Education Statistics of New Zealand 2006

Introduction

The main source of information for the tables is a census of educational institutions carried out during July 2006. The data contained in this volume reflects a snapshot of education in New Zealand and therefore does not give cumulative enrolments over an entire year.

In this publication the ethnicity of students at the pre-school level is normally identified by a parent or guardian. Ethnicity of students at school level is either self-identified or identified by a parent or guardian. Students at tertiary level usually self-identify their ethnic group or groups. Ethnicity is prioritised. An explanation of this can be found in the glossary.

A glossary that identifies other educational classifications and terms used in this publication can be found at the bottom of this page.

Unless otherwise stated, data in this publication was collected by the Data Management Unit of the Ministry of Education. 

General

At 1 July 2006, there were 1,297,256 enrolments at educational institutions (or in home schooling) throughout New Zealand. This is a decrease in enrolments of 0.6 percent since 1 July 2005. It is estimated that these students represented 31.3 percent of the total New Zealand population. This is an apparent rate only due to multiple enrolments by students, particularly in ECE centres and tertiary institutes.

At 1 July 2006, there were 7,450 educational institutions. Of these, 4,496 were early childhood institutions (excluding the Correspondence School), 2,598 were schools, 33 were public tertiary education providers and 323 were private tertiary education providers (this only includes those providers that had students in formal programmes of study at July).

There are a number of educational institutions that provide education specifically for Māori and Pasifika students. Examples are kōhanga reo, ngā puna kōhungahunga and Pasifika early childhood groups for pre-schoolers, kura kaupapa Māori for school-aged students, and wānanga for post-secondary education.

20.0 percent (257,729) of students attending educational institutions (excluding homeschooled students) at July 2006 were identified as Māori, while 7.5 percent (97,023) were identified as Pasifika.

There were 41,064 international students attending New Zealand schools and tertiary institutions at July 2006. This is a decrease of 14.6 percent since 1 July 2005.

Figure 2 - The Apparent Percentage of the Population Participating in Formal Education as at 1 July 2006

Early Childhood Education

The aim of early childhood education is to promote children's learning and development. The main providers of early childhood education are:

• Kindergartens, which operate sessional early childhood education for children between the ages of three and five.
• Playcentres, which are collectively supervised and managed by parents for children aged up to five years.
• Education and Care Centres, which provide sessional, all-day, or flexible hour programmes for children from birth to school age. They may be owned by private businesses, private trusts, public bodies or community trusts.

Included are a small but increasing number of services that provide Māori Immersion Education and Pacific Island Education.

• Homebased Services, which is a network of homes under the supervision of a homebased coordinator. The coordinator places children with caregivers in approved homes for an agreed number of hours per week.
• The Correspondence School, which is a distance education service mainly for children between three and five who are unable to attend, or have limited access to, an early childhood service because of isolation, illness or itinerancy. Programmes are also available for children with special needs.
• Te Kōhanga Reo programmes, with a whanau development philosophy based on the total immersion of children from birth to school age in Māori language, culture, and values.
• A range of licence-exempt groups, which include:
• Playgroups, which are community based groups of parents and children who meet for one to three sessions per week.
• Pasifika Language Groups, whose main purpose is to provide programmes based on the values and languages of Pacific Island cultures.
• Special character centres such as Early Intervention Centres and Pacific Island Centres. These groups operate with a high level of parent participation.
• Ngā Puna Kōhungahunga, which are groups set up in community based locations that are culturally appropriate for Māori.

Enrolment Trends

A total of 184,454 children were on the regular roll of an early childhood education service at 1 July 2006 , an increase of 5.4 percent since 2002.

Of all year one students attending schools at 1 July 2006 , 90 percent had previously participated in some form of early childhood education. In comparison, 95 percent of European/Pākehā year one students, 91 percent of Asian students, 84 percent of Māori students and 79 percent of Pasifika students attended some form of early childhood education (refer to table 18).

