This year, as part of the changes referred above, the Government funded   new leadership advisor positions, providing greater front-line support for leaders and principals. 

Nine of the regional leadership advisor roles are in the process of being appointed with most to starting at the beginning of the 2023. Further information will be available when the appointment process is complete.

In Term 2, four advisors will lead research into the type of support needed in the specific contexts the sector identified including: Māori principals in English-medium settings, Pacific principals, rural school principals and area school principals. 

Alongside the regionally based leadership advisors in schools, a chief advisor position has also been established to provide a strong link between these kaimahi and the central ministry, and to help coordinate and develop the leadership advisory service. 

Tim White has been appointed to the chief advisor role. Tim has been Principal of Frimley School in Hastings for the past eight years and will take up the new position on 30 January 2023.

The leadership advisor roles for kaupapa Māori and Māori-medium kura are being designed by te rūnanga nui and ngā kura ā iwi for kaupapa Māori, and by te akatea for Māori medium.

These actions are a great start to developing support for principals to help meet the challenges facing education now and in the future.  

Isabel Evans – Hautū Te Tai Raro
Anna Welanyk – Hautū Te Puna Ohumahi Mātauranga
Daryn Bean – Hautū Te Tuarongo

Check out the leadership advisor explainer video:

Leadership advisor roles video explainer – Vimeo

The ‘Loss of Learning’ tutoring portal is live on Salesforce. This will enable you to provide information related to the additional teaching and tutoring initiative during Term 4 2022, and Terms 1 and 2 2023.

As this is the first time the Ministry has provided funding directly to schools and kura for additional tutoring, we would like your help to understand what impacts additional tutoring has had on participating learner progress.

We will ask for:

• National student number (NSN), including Learner’s name but only for NSN validation
• group details, including year level, mode and frequency of delivery and group size
• details of tutoring provider (type, name).

Information for Term 4 can be entered any time between now and 17 February 2023. You can access the portal here:

Taku education portal – Ministry of Education

We have compiled a step-by-step guide on accessing the portal and filling the form:

Access instructions [PDF, 357KB]

Before providing us with information please ensure you have gained consent from students and / or their whānau. You will have received guidance on this in the funding letter we sent you when you opted in to the scheme (Annex A).

Only staff authorised to monitor, report and evaluate the Loss of Learning initiative will have access to the personal information collected as part of this initiative.

From 7 February 2023, schools will need to report physical restraint incidents using the online form through the community portal. This online form makes it easier for schools to report on, manage and share information about physical restraint incidents in a timely and accurate way.

Physical restraint incident reporting form – Ministry of Education

On the same day we will also launch the new online form for physical restraint rules and guidelines to help schools understand distress and minimise the use of physical restraint in schools and kura.

If your school is an enrolling school for a special unit for alternative education providers, you are responsible for reporting incidents of physical restraint to the Ministry.

Delegated authorisers of Education Sector Logon (ESL) can now assign school staff as a ‘physical restraint school user’ who need to access the online form.

We have updated the training module to align with the new rules and guidelines.

Education learning management system – Ministry of Education

For any questions about physical restraint incident reporting, email PhysicalRestraint.Change@education.govt.nz or visit our website for more information:

Minimising physical restraint in New Zealand schools and kura – Ministry of Education

As you will know we will continue to work with you on attendance as a priority next year because of its critical link with participation and progress in learning.

Daily attendance is important, but the key measure that we report on is regular attendance over a term. Regular attendance is where students have attended school and/or kura for more than 90% of available half-days (an average of nine days a fortnight).

Thank you to all schools and kura that provide their attendance data to the Ministry at the end of each term. Receiving the data promptly at the end of term allows us to report with pace and this is important so that you and we know what is working and where changes in approach are needed. 

We need data from all schools at the end of each term. If you do not already have systems in place to collect this data, then please look to have this in place for next term.

On Thursday December 8, your school or kura will receive a letter on the School Data Portal outlining your 1 January 2023 estimated funding instalment for the pay equity settlements and collective bargaining agreements.   

This estimated funding instalment includes:

• Administration Support Staff Pay Equity Settlement – quarter one estimated funding
• Kaiārahi i te reo Pay Equity Settlement – quarter one estimated funding
• Support Staff in Schools’ Collective Agreement (SSSCA) and kaiārahi i te reo and therapists 2022 – quarter one estimated funding
• Teacher Aide Pay Equity Settlement and the Support Staff in Schools’ Collective Agreement (SSSCA) 2019 – quarter one estimated funding.

