Kōtui: School & Policy Updates - Term 3 Issue 1 2025 (NZCEO)

TĒNĀ KOUTOU KATOA: Editorial by Dr Kevin Shore, CEO

Kia ora koutou

I had the pleasure of speaking at the New Zealand Association of Christian Schools Conference recently in Auckland. The conference was hosted by KingsWay School in Auckland. I would like to thank Graeme Budler and his wonderful staff and students for their manaaki and the care that they took in hosting all the guests and participants. It was a privilege to visit the school and mix and mingle with so many proprietors and stakeholders from the Christian school’s sector that I have got to know in my role. One of the highlights was spending some time with the main conference keynote Lynn Swaner who leads thought leadership and research initiatives for the Association of Christian Schools International (ASCI). Her work on Flourishing Schools Research resonated with me and I managed to walk away with her book “Flourishing Together’ which I am looking forward to reading by the ‘fire’ over winter.

Development of Further Association of Proprietors of Integrated Schools (APIS) Resources

We have received a few comments lately that some proprietors and stakeholders would like APIS to clarify and demystify the processes when applying for maximum roll increases and other common changes to integration agreements such as site plan updates, change of name, change of proprietor, changes to special character statement etc. Karen Raitt from our office is developing this work at speed and only yesterday she shared her first draft of this work with me. Karen has attempted to design these resources so they are in a graphic and simple format and I am confident that they will be embraced by the sector when these are released shortly. Before they are released to the sector, APIS is likely to seek feedback from some of our stakeholders to ensure these resources have been fully evaluated and are fit for purpose.

It is important to point out that the integration agreement is a contract between the proprietor and the Minister of education allowing the school to become a state integrated school. There is only ever one integration agreement and any subsequent changes must be made via a supplementary integration agreement. A supplementary integration agreement only identifies the change (or variation) that has been agreed to from the original integration agreement. Proprietors and school boards must read their integration agreement alongside any supplementary agreements to get the full picture of what has been agreed to.

 Celebrating 50 Years of State Integrated Schools

APIS has initiated a project to gather the significant history of integration for each of our special character or philosophical school affiliations. This is not focusing on individual schools but on each of the main religious or philosophical affiliations including, Anglican (incorporating Anglican Māori), Catholic (incorporating Catholic Māori), Non-denominational Christian, Hare Krishna, Islamic, Jewish, Māori, Methodist, Montessori, Presbyterian, Seventh Day Adventist, Steiner and special education philosophies.

The official 50th anniversary of the Private Schools Conditional Integration Act (PSCIA) is 10 October 2025 and APIS would like to complete a media publication that incorporates a short history of each of the different affiliations that make up the state integrated sector. This publication would then be released to media and we are looking to invite the Minister of Education to be part of this release. We have a very testing timeline so APIS has approached particular stakeholders in each of the affiliations who have knowledge of their history to support this project. Some have replied positively to us already; however, we are desperately needing responses from those who are yet to reply. APIS will follow up on this urgently as we need to meet remotely with these key people to go over the parameters of what we require from them.

Whether we can meet the 10 October deadline will depend on the level of support we receive from the sector. However, we do appreciate how busy people are and want to make this as easy as possible for those involved.      

Relationship with the Minister of Education 

I am very appreciative of our stakeholders after my reminder in the last Kōtui that APIS is your body to negotiate in your interests with the Minister of Education. In the last few weeks, APIS has received correspondence from proprietors who are wanting to communicate issues with the Minister. This is the correct process and I am grateful for your support in working with us.

Unfortunately, this editorial must be submitted before my meeting with Minister Stanford on 17 July. It is always a privilege to have the opportunity to engage with her and there are several significant issues that are on the agenda. APIS has been waiting for the Minister to release a statement that impacts on state integrated schools so please rest assured that we will communicate directly with you once we have the information and the support of the Minister to share this information.

Finally

The AGM for APIS will be held as part of the programme at the Association of Integrated Schools (AIS) Conference being held at the Brentwood Hotel in Wellington on Thursday 11 and Friday 12 September. Minister Stanford has signalled her willingness to be the opening speaker at the conference as she was in 2024. Deputy Prime Minister David Seymour will also briefly attend the conference dinner on Thursday evening and cut the cake to celebrate 50 years of state integrated schools. Nicola Gueze (CEO AIS) and Rhonda Thorpe work hard to put together a great programme and relevant workshops so I encourage our stakeholders to join us and support our conference organisers.

