. Remove materials that can be used to set fires from outside the property.
3. Install or increase security lights.
4. Involve the community. Ask neighbours to keep an eye on your property and alert the Police if they see any suspicious behaviour.
5. Be particularly alert during November and December. Fireworks, combined with the dry summer season, can often contribute to arson incidents.

School transport (procurement contracts)

Procurement for Ministry of Education operated school bus services from Term 1, 2022 has begun and is being conducted through two tenders. The procurement is for Daily and Technology bus services. The last tender for these services was conducted in 2008.

The Ministry will offer routes based on best Public Value, which means considering quality, price and broader outcomes, rather than focusing solely on price. Broader outcomes take into account economic, cultural, environmental and social benefits.

A two tender process has been adopted. Tender 1, which is primarily targeted to small regional suppliers, is now closed.

Tender 2 will offer the remaining routes in bundles. Contracts will be awarded in May 2021, providing a 9-month transition period before services commence in Term 1, 2022. Schools will be notified if their transport provider has changed before the new contracts commence.

The Ministry of Education website has a factsheet with further information on the school bus tender process. Enquires can be sent to bus.tender@education.govt.nz.

The Government has announced a $49 million expansion of the Te Mana Tūhono programme, which will offer all state and state-integrated schools the opportunity to upgrade their ICT network hardware and access cybersecurity support by 2024. 

Te Mana Tūhono concentrates on the following areas:

• Helping keep our children safe and secure while using the internet at school.
• Extended Helpdesk Support
  Under Te Mana Tūhono, the N4L Helpdesk will be extended to operate inside the school. This will enable N4L to resolve issues impacting the performance of a school’s internal ICT networks e.g. the LAN (Local Area Network).
• Creating one point of contact for schools to call if they need assistance with their network.
• Network Hardware Replacement (NHR) in schools
  The Ministry of Education in partnership with Network for Learning (N4L) are working towards a revised timeline and will begin to replace ICT hardware including network switches and wireless in schools. Their target is to deliver to some 50 pilot schools before 31 August 2021. This scope has been updated to include a few additional components listed in the document linked to below.
• Continued support for schools with expiring warranties 
  If you are not a small school and your network switches and wireless equipment warranties are expiring, your hardware will be replaced at a later date. Together with N4L, the Ministry of Education will continue to provide warranty support and assistance to all schools with warranties that have expired or are about to expire. If your equipment fails it will either be fixed or replaced.

An information brief explaining the programme can be found here or on the Ministry of Education website.

Laidlaw College is looking to recruit a Head of Education, to start in 2021.

Laidlaw College is the largest interdenominational Christian College in Aotearoa New Zealand, offering qualifications from certificate to doctoral level, in the areas of theology and biblical studies, mission, ministry, counselling and teacher education.

The role is structured in two parts, the first of which is a 0.5 FTE permanent lecturing position. The Head of Education responsibilities will be an 0.5 FTE fixed term appointment for two years, to allow opportunity for research rotations.

Please apply via SEEK with a covering letter and CV to register your interest. (https://www.seek.co.nz/job/50681716) 

Applications for this role close 5pm 13^th November 2020. 

For a position description, please click here.

please e-mail Tracey McDowall, HR Consultant, Laidlaw College, tmcdowall@laidlaw.ac.nz

Toshiba Australia Pty Limited continues its long-term collaborative agreement with the New Zealand Catholic Education Office (NZCEO) & the Association of Proprietors of Integrated Schools (APIS) both as a major sponsor and for the supply of Multi-Function Devices (MFD), Copiers, Printers and Document Solutions.

Toshiba is a globally renowned innovator and one of New Zealand’s largest providers of office and print technology. With many years supplying advanced technology to New Zealand schools, Toshiba is proud to announce it has re-signed a Relationship Agreement with NZCEO/APIS.

Significantly, New Zealand’s integrated schools make up over 11% of the total schooling provision for New Zealand children and educate some 88,000 children, making NZCEO/APIS members New Zealand’s second largest education network.

As part of the sponsorship, Toshiba promotes and educates members via a series of print and online publications with links to and from the NZCEO/APIS websites. These showcase special offers and inform members of the most recent developments and success stories via case studies and testimonials.

Members can also experience Toshiba technology first hand by visiting exhibitions and trade show stands at a range of events and conferences.

A highlight of the agreement allows Toshiba to sponsor a scholarship through the “Graduate Certificate in Leadership and Catholic Culture” offered by The Catholic Institute.

Paul Ferris, outgoing CEO of NZCEO, expressed his thoughts about the continued relationship:

“APIS and NZCEO are excited about the continued relationship with Toshiba. Toshiba Multifunction Copiers are about sharing information in an environmentally responsible way. Faith based schools share information to help our communities come to value our environment. Toshiba, APIS and NZCEO have different roles to play in the world but each one has a moral compass based on valuing people, being inclusive, helping others and leaving the world a better place for those still to come.”

Toshiba General Manager, Bret Davies responded.

“Toshiba is both honoured and delighted to continue as a preferred supplier of technology for this high achieving sector and to continue collaboration with NZCEO/APIS.

Toshiba prides itself on being an innovator and is committed to providing products, services and resources to deliver the best results and a sustainable future for everyone.” said Bret Davies.

“NZCEO/APIS members can continue to look forward to significant improvements in performance, efficiency and service with substantial cost and time savings, all delivered in a trustworthy, responsive and proactive manner” he added.

About Toshiba Australia

Toshiba Australia is a leading and diversified manufacturer, solutions provider and marketer of advanced electrical products and systems. Toshiba delivers secure and sustainable productivity to a wide range of businesses through digital products including; Multifunction Printers, Desktop Printers, Barcode Printers, Document Management Solutions, Office Technology, IT Service and Support, Cloud Technology and more.

Visit Toshiba's web site at www.toshiba-business.co.nz or www.toshiba-business.com.au

About Toshiba

Toshiba is a household name and a world leading innovator of pioneering technology. Its diversified products and services include power, industrial and social infrastructure systems, elevators and escalators, electronic components, semiconductors, hard disk drives, printers, batteries, lighting and logistics, as well as IT solutions such as quantum cryptography.

Sustainability is a core part of the corporate philosophy and all activities are aimed at achieving a low-carbon, recycling-based society.

About NZCEO & APIS

The New Zealand Catholic Education Office (NZCEO) is the not-for-profit office of the New Zealand Council of Proprietors of Catholic Integrated Schools and acts as the office for the Association of Proprietors of Integrated Schools (APIS) which represents proprietors of all New Zealand’s Integrated Schools.

NZCEO also serves the educational requirements of the New Zealand Catholic Bishops Conference and assists the Conference and the Proprietors of Catholic Integrated schools in their mission of providing Catholic education. NZCEO state integrated Catholic schools represent 8.4% of the New Zealand state education sector and over 65,000 students. APIS state integrated schools include NZCEO schools and represent 11.4% of the state education sector and over 88,000 students.

Visit the NZCEO web site at www.nzceo.org.nz and the APIS web site at www.apis.org.nz

Further information contact:

New Zealand Catholic Education Office (NZCEO) & the Association of Proprietors of Integrated Schools (APIS)

Kevin Shore – Chief Executive Officer

22-30 Hill St 

Wellington 6011

PO Box 12307

Wellington 6144

Tel: +64 4 496 1739

Email: k.shore@nzceo.org.nz

Toshiba New Zealand (Pty) Limited

Jim Nolan - Regional Manager Electronic Imaging Division

32 Lunn Ave,

Mt Wellington, Auckland, New Zealand

Tel: +64 9 570 8530

E-Mail: emarketing@toshiba-tap.com