Further information about these funding calculations can be found here:

Pay equity – Ministry of Education

Collective agreements – Ministry of Education

We will continue to provide ongoing funding to schools and kura to cover the increased costs associated with pay equity settlements as part of your quarterly operational grant instalments.

A wash-up adjustment will be calculated and paid the following year, based on confirmed payroll data. You are required to use the additional settlement funding to apply the pay equity outcomes and new pay rates.

If you have any questions, talk to a member of the team on 0800 114 117 or email ohumahi.support@education.govt.nz.

Pourato, the new resourcing system, has now been accessed by over 80% of schools and kura to view their resourcing information online.

On Friday 9 December schools and kura will receive a notification email to view an update on quarter one, 2023 operational funding payments in Pourato. 

To view your operational funding, go to ‘Funding’ on the navigation bar and select ‘Operational Funding’. 

Other payments will continue to be added to Pourato as Ministry teams process quarterly and other manual payments in December. You will receive an email notification when an update is available to be viewed in Pourato. 

Quarter one, 2023 payments are scheduled to be in the bank accounts of schools or kura on 5 January 2023. 

To watch the four-minute video, step through the online learning module, or to register for a Pourato webinar, go to the Education Learning Management System. 

For more information contact us at 04 463 8383 or pourato@education.govt.nz. 

The School Transport Hub | Pokapū Waka Kura is the online hub where schools can apply for and track their school transport assistance applications.  

You can continue to use Pokapū Waka Kura to apply for specialised education school transport assistance (SESTA) when planning new school transport applications for Term 1. 

From Monday 12 December you can use the hub to apply for a conveyance allowance for eligible students. Caregivers can apply on Pokapū Waka Kura without a log in and the delegated ESL authoriser can process the application before submitting it to the Ministry. 

Applications and online systems – Ministry of Education

For further information visit our website:

Education Sector Logon – Ministry of Education

From Term 1 2023, we will be returning to the application process for additional relief teacher funding (ARTF). You will be able to apply for ARTF for teachers that are absent on paid sick leave greater than eight days where you have employed relief to cover their absence.

For Terms 1 and 2 this year, we temporarily lowered the threshold for ARTF to four days for COVID-19 related absences and implemented an automatic funding process in Terms 3 and 4.

For non-teaching staff, ARTF has been available from the first day of absence for Terms 1 to 4. These changes were temporary supports to help schools manage pressure on budgets as a result of the spread of Omicron.

You can submit teacher ARTF claims for Terms 1 and 2 and for non-teachers for Terms 1 to 4 until 31 December 2022.

A final wash-up calculation and payment for the automatic process based on your 2022 relief costs will be completed in January 2023.

If you need support, contact your school finance advisor or your local Te Mahau office.

Local Te Mahau offices – Ministry of Education

You can read about ARTF on our website. This information will be updated in January 2023 for the application process.

Additional relief teacher funding 2022 – Ministry of Education

Many schools have successfully recruited overseas teachers, both returning New Zealanders and overseas trained teachers and we encourage you to consider this if you cannot find a suitable teacher domestically.

Teach in Aotearoa New Zealand – Careers in Education

There is also support in place to help you to recruit an overseas teacher. Contact our navigators if you’d like to know more at teacher.supply@education.govt.nz or freephone 0800 165 225 (overseas teachers can call +64 4 463 8466).

For information on the financial support for overseas teacher recruitment visit our website:

Financial support for overseas teachers – Ministry of Education

For more information, contact teacher.supply@education.govt.nz or the INZ Employer helpline on 0508 967 569.

The free internet service for all learner households currently connected through the Ministry has been extended until 30 June 2023.

This initiative is part of the COVID-19 support plan to provide equitable digital access which was due to expire at the end of the school year.

The extension will provide continued distance learning support to enable learners in these homes remain engaged during periods of public health restrictions or self-isolation.

In the coming weeks, learners and whānau who currently use the service will be notified by letter about the extension.

We have partnered with Manaiakalani Education Trust to create the Whānau Tech Helpline that provides technical support: 0800 441 844.

From early next year contact the Trust will also contact all affected whānau to reconfirm their information and use of this service.

If you have any questions, contact the Equitable Digital Access helpdesk at EDA@education.govt.nz or 0800 783 744.