Kia tau te rangimārie ki a koutou.

Kevin Shore, Chief Executive Officer

Education Minister Announces $30m To Be Put Towards New Classrooms At State Integrated Schools

State Integrated Growth Investment (SIGI) Funding

Yesterday morning, the Minister of Education Erica Stanford announced that $30M of Crown funds (allocated at a rate of $7.5M per year for four years) will be allocated to state integrated schools for new growth classrooms. APIS has been in negotiation with the Minister about this funding for the last twelve months and I am grateful to Minister Stanford for prioritising these funds in the 2025/26 budget.

It is important to acknowledge her efforts on our behalf in what we know is a very tight fiscal situation. The Minister acknowledged that her government views state integrated schools as an important part of the state education sector and that her government is supportive of choice for parents within the state school provision. Her words of support for our sector were welcomed and appreciated. Minister Stanford also reflected in her media announcement that there continues to be strong demand for places in our state integrated schools and that these funds would provide classrooms for at least an extra 1250 students in our sector.

This funding is not a universal fund where every proprietor will be guaranteed to get a share of these funds. The funds will be allocated by the Ministry of Education according to how the proprietor application meets the priorities that will be set by the Minister and her team at the Ministry of Education.

The Minister of Education mentioned eligibility and prioritisation criteria which APIS were not aware of before her media statement. Criteria that she articulated as priorities for assessing applications for growth classrooms included attendance, achievement rates, and pressure on the school roll. The Minister mentioned that state integrated schools requesting a high level of donations may be given a lower priority for SIGI funding. This was a surprise but is consistent with some of her conversations with APIS in recent times, where she has expressed her concern regarding state integrated schools which request large donations from their school community.

State Integrated Growth Investment (SIGI) funding is not Policy Two funding. SIGI funding will be delivered directly to state integrated school boards who will then retain ownership of these new buildings. This is a different method of funding for growth in state integrated schools and has enabled the Minister to use the Crown’s capital funding to support state integrated school growth aspirations. APIS will now negotiate with the Ministry of Education the various policies, processes and application format that will be needed to ensure these funds are used in our best interests.

APIS will now, under urgency, start negotiations with the Ministry of Education on the criteria for assessing applications for SIGI funding and the design of the application form that will be used to apply for these funds. The clock is ticking if our sector is to fully use the $7.5M allocated for the first year in 2025/26.

APIS will ensure we continue to update our stakeholders as we progress through these negotiations. Please understand that at this point APIS cannot answer many of the questions that we know you will have regarding the building and ownership of these growth classrooms. Rest assured we are aware of the complexities involved in the allocation of these funds and will work in your best interests with the Ministry of Education to ensure we clarify all the issues and work towards an outcome that will be beneficial for all parties.

These SIGI funds are great news for our sector and an acknowledgement from the Crown and the Minister that they have confidence in our ability to provide high quality students outcomes and a proven record of delivering low-cost, high-quality classroom facilities. APIS is very grateful to Minister Stanford for her support.

An RNZ article on her announcement can be found here and the Minister’s press release can be found here

Shepherding and Serving: The Nature and Formation of Leadership in Catholic Schools

Rosalie Connors, Special Character Manager, NZCEO

What constitutes genuine strength in a leader? Who is the leader we are looking for, and hoping for, in Catholic education?

These are critical questions in determining the intended nature of leadership in Catholic schools. An article from the Monographs Series from the Ontario Institute for Catholic Education (OICE) addresses these questions by suggesting that leadership requires emotional intelligence, dedication to service, the ability to deal patiently and constructively with conflict, and the courage to maintain integrity as essential strengths. These qualities are evoked in the metaphor of ‘shepherd’ that provides a powerful invitation to choose a way to lead characterised by righteousness, care and compassion.

