• Improving Maori And Pacific Tertiary Participation
• Inaugural Children's Day A Great Success
• Child Abuse & Family Violence Education
• Employment Growth Welcomed
• Strengthened Tertiary Governance
• Tertiary Council Appointments
• Kiwi Philanthropists
• First Hospitality Sector Modern Apprentices Sign Up

Improving Maori And Pacific Tertiary Participation
A new funding package to foster greater tertiary institution responsiveness to the particular needs of Maori and Pacific students, and build on the series of equity initiatives taken by the Government, was announced last week.

A new $18m package (over four years) is being introduced from the 2001 academic year to fund support services at public tertiary education institutions for Maori and Pacific students to ensure greater numbers begin, and complete, post-school qualifications. The new funding package will provide for:

grants to institutions to be spent on support services for Maori and Pacific students;
• the dissemination of information on 'best practice' examples of support for Maori and Pacific students from across the tertiary sector; and
• new regulatory and reporting requirements, to be introduced in 2001 for the 2002 academic year, on Maori and Pacific education outcomes.

Many institutions have been investing in programmes and services to support Maori and Pacific peoples in recent years, and the increasing numbers of students graduating over the past decade is testimony to their efforts. The Government wants to ensure a uniform level of responsiveness across the tertiary sector.

Speaking at the Auckland Tertiary Equity Committee conference in Auckland, Associate Education (Tertiary Education) Minister Steve Maharey said that the Government wants to ensure all New Zealanders are able to access lifelong learning in the knowledge society. The funding package compliments initiatives taken so far to lower the cost of tertiary education to students (at a cost of $670m over four years) and targets two groups of potential students who have been significantly under-represented in tertiary study.

Inaugural Children's Day A Great Success
Social Services and Employment Minister Steve Maharey is hailing the success of New Zealand's first Children's Day and signalling Government support for it to become an annual event. The inaugural Children's Day promoted the theme of spending time with children.

The day was an important opportunity to honour, treasure and celebrate children. Over 200 specially-organised events were held across the country. The Government supports Children's Day becoming an annual event. Planning is already underway for Children's Day next year which will be held on Sunday 28 October.

Child Abuse & Family Violence Education
An additional $3.8m is being invested over four years on community-based child abuse and family violence community education programmes, Social Services and Employment Minister Steve Maharey announced last week.

A new contestable fund is being established within the Department of Child, Youth and Family Services which community organisations can apply to fund specific programmes. The fund targets projects in the Maori and Pacific peoples' communities. Funded programmes will be designed to provide education, promote awareness and encourage families to learn new strategies that build on family strengths and will support Maori and Pacific communities in addressing family violence and child abuse.

The Government hopes that funded projects will strengthen exisiting parenting education programmes and lead to a longer term reduction in the number of abuse and neglect notifications.

Employment Growth Welcomed
Data showing that unemployment has dropped to a 12-year low were welcomed by Social Services and Employment Minister Steve Maharey last week, but give no cause for complacency. Statistics New Zealand's Household Labour Force Survey results for the September 2000 quarter were released on Wednesday and showed unemployment dropping to 5.9% (down from 6.1%) and labour market participation increasing. Mr Maharey said a continued drive to improve skill levels is essential to secure future sustainable job growth.

Strengthened Tertiary Governance
Legislation being introduced into Parliament next month will match tertiary institution governance and management capabiities with the demands of the 21st century. The new measures, will strengthen the ability of tertiary councils to hold institution chief executives accountable and allow for greater Government assistance to at risk institutions.

Addressing the Association of Polytechnics in New Zealand annual conferenc, Associate Education (Tertiary Education) Minister Steve Maharey said that the kind of governance and management arrangements that prevailed in the last century are not adequate to meet the demands of this century. Tertiary councils will be given new clear responsibilities. Where institutions are at risk the new legislation will provide for a new series of powers, graduated on the basis of risk, and improved monitoring comprising:

• a requirement for more frequent and in-depth provision of information;
• the appointment of an Observer to the Council of the institution; and
• where institutional performance and/or governance seriously threatens the viability of an institution, the responsible Minister would be able to dissolve the council and appoint a commissioner whose task would be to assume governance responsibilities and to ensure the long-term educational needs of the community served by the institution continue to be met.

Proper checks and balances on the use of these powers will also be provided for in order to preserve the principles of academic freedom and institutional autonomy.

Tertiary Council Appointments
New Government appointees to six university and polytechnic councils were announced last week. Tertiary institution councils have the responsibility under the Education Act for the governance of New Zealand's thirty-eight public tertiary institutions. The councils are composed of community, industry, staff, student and Ministerial representatives and appointments. The Labour-Allince Government's first batch of council appointments are being made to strengthen their ability to respond to the local needs of their communities and ensure the quality of their programmes.

Kiwi Philanthropists
Philanthropic trusts contributed more than $120 million last year to charitable organisations, education initiatives, the arts and sporting programmes and the Government wants to see the sector better recognised for its efforts, Steve Maharey told the biennial conference of Philanthropy New Zealand last week.

As the first ever Minister for the Community and Voluntary Sector Steve Maharey said he wanted to give higher profile to the role of philanthropists and their support for locally-devised solutions to the needs of particular communities.

The Government is currently looking at how it can encourage more New Zealand individuals and companies to get involved in philanthropic projects. A tax review of charities has commenced, with a public discussion paper pending. The tax status of donations to tertiary institutions, an issue raised at the recent Business-Government Forum, is also being examined.

Elliot Hammond and Josephg Tahaafe became the first two of six Modern Apprentices that Sky City will take on this year during the pilot phase of the programme. Their apprenticeships will be coordinated by the Manukau Institute of Technology, a member of the Tertiary Accord New Zealand (TANZ) consortium, using qualifications developed by the industry ITO, the Hospitality Standards Institute.

Auckland-wide, Modern Apprenticeshsips are being offered this year in the hospitality, agriculture, forestry, plastics, engineering, telecommunications, carpentry and wool handling industries, and in the public sector. Josephg and Elliot join 500 other young people begining Modern Apprenticeships this year. 3000 Modern Apprentices are targeted by 2002..

Associate Education (Tertiary Education) Minister Steve Maharey and acting State Services Minister Margaret Wilson are due to announce a Modern Apprenticeships public sector pilot programme at a Beehive function on Monday evening.

* For more information visit http://www.skillnz.govt.nz