Different Types of Services

In 2006 there were 4,496 services providing early childhood education. Of these, 3,665 were licensed. There was an overall net increase of 268 licensed and licence-exempt services from July 2005 to July 2006.

Education and care services had the highest proportion of enrolments at licensed services (47 percent) in 2006 followed by kindergartens (24 percent). Enrolments in education and care services have increased steadily over the last ten years. In comparison the proportion of kindergarten enrolments have declined since 1997. This reflects the changing patterns of employment of parents who require services that offer all-day care rather than sessional programmes.

Figure 3 - Enrolments in Early Childhood Education Services 1997-2006

Ethnic Trends

Māori accounted for 19 percent of all enrolments in July 2006. Education and care services had the highest proportion of Māori enrolments (35.1 percent ) in July 2006, followed closely by Te Kōhanga Reo (27.1 percent ).

Enrolments for children identified as Pasifika were 6.2 percent of all enrolments. Education and Care services had the largest share of Pasifika enrolments with 50.7 percent of all Pasifika enrolments.

European enrolments made up 67.3 percent , Asian enrolments made up 5.8 percent and other ethnic groups comprised 1.6 percent of all enrolments.

Table 1 - Children on the Regular Rolls of ECE Services by Ethnic Group at July 2002-2006

ETHNIC GROUP	YEAR					% change 2002-2006
	2002	2003	2004	2005	2006
European/Pākehā	119,297	121,835	124,043	124,360	124,154	4.1%
Māori	32,779	33,892	35,232	35,756	35,000	6.8%
Pasifika	11,519	11,838	12,062	11,927	11,492	-0.2%
Asian	8,899	9,886	10,464	10,629	10,782	21.2%
Other	2,469	2,549	2,712	2,855	3,026	22.6%
Total	174,963	180,000	184,513	185,528	184,454	5.4%

 

Staff at Early Childhood Services

In July 2006, 57 percent of teachers in licensed services (excluding Te Kōhanga Reo and Playcentres) had a Diploma of Teaching (ECE) or higher. A Diploma in Teaching (ECE) is the minimum qualification required for teacher registration.

The proportion of teachers at education and care services holding a Diploma in Teaching (ECE) or higher increased from 46.4 percent in July 2005 to 50 percent in July 2006.

Schools

• Education is compulsory for all children aged between six and sixteen years. Most children are enrolled at school on their fifth birthday. The New Zealand Education Act (1989) provides for free education in state schools administered by boards of trustees.
• At 1 July 2006 there were 2,468 state schools and 105 private schools, which receive some Government funding.
• Home schooling is possible for those who prefer it, on the condition that a standard of education similar to that available in a registered school is provided. At 1 July 2006 there were 6,298 students involved in home schooling.
• The Correspondence School provides education for students who cannot attend a school because they live in remote or inaccessible areas, because they are overseas, or because of illness or other special reasons.
• In the school sector an adult is defined as a student who is aged 19 years or over on 1 January of a year in which they attend school.

Figure 4 - Number of Students at 1 July 1997-2006

Enrolment Trends

At 1 July 2006 there were 760,761 students enrolled at schools in New Zealand . Between 2005 and 2006, enrolments in the school sector decreased by 2,029 (0.3 percent).

In the Primary sector (Years 1-8), enrolments decreased by 2,355 (0.5%) whilst enrolments in the Secondary sector (Years 9-15) increased by 326 (0.1%)

The roll of the Correspondence School has decreased by 759 students (11.4%) between 1 July 2005 and 1 July 2006 .

Regional Trends

In Auckland, where 33.2 percent of the national school population attend schools, there was a 0.4 percent increase in rolls compared with 0.5 percent in July 2005 and 0.6 percent in July 2003. Auckland is the only region to have had growth in rolls for every year in the last ten years.

Wellington , Marlborough and Canterbury were the only other regions with roll growth between 2005 and 2006, with 0.4 percent, 0.3 percent and 0.2 percent respectively.

There were 12 regions whose rolls decreased between July 2005 and July 2006. The West Coast and Gisborne regions had the largest decreases at -1.6 percent and -1.5 percent respectively.

