I was fortunate to get to spend a week in week in New Zealand’s capital, Wellington, as the guests of Learning Media (http://www.learningmedia.co.nz/), an education services provider, once part of the Ministry of Education. Learning Media hosted a conference, 2020 Visions for Learning, as a beginning to consider how best to further develop their work as well as that of the Ministry of Education. The Minister of Education spoke, Hon Anne Tolley, as did Karen Sewell, Secretary for Education, and Professor Sir Mason Durie, Assistant Vice-Chancellor Maori, Massey University. All three of the leaders used three main reports as their drivers for the future, the Ministry’s Statement of Intent, the Goals of Ka Hikitia, and the Pasifika Education Plan.

As a country, New Zealand is amazing in so many ways – the diversity of the country as well as the individuals, the focus on sustainability, and their strive for excellence in education. New Zealand students’ average achievement equals or exceeds that of students from other Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) countries in core areas such as reading, mathematics and science. Their students rate higher than the OECD average in literacy, mathematics (at Year 9) and science. Of the 57 countries participating in the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) 2006, New Zealand ranked third in scientific literacy, fourth in reading, and sixth in mathematical literacy. The number of tertiary-type A (degree level) graduates in New Zealand is above the OECD average in all fields except for engineering, manufacturing and construction. At the same time, New Zealand has a “long tail” – a large gap between high performing and low performing students, specifically, Māori, and Pasifika, learners from low socio-economic areas as well as learners with special education needs. This disparity is driving New Zealand to think about how the system can meet the needs for all students but to also begin thinking how they might think about these needs differently in context of the future trends.

Here in the U.S. we are at a crossroads or a crisis in our educational system; nonetheless our economy. In New Zealand, they are not at a crisis, yet they hope for more and particularly to eliminate the minority achievement gap. It was an honor to help inform the future of education for New Zealand by sharing KnowledgeWork’s 2020 Forecast and the New Tech Network approach as proof of concept of the Forecast. They certainly did not need an American to help them develop vision, desire to ensure New Zealand is ready for the future was apparent by a quote printed on the folder:

Ehara te pae i te tawhiti rawa ki ngā mea e haere tikatia.

“No horizon is too far for those properly prepared.”

Kia Ora.

Monica Martinez, President of the New Tech Network