Key Findings, Data, Statistics and Publications

Statistics

Publications

Historical analysis of boards of schools and kura elections:

Why is the Ministry collecting school boards data?

School Boards data are core information required for monitoring the schooling system.  The Ministry uses School Boards data:

• to monitor the school board election process
• to support policy analysis, including, understanding how different groups are represented on school boards
• to support a transparent and open system through public reporting

Boards of schools and kura data are also used for general research and statistics, in accordance with the Privacy Act 2020.  This may include linking School Boards data with student data, for example, to understand the representation of a board compared to its schooling community.  Care is taken that no individual can ever be identified from published analysis.

The Measures

The key measure of the boards of schools and kura data is a head count of members.

The data can be viewed by a range of dimensions, based on the individual, their role on the board, the school, and the school's location.

The Data Source

Boards must hold elections for parent and staff trustees every three years (triennial election).  A board may also decide to adopt a mid-term (staggered) election cycle where half the parent representatives are elected at a mid-term election (18 months after the triennial election) and the remainder are elected at the triennial election.  Elections for student trustees are held annually in September in schools with students above Year 9.

Triennial elections have been held every three years since 1989.

A by-election can occur at any stage in the election cycle if an elected trustee resigns from the board and thereby creates a casual vacancy.  Although the major changes in board membership occur in triennial election years, there is still some fluctuation in intervening years due to casual vacancies, by-elections, selections and mid-term elections.  Visit Board elections for more information.

Demographic information on the trustees is collected throughout the year. An extract of this data is archived on December 1st each year and forms the basis of boards of trustees' analysis.

Collecting Data

Boards of schools and kura election results forms are to be used to notify the Ministry of the results of their board elections, Returning Officers should complete the Candidates and Election Results form.

Individual trustees should complete the New or Change of Membership of Board of Trustees form previously Appendix F available at the NZSTA website.

General information about school boards

For general information about boards of schools and kura please visit the What is a school board page on the main Ministry of Education website.