The Southland region had a decrease of -0.9 and is the only region to have had decreases for every year in the last ten years

Ethnic Trends

The number of Asian domestic students attending New Zealand schools increased by 2.5 percent between July 2005 and July 2006. In July 2006 they accounted for 8.2 percent of the domestic school population, compared with 8.0 percent in July 2005.

The proportion of European/Pākehā students in the total domestic school population decreased slightly (from 59.6 percent in July 2005 to 59.0 percent in July 2006).

The proportion of Māori students has stayed steady at 21.6 percent, and Pasifika students increased from 8.8 percent to 9.1 percent.

Domestic students exclude Foreign Fee-Paying students and NZAID scholarship students but include Exchange students.

Table 2 - Number of Students by Ethnicity, July 2002-2006

ETHNIC GROUP	2002	2003	2004	2005	2006	% Change 2002-2006
European/ Pākehā	459,699	455,868	453,473	448,218	443,361	-3.6
Māori	152,556	157,270	160,732	162,534	162,385	6.4
Pasifika	60,313	62,707	64,121	66,088	68,059	12.8
Asian	49,294	56,024	58,737	60,358	61,857	25.5
Other	10,782	12,312	13,048	14,223	15,382	42.7
Domestic Sub-total	732,644	744,181	750,111	751,421	751,044	2.5
NZAID Scholarship & Foreign Fee-Paying Students	15,440	17,574	14,543	11,369	9,717	-37.1
TOTAL	748,084	761,755	764,654	762,790	760,761	1.7

International Students

At 1 July 2006 there were 10,363 international students attending New Zealand schools. An International student is one who is currently studying on a student permit or diplomatic passport. This excludes students from overseas with New Zealand citizenship or permanent residence or with Australian citizenship.

International students now account for 1.4 percent of the school population. Of these students, 9,645 were foreign fee-paying, which was a decrease of 8.2 percent between July 2005 and July 2006. The majority of foreign fee-paying students came from the Asian region.

School Leavers in 2005

57,454 students left school in 2005. Year 13 was the last year of schooling for 58.7 percent of school leavers.

The regions with the lowest proportion of students leaving school with low or no attainment are Otago with 8.9 percent, Southland with 10.4 percent and Auckland with 10.5 percent.

The regions with the highest proportion of students leaving school with University Entrance were Otago with 35.5 percent, Auckland with 34.8 percent and Wellington with 32.2 percent.

 

Glossary of Educational Terms

 

Activity Centre Centre for secondary students experiencing problems with schooling and in need of alternative options. Activity centres are attached to a local secondary school for administrative purposes. 

Adult Students A student who is aged 19 years of age or older on 1 January of a year in which they attend a school.

Alternative Education Student A young person aged between thirteen and a half and sixteen years of age who has become alienated from the education system, and who is either unwilling to attend a regular school or schools are unwilling to enrol them in a mainstream setting.

Authority Describes the ownership of each educational institution

Bilingual Class/es Classes in which some students in a school are involved in Māori-medium education for 3 to 20 hours per week.

Bilingual School A school where all students are involved in Māori-medium education for 3 to 20 hours per week.

Childcare Centres (see Education and Care Centres).

College of Education A public tertiary education institution that provides mainly specialist teacher education training.

Correspondence School National school providing distance learning for full-time students, dual enrolled students, adult students and those with special education needs unable to attend regular school. Provides early childhood, primary and secondary education

Decile/Decile Band (Also known as Socio-Economic Decile Band). All schools are given a decile rating, depending on the socio-economic status of the area they serve. Schools in the lowest deciles (1-3) draw their students from communities with the highest degree of socio-economic disadvantage, while those in the highest deciles (8-10) draw the least from these communities.

