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This research report provides a detailed and thoroughly documented examination of the state of academic freedom at our universities, together with an analysis of the main threats to academic freedom in this country at present. “We’ve collected 72 testimonies from academics, analysed 5 surveys of academics and students, and written up detailed reports on 21 incidents involving academic freedom that have occurred over the past decade in this country,” explained Dr James Kierstead, Research Fellow at the Initiative and author of the report. Read more

This report calls for a science-based approach to using artificial intelligence (AI) in classrooms. This will help schools get the most out of AI while reducing risks to teaching and learning. Welcome to the Machine: Opportunities and Risks of Generative Artificial Intelligence for Education, written by Senior Fellow Dr Michael Johnston, will help educators and policymakers navigate the rapidly evolving landscape of AI in education. Read more

This new research note, When the Bloat Began: Non-Academic Staffing at New Zealand Universities over the Long Run, 1961-1997, reveals the year in which non-academic employees started to outnumber academics at our universities. Building on the findings of our earlier research report, Blessing or Bloat? Read more

From 2026, students will have to pass new assessments in reading, writing and numeracy to attain any level of NCEA. However, pilots of the new assessments in 2022 and the first full-scale assessment round for these new standards in 2023 indicate that if they are adopted as a corequisite for NCEA as planned, completion rates for the qualification will fall precipitously. Read more

Classroom streaming – the separation of students into classes based on their prior attainment – is currently a topic of debate in New Zealand. Some commentators have called for the practice to be banned. Read more

The most important component of any system of school education is its teachers. But, New Zealand’s teacher education programmes do not ensure that new teachers are well prepared for the classroom. Read more

As the nation prepares to vote on 14 October, the sentiment across New Zealand is one of frustration and concern. Skyrocketing living costs, unaffordable housing, strained healthcare, and a growing educational gap are the voices of a country looking for change. Read more

‘Administrative bloat’ – the idea that universities have too many administrators – is hot topic in debates around higher education in the US and elsewhere. Is there a similar problem in New Zealand universities? Read more

New Zealand’s universities are in crisis. AUT announced 170 academic redundancies last year. Read more

This manifesto draws on the body of research compiled at The New Zealand Initiative over the past decade to bring together a coherent plan to improve our education system, and to restore it to a place of international pre-eminence. New Zealand’s once world-leading school education system is in a state of deep malaise. Read more