The Education Export Levy (EEL) will be reintroduced on 1 January 2023. Rates have been reintroduced at 0.50% of international student tuition fees for schools.

The levy will be used to support international students and providers as we continue to rebuild a sustainable and resilient international education sector. EEL funding will be prioritised to support the administration of the Code of Practice, which benefits all international learners by ensuring their wellbeing and safety.

Further information will soon be made available our website.

We have confirmed four additional teacher-only days (TOD) in 2023 and 2024 (two days per year). These TODs will focus on implementation across The New Zealand Curriculum refresh, re-design of Te Marautanga o Aotearoa and shifts in practice to strengthen NCEA.

We encourage you to co-ordinate timing of TODs across primary and secondary schools and kura. Co-ordination has many benefits for peer support and information sharing.  Support from national and regional implementation teams is available as required.

A single co-ordinated date across primary and secondary schools will help provide parents, caregivers, and whānau with ākonga in more than one school with a more joined-up approach.

Note that:

• the date that best suits activity planning can be selected from a defined two-week time-period
• the first TOD in 2023 can be held during the first two weeks of Term 2, 2023 – between Monday 24 April and Friday 5 May 2023
• the timing and content of the second day in 2023 and days in 2024 will be confirmed with sector representatives

For more information visit:

Teacher-only days (TOD) – NCEA Education

Additional resources for Ready to Read Phonics Plus (RTRPP) will be available online by the end of this year and distributed to schools early 2023.

The new resources include:

• new books across all four RTRPP phases, including easier books introduced at the beginning of the learning journey
• sound cards for the kākano phase that provide guidance on teaching and learning individual sound-letter relationships – we’ll also be accompanying the sound cards with an online video that shows how to use them. 

There will also be more resources released later in 2023. For more information on the TKI website:

Ready to Read Phonics Plus – TKI

Ready to Read series – TKI

New best practice guidelines for engaging with children and young people have been developed, which reflect what children and young people say about how we can better support and empower them to have their voice heard.

The guidelines incorporate elements of already established guidelines and links to more detailed information and were developed in collaboration with partner agencies, including representatives from: The Ministry of Youth Development, the Ministry of Education, Ministry for Pacific Peoples, Te Puni Kōkiri, Oranga Tamariki, the Office of the Children’s Commissioner, VOYCE Whakarongo Mai, I.Lead and InsideOUT rainbow youth network.

These best practice guidelines will help ensure engagements undertaken by agencies are done in a way that works for children and young people, and that their insights are used to influence policy development, programmes, services and organisation.

For more information on their website:

Engagement with children and young people guidelines – Child and Youth Wellbeing

The Child Wellbeing and Poverty Reduction Group is hosting a webinar about Strengths-based reporting and measurement on Friday 16 December from 12–1pm. The webinar aims to provide a better understanding of strengths-based reporting and measurement, why it matters and how to apply it to your own contexts.

Executive Director Clare Ward will welcome Andrew Webber and Louise Pirini from the Social Wellbeing Agency and Dr Hinemoa Elder to share their real-world experiences of strengths-based measurement.

For more information on the webinar visit: 
Upcoming webinar – Child and Youth Wellbeing

Teacher aides (TA) play a major part in our school system. There are around 25,000 TAs employed across Aotearoa New Zealand. 

The Education Review Office, in partnership with NZEI Te Riu Roa and the Ministry of Education, has released new research all about celebrating teacher aides and looking at specific ways we can support them to have the most impact on our learners.

The report, ‘Working Together: How Teacher Aides Can Have the Most Impact’, highlights how schools can best set up teacher aides for success, including by teacher aides and teachers working as a team in the classroom.   

In addition to the report and summary, ERO has produced a suite of useful good practice guides for the sector – including guides for teacher aides, school leaders, teachers and more.

For more information on the ERO website: 
Supporting teacher aides to have the most impact – Education Review Office

The Education (School Board) Regulations 2020 have now been amended and will come into force on 1 January 2023. 

In September we advised of new regulations that will replace existing duties in the National Administration Guidelines (NAG) 5(b) and 2(c), as the NAGs cease to have effect from 1 January 2023.

Promoting healthy food and nutrition – School Bulletin 20 September

Sharing quality learning information: Current requirements – School Bulletin 20 September

Promoting healthy food and nutrition in schools – Ministry of Education

The regulations will maintain the existing requirements on school boards to continue promoting healthy food and nutrition and reporting to students and their parents on individual student progress and achievement.  

