In an article by Laura Walters published on 18 June 2024 on Newsroom, Walters writes, “While it had not been officially recommended, the minister has mentioned Prime Maths could follow on from her structured approach to literacy.” This is a breach of the Cabinet Manual, specifically Clause 2.106: No Minister should endorse in any media […]# Content-Attribution # Source: bevanholloway.com Content Creator: Bevan Holloway Date: 2025-08-19T05:04:19+0000

It is good to see people beginning to question the guidance Stanford is receiving, and from whom. It is clear that even from the earliest days of her role as Minister of Education, she was more inclined to defer to voices outside the Ministry. I think we must see her decisions in that light. Elizabeth […]# Content-Attribution # Source: bevanholloway.com Content Creator: Bevan Holloway Date: 2025-08-18T08:07:36+0000

Erica’s curriculum MAG, which had Michael Johnston as chair and counted Elizabeth Rata and Melissa Derby as members, sent its report to the Ministry on 19 March, 2024. Public service guidelines state that advisory groups are to supply advice “direct to the minister”, but they “should not undertake activities that cut across the responsibilities of […]# Content-Attribution # Source: bevanholloway.com Content Creator: Bevan Holloway Date: 2025-08-18T06:52:22+0000

If there was ever any doubt about who was calling the shots regarding the curriculum rewrite, Michael Johnston made it clear on 4 April, 2024. Elizabeth Rata had had her curriculum writing team organised from 23 March, including the venue (Auckland Grammar). But they hadn’t been able to get started because they needed Stanford to […]# Content-Attribution # Source: bevanholloway.com Content Creator: Bevan Holloway Date: 2025-08-14T08:15:27+0000

In the December 2023 Select Committee, Jan Tinetti asked the Ministry of Education leadership team what evidence they would be collecting in relation to the impact of the Maths textbooks, curriculum, and PLD (circa 54 minutes). Pauline Cleaver replied: “We’ll be evaluating the use of the resources alongside the PLD and of course the implementation […]# Content-Attribution # Source: bevanholloway.com Content Creator: Bevan Holloway Date: 2025-08-12T07:38:37+0000

On 22 January, 2024, Stanford emails Michael Johnston, the chair of her Ministerial Advisory Group, from her personal gmail account with this curious message: “I will ring shortly. Please find attached the version of SLOs that we sent to the MOE and the response we received back.” Attached are the ‘Earth & Space Science Learning […]# Content-Attribution # Source: bevanholloway.com Content Creator: Bevan Holloway Date: 2025-08-13T08:14:30+0000

When asked in Parliamentary Written Questions (PWQ), “Did the Minister make any recommendations to Ministry of Education officials about suitable providers of the math resources before, during or after the Request for Proposal had closed; if so, how did the Minister become aware of those providers?”, Stanford replied: “No. I approved the criteria for selecting […]# Content-Attribution # Source: bevanholloway.com Content Creator: Bevan Holloway Date: 2025-08-11T07:37:54+0000

On 19 October, 2024, Elizabeth Rata and Erica Stanford talked. And on 20 October, 2024, Rata emailed Stanford with “the speech notes” from “yesterday” for her to read before they next met. In those notes, Rata rails against the “Learning Approach” and decolonisation, the “political agenda to transform New Zealand”. One of the effects of […]# Content-Attribution # Source: bevanholloway.com Content Creator: Bevan Holloway Date: 2025-08-11T07:16:49+0000

The plan to establish an advisory group to review the curriculum refresh work done to date was quickly actioned by Minister Stanford when she took office in November 2023. The Ministry attempted to make recommendations about its scope and makeup, but these were, in the main, unsuccessful, with the Minister being proactive in providing the […]# Content-Attribution # Source: bevanholloway.com Content Creator: Bevan Holloway Date: 2025-08-10T04:48:42+0000

It will be tempting for many to think that if science is behind the decision by the Ministry to stop printing ‘At the Marae‘, then the decision is rational and thus one to accept. But it is important to keep science, for all its value and wonder, in its place. As Guy Claxton said in […]# Content-Attribution # Source: bevanholloway.com Content Creator: Bevan Holloway Date: 2025-08-08T07:50:59+0000

On 20 December, 2023, Cabinet approved the establishment of the curriculum review Ministerial Advisory Group (MAG), with Michael Johnston as Chair. At 10:06am on 22 December, Michael texts Erica asking if she has time to discuss the MAG. She does, “in about an hour”, but it doesn’t happen, and so Michael texts again at 1:47pm. […]# Content-Attribution # Source: bevanholloway.com Content Creator: Bevan Holloway Date: 2025-08-07T07:26:50+0000

When I first saw this line from ERO, “some of this is currently outdated”, I was pleased. It felt good to have that criticism levelled at the work of the MAG. But. But … If you’ve read Timothy Snyder you’ll be familiar with the concept of the politics of eternity, that appeal to the glorious […]# Content-Attribution # Source: bevanholloway.com Content Creator: Bevan Holloway Date: 2025-08-06T08:02:29+0000