Domestic Students Domestic students exclude Foreign Fee-Paying students and NZAID scholarship students but include Exchange students

Dual EnrolledStudents Students who are enrolled at their local school whilst studying subjects through the Correspondence School that their local school is unable to provide

Education and Care Centres Provide sessional, all-day, or flexible hour programmes for children from birth to school age. They may be privately owned, non-profit making, or operated as an adjunct to a business or organisation.

Ethnicity The ethnic group or groups to which a student belongs. A parent or guardian normally identifies ethnicity of children at the pre-school level. Ethnicity of students at school level is either self-identified or identified by a parent or guardian. Students at tertiary level usually self-identify their ethnic group or groups. Ethnicity is prioritised. (See separate entry)

Exchange Student An international student studying in New Zealand under an exchange programme approved by the New Zealand Government.

Foreign Fee-Paying Student An international student who meets full tuition costs on their own or from funds provided to them by sponsors other than the New Zealand Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade.

Full-Time Equivalent Student (FTE) At secondary schools an FTE is calculated by adding together class contact hours of each part-time student, dividing by 20, and rounding to one decimal place.

Full-Time Teacher Equivalent (FTTE) One full-time teacher equivalent is a teacher employed for a full working week.(In schools) Calculated by adding together class contact hours, dividing by 25.

Homebased Services (Early childhood education) A cluster of homes under the supervision of a homebased co-ordinator. The co-ordinator places children with caregivers in approved homes for an agreed number of hours per week.

Homeschooling Parents/guardians may choose to educate their children at home, on the condition that a standard of education similar to that in a regular school is provided.

Immersion Class/es Classes in which some students in a school are involved in Māori-medium education for more than 20 hours per week or more than 80 percent of the time.

Immersion School A school where all students are involved in Māori-medium education for more than 20 hours per week or more than 80 percent of the time.

Institute of Technology/Polytechnic A public tertiary education institution that is characterised by a wide diversity of vocational and professional programmes.

International Student An overseas student who has come to New Zealand for the purpose of education, and/or is currently studying on a student permit or diplomatic passport. This excludes students from overseas with New Zealand citizenship or permanent residence or with Australian citizenship.

Kindergarten An early childhood institution that provides sessional programmes for mainly three and four year old children.

Kura Kaupapa Māori State schools where teaching is in the Māori language (Te Reo Māori) and is based on Māori culture and values.

Kura Teina A developing Kura that is attached to a recognised Kura Kaupapa Māori.

Learning Zone Each subject has a level of study (learning zone) associated with it to indicate the class level at which it is generally studied. The learning zone may differ from the student’s year of schooling (e.g. a year 13 student studying science at NCEA Level 1is recorded in the year 11 learning zone).

Licence-Exempt Early Childhood Services A community based non-profit making group operated by parents and are exempt from licensing if they operate for no more than three hours on any one day, have more than half the parents attending each session and parents assume responsibility for each child attending the group.

Licensed Early Childhood Education Centres Any premises used regularly for the education or care of three or more children under the age of six must be licensed except where specifically exempted by the Minister of Education.

Māori-Medium Education Students are taught curriculum subjects in both Māori and English (bilingual) or in Māori only (immersion) as well as learning Te Reo Māori.

MoE Year Level Measures the number of years of schooling a student has received and provides the Ministry of Education with a method of counting students for funding and staffing purposes. Note that year of schooling does not equate to the academic level that students study at.

National Certificate of Education Achievement (NCEA) A qualification on the National Qualification Framework based on credits from all unit and achievement standards.

New Zealand Agency for International Development (NZAID) Student A student on a scholarship from the New Zealand Agency for International Development. Prior to 2004, this was known as a MFAT Scholarship

New Zealand Qualifications Authority (NZQA) Independent body responsible for setting and regularly reviewing standards for qualifications including administering national examinations.

National Qualification Framework A framework on which qualifications and skill standards can be registered subject to certain quality criteria being met. Uses a system of levels to indicate progressively more difficult or complex learning outcomes.

Ngā Puna Kōhungahunga License-exempt groups in community based locations that are culturally appropriate for Māori.

Other: Vote Education State special schools that are funded by the Ministry of Education but not owned by the Ministry.

