Kōtui: School & Policy Updates - Term 2 Issue 1 2025 (NZCEO)

TĒNĀ KOUTOU KATOA: Editorial by Dr Kevin Shore, CEO

Kia ora koutou 

I managed to get back from the depths of the south coast of Western Australia recently without any close encounters with great whites or attracting the attention of the local snakes. I often take for granted the ability to run across the grass in bare feet but can assure you shoes were always on my feet while in the rural outback. There is one island off the coast of Esperance that is inhabited by death adders, who do not welcome visitors and I was certainly not going to test their manaaki as we cruised past in a boat enjoying the beautiful waters and scenery. 

Pope Francis 

It is with great sadness that I acknowledge the death of Pope Francis over Easter. His leadership transcended our Catholic community and his single minded focus on care of the world, respect for human dignity, peace (build bridges not walls) and giving voice to the marginalised resonated across ethnic and religious boundaries. I loved one of Pope Francis’ statements, “the Church is a 'field hospital' capable of bending down to every person, regardless of their beliefs or condition, and healing their wounds”. Whatever your faith or beliefs, he was a significant leader of our times and he will be particularly missed by our Catholic community in Aotearoa New Zealand. 

Relationships and Sexuality Education (RSE) Framework 

You may be aware that the Ministry of Education (MoE) as recently opened consultation on a new draft relationships and sexuality education (RSE) framework. The draft framework sets out the proposed teaching to be covered in RSE each year. The MoE has advised that the intention of this framework is that it will be incorporated into the health and physical learning area and will be required learning in 2027. 

The Association of Proprietors of Integrated Schools (APIS) acknowledges that our proprietors may have a range of positions in terms of how they would interpret their beliefs and philosophies within the RSE and I know Nicola Gueze (CEO, Association of Integrated Schools (AIS)) has encouraged proprietors to make a submission should they want to share their views on the new draft RSE. APIS has made a submission emphasising that should the RSE be implemented into the health and physical education curriculum in 2027 that state integrated schools must still maintain the ability to interpret the content of the RSE through their particular special character lens. We have asked the MoE to consider a statement to that effect be placed within the curriculum document even though we have had assurance from one of the MoE curriculum managers that state integrated schools’ ability to interpret the curriculum within their special character will continue to be upheld. This is a key right that sits beside the very reason we exist and must be protected. 

The RSE itself, has many positive aspects that should be recognised but there may be issues of concern that proprietors and schools want to raise about the draft RSE. The Ministry of Education is keen to hear your views and I would encourage our stakeholders to provide feedback. I am confident that state integrated schools will continue to engage with the RSE, interpret it within their beliefs and values and provide relationship and sexuality education in support of each students ongoing spiritual, physical and emotional wellbeing. Thank you for the work that you do. 

Maximum Roll Increase (MRI) Applications 

It does appear that we are currently in a phase where Maximum Roll Applications (MRI) are moving through to a conclusion at a much faster pace than in recent times. Over the last four or five years the average time for the MoE to reach a decision on a MRI has been about 15 months. Some MRI applications in recent times have gone through in only six months so there does appear to be more urgency when the Ministry views the application as being helpful in managing the state school network. There are areas of significant growth across the country and with construction costs being so high state integrated schools are being viewed as one of the vehicles to provide capacity. However, with little in the way of Policy Two funding being applied it is very challenging for proprietors and parents to self-fund further growth. APIS continues to advocate for funding support from the government and Minister Stanford is listening – however the current challenging fiscal environment is not our friend. APIS will continue to advocate for the need for government to support growth in our sector. 

Jane O’Connell 

It is with sadness that we recently farewelled Jane O’Connell a long-time staff member at NZCEO and APIS. Jane started work for our organisation in April 2007 under Sir Br Pat Lynch and served our state integrated sector for over eighteen years. Jane has been a positive and important member of our team and we will miss her. 

We were able to celebrate her time at APIS and NZCEO with a formal occasion attended by about twenty five guests including former staff members, current board members and staff, and colleagues from other national and regional organisations in Wellington including Caritas, Te Kupenga, NZCBC and the Archdiocese of Wellington. The Ministry of Education was also well represented speaking to the strong working relationship between Jane and MoE staff as Philippa Pidd, Vanessa Harold, Sarah Taylor and in recent times Esther Walker. We wish Jane and her husband, Daniel every happiness in the years ahead. 

Catholic Schools Day 2025

We are celebrating Catholic Schools Day 2025 on Wednesday 28 May! This is an opportunity to showcase who we are to our communities. The theme of Catholic Schools Day 2025 is Shine like stars in the world: E tīaho ana koe hei rama i te ao.

We look forward to receiving any photos, stories or other records of how your school celebrates CSD. Please email jerry@nzceo.org.nz

To support schools NZCEO has developed a range of resources and information to help minimise the extra preparation required to celebrate the outstanding work of our schools. Archbishop Paul Martin SM has a written a letter of invitation to our school communities to join in celebrating this special occasion, this letter is available on the Catholic Schools Day Resources page. 

NZCEO Aspiring Leaders Programme 2025-2026

Leaders in Catholic schools, “students look up to your position --- make sure they look up to you as well. Be among them, quietly influencing, encouraging, supporting, affirming.  Active, intentional pastoral care comes before paperwork”. These words of wisdom, and others, were shared with the nineteen participants who attend the first two days of the 2025-2026 NZCEO Aspiring Leaders Programme, facilitated by Dr Kevin Shore (NZCEO), Rosalie Connors (NZCEO), Murray Adams (Ignatian Spiritual Director), Manuel Beazley (Vicar for Māori, Diocese of Auckland) and Fr Mark Walls SM (Director of Marist Education Ministry).

