A Principal’s Lament
Principals are being asked to carry the blame while losing the freedom to lead. That isn’t reform. That is control.

Principals are being asked to carry the blame while losing the freedom to lead. That isn’t reform. That is control.

This is not legal tidying. It is the Crown weakening protections for ākonga Māori, then pretending the harm is theoretical.

Elizabeth Rata has been made a dame. Critics see more than an honour. They see the Government rewarding a curriculum agenda that walks back bicultural education.

There are more than 11,000 home-educated children and ERO reviewed just 10 families last year. Erica Stanford tried basic oversight, then discovered homeschooling is political kryptonite.

Workers must prove their English. Millionaire investors do not. Public servants face AI cuts. Martyn Bradbury takes apart another week of government hypocrisy.

Erica Stanford pushed homeschooling changes through Parliament without consultation. Less than 24 hours later, backlash from families forced National into retreat.

Speak English if you are a migrant worker. Bring millions if you want a mansion. National’s immigration priorities could not be clearer.

Three elected teacher representatives resign early. Erica Stanford moves towards a fully appointed Teaching Council. And the same ugly question keeps surfacing: who is really in charge?

The argument was that Treaty obligations would move to the Crown. Critics say the latest education reforms prove they were simply removed.

What children learn, how teachers are judged and who controls the profession could soon sit directly under ministerial authority.