While leadership in Catholic education does not demand or require perfection, it does require a willingness to grow and change-to continue to be formed into our true self as a person and a leader. For a baptised Catholic, formation is a lifelong process that encourages us to move to deeper levels of faith understanding and commitment. This transfers to our leadership so our personal dimensions of leadership are reflected on and developed.

Like me I hope you find this article thought provoking and challenging to think deeper on faith as an essential dimension in my vocation as a Catholic educator.

The full article Shepherding and Serving: The Nature and Formation of Leadership in Catholic Schools from OICE can be found here:

National Liturgy & Liturgical Music Conference

From the Australian Pastoral Musicians Network

We are pleased to share with you that the Australian Pastoral Musicians Network and the National Liturgical Council will present a joint national conference at the Hilton Hotel, Adelaide from 1 to 3 October 2025. The conference theme, Pilgrims of Hope: Transformed Through Sacrament & Song reflects and builds on the theme of our 2025 Jubilee Year.

Featured keynote speakers include leading US presenters, composer and theologian, Rev Dr Ricky Manalo CSP and liturgist, theologian and author, Rita Ferrone. They are joined by internationally acclaimed Australian speaker Rev Dr Richard Leonard SJ.

Additionally, six breakout blocks containing over fifty workshop options are on offer. They include focused streams for primary and secondary teachers along with workshops addressing parish/school relationships from a liturgical perspective. Workshops will be facilitated by an array of highly experienced Australian liturgists, pastoral musicians, composers, and educators.

We ask you to encourage the leadership and teaching staff in your schools to participate in this event. Your office might consider sponsoring the attendance of key Religious Education, Identity & Mission, and music staff to attend. The conference occurs during school holidays for most of the country so teachers can participate without disruption to teaching commitments.

From Carmel College to the Vatican: Inspiring the Next Generation of Carmel Girls

Reproduced with permission from Carmel College School News

Former top scholar Mia Boothroyd (Class of 2019) has written to share an extraordinary academic and personal experience – one she hopes will inspire other Carmel students to aim high, follow their passions, and maybe even meet the Pope.

This year, Mia attended the prestigious Vatican Observatory Summer School (VOSS) in Albano/Castel Gandolfo, Italy, alongside 23 other astronomy students from 22 different countries. VOSS is hosted by the Vatican Observatory, one of the oldest active astronomical institutions in the world, operated by Jesuit scientists and astronomers.

“It was such an amazing time – we learnt so much and met so many people from around the world,” Mia shared. The 2025 programme focused on new discoveries from the James Webb Space Telescope, covering topics like exoplanets, astrochemistry, and galactic phenomena. Outside of lectures, the group explored ancient ruins in Ostia Antica, visited monasteries in Subiaco, and walked the historic streets of Rome.

A highlight of the programme? “We were lucky enough to have an audience with the Pope… It was so amazing to meet him,” Mia wrote. The students were also granted special access to areas of the Vatican not usually open to tourists. “When I met the Pope, I told him I was going to send the photo to my school teachers, so I better keep my promise!”

Now beginning her PhD in Denmark, researching meteorites and planetary formation, Mia credits Carmel with helping ignite her love of science: “It was actually at Carmel I first learnt about the Vatican Observatory… without which I never would’ve known about VOSS!”

VOSS runs every two years (the next in 2027), and is open to students studying astronomy, physics, or mathematics at undergraduate or postgraduate level. To learn more, visit: Vatican Observatory Summer School

Mia closed her email with a message of gratitude and hope:
“I wanted to remember my teachers at Carmel who first taught me science – thank you! – and to share some of this joy with others. I hope in the future, a Carmel girl may attend VOSS again and have an amazing time in Italy too.”

The Pope’s Astronomer, Br Guy Consolmagno SJ – Speaker Series

From Catholic.org.nz

The director of the Vatican Observatory will soon make his fourth visit to New Zealand, taking in the Southern Hemisphere skies and sharing his insights on theology, astronomy and science. Br Guy Consolmagno SJ first travelled to New Zealand in 1996 as part of a trip that featured collecting meteorites from the East Antarctic Plateau and a New Year’s Eve concert headlined by iconic band The Muttonbirds.