The aspiring leaders comprised a range of teachers from primary and secondary schools across the motu, interested in developing their understanding of faith leadership in a Catholic school. Due to the positive response and registrations for the programme two cohorts of participants will commence the programme in 2025 and complete it in 2026 and 2027. The programme provided participants with the opportunity to learn and dialogue on:  

• Tūturu Māori: Tūturu Katorika Authentically Māori and Authentically Catholic in Aotearoa Catholic schools  

• Building Catholic culture 

• Jesus as leader 

• Faith leadership in a Catholic school 

• Leadership for mission-evangelisation and the new evangelisation 

• Leadership habits and skills  

Litany of the Saints: Praying for a new Pope

From the New Zealand Catholic Bishops Conference (NZCBC)

Cardinal John Dew, Archbishop Emeritus of Wellington, was present in Rome for the funeral of Pope Francis. Now, he and the other cardinals prepare for the Conclave in which they will elect the next successor of St Peter. Before leaving for Rome, Cardinal John explained that the Litany of the Saints will be sung as the cardinals commence the Conclave, calling upon the saints for their help and intercession. A friend of Cardinal John said they would pray a Litany each day before and during the Conclave for the Cardinals. Cardinal John himself has added a recitation of the Litany of the Saints to his daily prayer. He said if other people would join him, “that would be wonderful”.

This Litany of the Saints has been prepared specifically for the intention of the Conclave and especially for Aotearoa New Zealand. It invites use of both of our spoken languages in New Zealand, as well as the language of the universal Church. It is hoped it will be prayed by many Catholics in our country. This resource will be supplemented with a sung recording that can be used in prayer while you listen. A PowerPoint presentation, with the recording, will also be available for use in schools and other settings. Let us unite our prayers with those of Cardinal John, his fellow Cardinals and the universal Church, that the Holy Spirit will give wisdom and insight to all those who are in the Conclave.

Privacy Week 2025

The theme of Privacy Week 2025 is “Privacy on Purpose.” It is important to be purposeful and proactive with privacy - doing privacy well is not just a box ticking exercise.

From a Catholic perspective, privacy should be prioritised not just because of civil compliance but because we sincerely intend to protect our people and community, and because of our belief in human dignity. We are made in the image of God and thus a person’s dignity and rights related to it deserve to be respected.  

We can contribute our Catholic flavour to Office of the Privacy Commissioner’s theme by focusing on the key word, "sincerity". That we are sincere about our obligations and should do it well from the start – not just because of civil compliance but because our faith teaches us to do so.

The Office of the Privacy Commissioner is hosting 22 free webinars during Privacy Week 2025 to educate and raise awareness about privacy. A full list of events and webinars can be found here. 

Webinars which may be of particular interest include:

From Playtime to Profiling: How Biometric Tech is Shaping Children’s Digital Lives, Thursday 15 May 4:30 – 5:30pm

In this webinar, we will explore how biometric AI is being used in children's digital experiences—and what it means for their privacy. We will unpack the benefits as well as key issues like meaningful consent, data misuse, and bias, and offer practical steps for parents, educators, and policymakers to help protect children’s rights in this rapidly evolving technology landscape.

Back to the Future: What have we learned from two years of popular AI tools? Tuesday 13 May 1:30 - 2:30pm

In this session we will take the chance to look back, asking what we have learned from two and a half years of public facing generative AI tools about their impacts on privacy?

Te Kupenga Catholic Theological College

Save the date: Association of Integrated Schools (AIS) Conference 2025

The 2025 Association of Integrated Schools Conference on  Thursday 11th & Friday 12th September 2025. 

The AIS conference in 2024 was very well attended by representatives of state integrated schools including our Catholic sector, and we encourage you to put this event in your calendar. Registration will open soon.

If you have any questions regarding the AIS Conference please email Rhonda Thorpe on info.aisnz@gmail.com

School security case study from Gallagher Security

Simplifying access and enhancing security was an administrative necessity for Hawkes Bay’s Waipawa Primary School. The small rural school 30-minutes south of Hastings is home to 310 students and 32 staff and regularly shares it facilities with the wider community. Paul Jamieson, Principal of Waipawa School, was looking for a solution that would streamline access and security, but remained flexible and easy to use. He says security and access is an issue for a number of schools and many he spoke to were unhappy with their current security solution. Paul chose the Gallagher SMB solution for its cost-effectiveness and simplicity, and since the move he’s been recommending the solution to other schools. “It's just all around been a really good move and it's actually worked out cheaper too. It's better on all fronts,” says Paul. The switch to SMB has also been well received by Waipawa School staff: “It's a hundred times better and we have really happy staff, they love it, even the people that were worried about the change and going to an app. It's been fantastic,” explains Paul. Read more about how Gallagher Security’s SMB solution is empowering Waipawa Primary School by clicking on the link for the full case study. 

Read more about how Waipawa Primary School makes these benefits happen by reading the full case study at the link below:

Thank you to all our sponsors

We are very grateful to our sponsors who have continued to support APIS / NZCEO, their ongoing support is greatly appreciated and we look forward to growing these important relationships.