Pacific-Medium Education Students are taught curriculum subjects in both Pacific languages and English (bilingual) or in Pacific languages only (immersion).

Playcentre An early childhood institution that is collectively supervised and managed by parents for children aged between zero and five years.

Playgroups Community-based groups of parents and pre-school children whose playgroups meet for one to three sessions per week.

Prioritised Ethnicity Prioritised ethnicity output reduces multiple ethnic responses to a single ethnic response so that the count of ethnic groups equals the total count. The current system of prioritisation gives precedence to responses in the following order: first ‘Māori’, then ‘Pasifika’, followed by ‘Asian’, ‘Other’ and ‘European’

Private Tertiary Education Providers These consist of private institutions registered with the New Zealand Qualifications Authority and other tertiary education providers in receipt of a Ministry of Education Grant (OTEP). Many private tertiary education providers receive Ministry of Education tuition subsidies and/or funding for Skill NZ programmes.

Public Tertiary Education Institutions A university, college of education, institute of technology/polytechnic or wānanga as defined by the Education Act 1989. The term excludes other post-secondary institutions, such as private training education providers.

Regular student A domestic student, who is aged less than 19 years at 1 January of the roll count year. Includes: Students in general classrooms and those in special needs units. Excludes: Foreign fee-paying students, NZAID-funded students, alternative education students, and adult students.

School Leaver Students leaving secondary school to enter the workforce, further education or training.

School Locality

Main Urban	Very large urban areas centred on a city or major urban centre. Main urban areas have a minimum population of 30,000.
Secondary Urban	Centred on the larger regional centres. Secondary urban areas have a population between 10,000 and 29,999.
Minor Urban	Urbanised settlements centred around smaller towns. Minor urban areas have a population between 1,000 and 9,999.
Rural	Rural centres have a population between 300 and 999.

School Type

Primary	Full Primary (Year 1-8) Contributing (Year 1-6) Intermediate (Year 7 & 8)
Composite	Composite (Year 1-15) Correspondence School (See separate entry) Restricted Composite (Year 7-10)
Secondary	Secondary (Year 7-15) Secondary (Year 9-15)
Special	Special School (See separate entry)

Special School A school providing specialist education or support for students with specific physical, behaviour, sensory or intellectual support needs.

Stand-downs (school) A stand-downis the formal removal of a student from a state school for a specified period. Stand-downs of a student can total no more than 5 school days in any term, or 10 days in a school year. Following stand-downs, students return automatically to school.

State Integrated Schools Integrated schools follow the state curriculum requirements but retain their “special character” (religious observances, for example). The proprietors provide accommodation while the state pays day-to-day expenses, including teacher salaries.

Suspensions (school) A suspensionis the formal removal of a student from a state school until the Board of Trustees decides the outcome at a suspension meeting.

Te Kōhanga Reo An early childhood institution administered by the Te Kōhanga Reo Trust. The programmes are based on the total immersion of children from birth to school age in Māori language, culture, and values.

Te Reo Māori The Māori language.

Teen Parent Units Are classes attached to secondary schools for the education of teenage parents where verified barriers to learning in a mainstream situation have resulted from pregnancy and child rearing responsibilities; and who have enrolled within the age range to receive free education (i.e. up to age 19 years).

Tertiary Education Providers Post compulsory educational institutions that provide formal programmes of study.

University A public tertiary education institution that is primarily concerned with advanced learning and knowledge, research, and teaching to a postgraduate level.

Wānanga A public tertiary institution that provides programmes with an emphasis on the application of knowledge regarding ahuatanga Māori (Māori tradition) according to tikanga Māori (Māori custom).

Wharekura The Year 9-15 component of Kura Kaupapa Māori that are composite schools. Wharekura are not recorded distinctly from Kura Kaupapa Māori in Ministry data collections, so are not reported on separately within this publication.

Related Pages on Education Counts

See Education Statistics of New Zealand publication home page (also includes data from publications as downloadable spreadsheets).