His visits have included astronomical observations from Lake Tekapo, exploration of Great Barrier Island and a well-attended speaking tour in 2019. During the upcoming visit, Br Guy will give talks in Auckland, Wellington, Christchurch and Timaru in early August, as well as spending time at a number of world-renowned sites for stargazing.

As a member of the Society of Jesus, his tour will commence with an event at St Ignatius of Loyola Catholic College in Drury, which opened last year with a Jesuit charism. He will speak at other Catholic schools, at Te Kupenga – Catholic Leadership Institute campuses, at a Christchurch parish and at universities as he makes his way down the country.

While he is looking forward to renewing friendships and offering his thoughts with new groups of people, Br Guy concedes the Southern Hemisphere skies hold great appeal. “New Zealand is one of the few places of dry land on Earth that’s at the same latitude south as the places where I have lived in the north. Southern stars are not to be missed,” he said.

“But I say that in part because I know that the stars (if not the clear skies needed to see them) can be predicted. The more important part of the trip, the people, can’t be predicted; I am prepared to be surprised.”

Br Guy concedes that life as a scientist and a professed member of a religious order often prompts some interesting questions. After decades of speaking around the world, he has detected a change in recent years. “I’ve noticed in the past five years or so a fascinating shift in the sorts of questions I get and the attitudes that people have,” he said “My fellow scientists are much more open now to questions of faith than they were 30 years ago, while there’s been a lot less faith in science among the general public. “I will be fascinated to see what sorts of questions and conversations I have when I get to New Zealand, to see how these changes are playing out there.”

One line of questioning he’s preparing for is how the new Pope views faith and science. Br Guy said, of Pope Leo XIV: “Since he’s a mathematician by training, I know he understands the beauty of finding God in our academic search for truth. “His name is also a good clue; his predecessor, Pope Leo XIII, was the Pope who founded the Vatican Observatory!”

Te Kupenga acting chief executive John Kleinsman said the tertiary provider is pleased to be supporting Br Guy’s visit. “The Catholic tradition is one steeped in the interaction between faith and science, and Br Guy stands at the forefront of that connection today,” Dr Kleinsman said. “We encourage people to come and hear about some of the wonders of our creation from someone who gazes upon it and reflects on it through a lens of faith.”

A programme of event's has been published on Te Kupenga's Website:

Parish Ministry in Aotearoa New Zealand

Te Kupenga Catholic Theological College is offering a webinar on “Parish Ministry in Aotearoa New Zealand” with Emily Sit, the director for mission and evangelisation for Palmerston North. This webinar is on Wednesday, 20 August 5:00-6:00pm via Zoom. To register, follow the link below

Association of Integrated Schools Conference

The Association of Integrated Schools (AIS) is holding its annual conference on Thursday 11 and Friday 12 September 2025 at the Brentwood Hotel in Wellington. The AIS conference in 2024 was very well attended by representatives of state integrated schools including our Catholic sector and I would encourage you all to join with us in celebrating our state integrated schools.

Teamturf—Proud Sponsor of NZCEO & the Preferred Turf Specialists for Catholic Schools Nationwide

Trusted by Catholic Schools Nationwide

Teamturf is proud to be the preferred artificial turf partner for Catholic schools across New Zealand. As a dedicated NZCEO sponsor, we’re committed to creating safe, vibrant outdoor spaces where students can thrive—on the field, playground, or court.

Whether it's for sports courts, cricket facilities, landscaping, or play areas, our high-quality turf solutions are designed to perform and built to last.

🎉 Book a Consultation & Win!

Schedule a consultation with Teamturf or any of our nationwide agents, and your school will be automatically entered to win a $500 sports equipment voucher and a bag of sports balls—giving your students even more ways to play and excel.

Why Choose Teamturf?

✅ NZCEO-endorsed sponsor – Trusted by Catholic schools throughout NZ

✅ Nationwide Service – No matter your location, we’re ready to help

✅ Tailored Designs – Custom turf solutions using coloured turf and Signgrass® to reflect your school’s unique spirit

How to Enter the Draw

Book a free consultation before August 31 for a confirmed project and you're in the draw!

👉 Schedule your consultation here

Below: Turf installation at St Patrick's Catholic School, Taumarunui