For more information:

Education (school boards) Amendment Regulations 2022 – Parliamentary Counsel Office

The final date to apply online for the Tagaloa Scholarship is Friday 16 December. This is awarded to Pacific people doing a Master or Doctorate research that contributes to understanding of Pacific People’s experiences and world views in Aotearoa New Zealand. 

Apply online by via our website: 

Tagaloa Scholarships – Ministry of Education

Email Tagaloa.Scholarship@education.govt.nz.

Ko te kaupapa matua o Kia Manawaroa, he whakapāho pānui mo ngā whānau Māori me ā rātou tamariki e noho ana ki raro i te tawharau o Te Tāhuhu o te Mātauranga. 

Kia Manawaroa is the Ministry of Education’s pānui for whānau Māori with children in education.

Kua tuhituhia e te Māori mō ngai Māori epaana ki ngā kowhiringa me ngā pae tawhiti ki roto i te mātauranga, ngā tutukitanga o ngāi Māori hei Māori me te whakahoutia o te kōwheori mō ngā whānau.

It is written by Māori for Māori, with information about opportunities and milestones in education, Māori success as Māori, Te Reo Māori, and COVID-19 updates relevant to whānau as and when appropriate.

Ānei te pānui hou | Read the latest issue of: Kia Manawaroa 2 December 2022

Kua puta mai te perehitanga me ngā mohiotanga mō | In this issue:

• "I don't believe rangatahi are the future, we are the now.”
• Ngāti Toa gets the green light to open a kura ā iwi in Porirua
• The world through a Māori lens: Te Rawhitiroa Bosch
• Registrations are now open for Te Kura Summer School
• Maramataka Symposium: Embedding Indigenous Knowledge(s) in Education
• New resource – Te Kōrerorero: Hei kōrerorero ki te kāinga! Talking Together, Learning in the Home
• Whānau wellbeing and support.

Whakahoki kōrero mai | Send us your feedback

He kōrero ano mō Kia Manawaroa | Find out more about Kia Manawaroa

Ohauru mai kia whiwhi i ngā pārongo hou | Subscribe to get the latest issue straight to your inbox

As the end of Term approaches, make sure you cover areas that involve emergency response, health and safety management plans and property maintenance during the holidays.

Emergency response coordinators – Ministry of Education

Protecting your school and assets – Fire and Emergency NZ

Swimming pools at schools – Ministry of Education

Insurance – Ministry of Education

School IT administrators have started to receive automated Microsoft license notice emails for example: “Microsoft Campus 3 Anniversary Order Reminder Enrolment notice….” regarding the renewal of their Microsoft licenses for next year. You can ignore these reminders. The correct license renewal process will be available by 1 January 2023.

We apologise for any inconvenience. If you require more information, contact the Cyclone Software team directly on 0800 22 55 42 (option 1) or nzschools@cyclone.co.nz.

You may have received an email from Flexicommericial advising that it will cease offering its insurance products, Equipment Protect and Payment Protect, from 1 January 2023. 

These insurance products were optional for leased assets from Flexicommerical and Equico. From this date, Flexicommercial will stop related direct debits but will continue to support any future claims until 30 June 2023.

If your school is impacted, you should continue to be covered by your existing contents insurance, if the leased assets are included in your asset register. This may be with the Ministry’s Risk Management Scheme or your own insurance provider. You will need to check the contents insurance policy to confirm the cover and excess that would apply for the leased assets you have.

For more information: 

Risk management scheme – Ministry of Education

Email resourcing@education.govt.nz if you need support.

We have received reports and feedback regarding outages and server issues that e-asTTle’s users have been experiencing over Term 4 and we acknowledge the impact that this has had on the users of e-asTTle.

Essential technology update work is underway, which will support improving performance issues.  

We are keeping the e-asTTle site active with updates and are working toward a long-term solution to prevent future disruption and inconvenience. 
e-asTTle: What’s new – TKI

• Provision of masks: There are limited number of masks left in stock. Contact Askus.Procurement@education.govt.nz (first come, first served basis). 
• Waikato courses for 2023: Our booklet features a series of workshops and programmes to promote participation, engagement and achievement for children and young people. External Course Booklet 2023.PDF [2,653KB]