I have watched with interest the ‘space race’ between a number of the world’s richest men in recent months.  On one hand, I am drawn to the technology, the cutting-edge designs and their different approaches to design and propulsion and the wonderful opportunity to view Mother Earth from a stunning perspective.  The success of each of the different prototypes highlights our human creative abilities and the scale of what can be achieved with vision, commitment, and a can-do attitude.

On the other hand, the ‘space race’ also has a slightly darker side that I am not entirely comfortable with.  The spectacle of billionaires engaging in a competitive battle to control an emerging opportunity does leave me with a sense of disquiet.  It seems that this is just another example of wealthy individuals flexing their muscles for their own purpose, all while engaging in a number of marketing strategies to support charitable organisations to win public support.  Having pillaged the earth there is a danger here that we are now moving to do further damage in the stratosphere.  Given the urgent need to care for, and repair our world, I am not sure we have all got the message yet.

This is one of the reasons that I have developed such a healthy respect for our student leaders in schools who have taken on the challenge of being citizens who promote care for our earth.  Care for our earth is such an important concept within the spectrum of special character schools in Aotearoa and when our young people give voice to this, they are not just upholding these values but are voicing a desire to re-set our current capitalist system in ways that support the common good of humanity.

Socrates expressed the importance of education so beautifully many thousands of years ago.  His vision of the purpose of education fits into the current debate on environmental responsibility by emphasising eloquently the concept of reasoned action.  Socrates stated that “Education is the kindling of a flame, not the filling of a vessel. The secret of happiness, you see, is not found in seeking more, but in developing the capacity to enjoy less. Every action has its pleasure and its price. I cannot teach anybody anything. I can only make them think”. 

The young people we are educating in our schools are the future hope of the world and to see them rising and voicing their concerns about climate change is a sign that education is doing its job.  Our young students are being taught to think, to engage in their world and to promote their concerns and advocate for change.  The challenge, however, will be whether this generation can accept the challenge of “…developing the capacity to enjoy less”.  This has been an ongoing issue in the history of humanity as the desire for more has been a mirage that has led to the current situation.

EPMP Funding

The team at APIS/NZCEO has been very busy as applications from proprietors for EPMP funds roll in.  The first transfer of EPMP funds to proprietors has been facilitated and we have received over 75 applications to date.  It has been exciting hearing about the projects that proprietors and school boards have been developing and it has given a real lift to the state integrated school sector.  The team continue to answer questions and make small changes to process when feedback from proprietors highlights issues that we can respond to.  The EPMP page is being reviewed constantly and we would encourage proprietors and school boards to use this webpage as their first point of contact should they have queries. 

The EPMP team at APIS is very agile and responsive and committed to ensuring that proprietors are supported through a quick turn around of applications.  We look forward to supporting our school communities further develop their property and increase the educational opportunities for their students.

Ngā manaakitanga

Kevin Shore

Chief Executive Officer

The APIS EPMP office has now been established and is fully functioning and processing applications. Project pre-approval applications have been able to be submitted since 11 August 2021. Applications were slow to begin with as proprietors needed to consult with their boards, obtain quotes and complete documentation for the pre-approval of their priority project. APIS EPMP Office has committed to 5 working days turn around for approvals to ensure progress can be made as quickly as possible. All projects must be pre-approved by 30 August 2022, regardless of funding tranche. 

APIS is committed to ensuring all EPMP funds are fully utilised for the good of the school and the Proprietor’s responsibilities for major property maintenance work.  We encourage School Boards and Proprietors to work together to realise the most effective use of the EPMP funds.  

Only 35% of projects approved to date have fully utilised the EPMP funds available to them on a single project or as part of a bigger project which has required proprietor and/or policy one funds.  APIS would encourage proprietors to consider fully utilising their funds effectively by putting them towards a larger project rather than several smaller projects.  Smaller projects take more time and paperwork in securing quotes, board sign off and form filling etc. 

EPMP FACTS AND FIGURES

• There are 88 Proprietors of state integrated schools representing 331 schools of which 323 are eligible for EPMP funding.
• 75 Project pre approvals have been received
• Total pre-approved project funds = $7.8M
• Schools with pre-approved projects = 45
• Approximately 75% of projects have been in the health and safety priority category

 In due course we would really appreciate hearing about the effective use of the EPMP funds in your school and seeing some photos of how the work has made a positive impact on the operation and teaching and learning within the school.   

For further information please refer to the APIS EPMP web page for further information or email the APIS EPMP Office.

The APIS office has received questions about whether or not school boards need to be vaccinated. The answer is not necessarily, however it does depend on circumstances.  If a board member does not interact with the students then the answer is that vaccinations are not required.  However, in Year 9-13 or 7-13 schools there is a student representative on the school board and if the board members do meet in person with the student representative present then the answer become yes to mandatory vaccination – if the student attends the meeting remotely then the answer becomes not required again.  NZSTA has a range of Covid information and advice for school boards, see the links below.  The FAQ advice provides key information about attending board meetings.

COVID FAQs

COVID Information for boards

COVID The Vaccination Order

As you may know, the Ministry of Education are now funding all state and state-integrated schools to upgrade to Google Workspace for Education Plus. It’s an exciting development as if you’re eligible, you’ll be able to access additional features and take your teaching and your students’ learning to the next level.

 Education Plus is the ultimate Google Workspace for Education edition. With the MoE now funding upgrades for State and State-integrated schools, make sure your school is taking up this offer to get all of the extra benefits!

The enhanced suite of tools enable digital transformation within schools, with premium teaching and learning capabilities and proactive security features. Plus there’s more storage, Cloud Search, larger meeting capacity and faster support.