New Zealand has received six out of 10 in a UNICEF report card on early childhood education and care in 25 wealthy countries. NZ placed seventh equal on a set of 10 benchmarks that outline basic minimum standards for the care and protection of young children. The Nordic countries along with France topped the list.

Although NZ beat out all the other English-speaking countries -- the UK, USA, Canada, Australia and Ireland -- the report highlights serious deficiencies in NZ’s early childhood services.

Titled ‘The child care transition’ the UNICEF report prepared by the Innocenti Research Centre in Italy compares 24 OECD countries plus Slovenia on 10 benchmark indicators. NZ was marked down for insufficient parental leave, low public spending on early childhood services, a high child poverty rate, and disparity of access to essential child health services.

NZ scored 23rd on ‘effective parental leave’, a measure of leave duration multiplied by per cent of salary paid. Only Australia and the United States did worse. With public expenditure on child care and pre-school education services at just 0.4 per cent of GDP, NZ placed 19th and well below the OECD average. NZ trailed countries such as Mexico, Portugal and Hungary on public spending.

NZ’s child poverty rate was more than double the minimum standard. NZ also scored generally poorly on a measure of near-universal outreach of essential child health services. This measure included infant mortality rates, low birthweight, and immunization coverage for children aged 12-33 months. NZ was 19th on infant mortality, 10th on low birthweight, and 24th in terms of immunization coverage.

The report also pointed to a significant trend in wealthy countries for very young children to be cared for outside the home. Approximately 80 per cent of the rich world’s three to six year-olds are now in some form of early childhood education and care. For those under the age of three, about one quarter across the OECD as a whole use childcare.

UNICEF NZ Domestic Advocacy Manager, Barbara Lambourn, says the report sounds a clear warning about the need for New Zealand to improve its performance for young children.

“It is a major cause for concern that NZ fails to meet four of the basic minimum standards set out in the report, placing at risk positive outcomes for future generations. NZ spends, for example, just 0.4 per cent of GDP on early childhood care and education – well below the recommended 1.0 per cent level of expenditure. The average duration of paid parental leave entitlement in OECD countries now approaches one year, but NZ lags well behind with an entitlement of just 14 weeks,” Barbara Lambourn says.

“While the trend towards early childhood education and care can help give older children the best possible start in life and boost educational achievement, it is worrying to see increasing numbers of children under three years of age being cared for in groups outside the home. The economic pressures to return to work early are felt most by the poorest families, who have the least resources available to secure high-quality childcare,” Barbara continues.

“Although it should be acknowledged that NZ has achieved much over recent years in terms of quality and access, more attention needs to be paid to turning around our performance where it fails to meet international standards. Taking no action puts at risk the future of NZ’s most vulnerable children. If we are to avoid remedial spending and a host of social, health and behavioural issues as children of this generation grow older, we must invest more to ensure high quality, universal and inclusive early childhood services and support for parents through increased parental leave,” she says.

The report points to evidence from neuroscience that shows what social science and common experience have long held true, that loving, stable, secure, stimulating and rewarding relationships with family and caregivers in the earliest days, months and years of life are critical for children’s wellbeing and development.

“The quality and stability of the relationship of the carer to the child, in or out of home, is as vital as the quality of the service, particularly in the first three years of a child’s life,” Barbara Lambourn says.

Ms Lambourn says the argument that we can not afford to invest more in child care and parent support is countered by cost benefit analyses showing that returns can be as high as $8 for every $1 invested in early child care education.

“Getting this wrong is not an option. We will pay in the future if we neglect to devote attention and resources today to the needs of young children,” she says.

The full report and comments from sector experts are available at www.unicef.org.nz

Thousand of schools and early childhood centres will be affected by the government’s ‘Fire at Will’ bill which is being pushed through parliament today under urgency. The legislation amends employment law to remove unfair dismissal protections for anyone in a workplace of fewer than 20 people.

The education sector union, NZEI Te Riu Roa, says after sending conflicting messages during the election campaign, National’s bill contains no exemptions for the education sector. That means the law can be applied to thousands of schools and early childhood centres around the country. NZEI President Frances Nelson says a 90 Day probationary period is inherently unfair and unjust to workers, and will have serious implications for education.

“Many teachers and principals move to gain promotion but they would be reluctant to move to a new job where there was no certainty of employment for the first 90 days. The law will jeopardise professional and career development and make it even more difficult for small, rural and remote schools and centres to attract experienced staff,” Frances Nelson says.

NZEI is also concerned by the National government’s refusal to publicly debate the legislation in parliament through the normal select committee process and will be supporting efforts to have the legislation overturned.

The Education Minister Anne Tolley has released the Briefing to the Incoming Minister (BIM) from the Ministry of Education and other education organisations.

“The briefing identifies a number of positive and exciting developments in education as well as a number of challenges and opportunities that need to be addressed in the immediate future and long-term,” Anne Tolley says.

“It shows that the New Zealand education system has a strong base and educational participation has improved in some areas.It also notes that ‘there are some challenging decisions ahead to prioritise expenditure and focus effort on those areas and activities that will raise the performance of the education system’,” she says.

Mrs Tolley says the government will have an unwavering focus on improving education standards.

As outlined in their 100-day action plan, National will be putting forward legislation that:

• Amends the Education Act 1989 so the Minister of Education can set agreed National Standards in literacy and numeracy.
   

• Increases fines for parents of truant children and enables the Ministry to take prosecutions.

Mrs Tolley says further areas that have been singled out for improvement in the BIM include participation and learning for children with special education needs, and access to early childhood education.

“These are real and significant challenges. I am committed to ensuring they are addressed to enable the education sector to deliver a world-class education system,” she says.

The largest education sector union NZEI Te Riu Roa says it is incomprehensible that parliament’s education and select committee has voted to deny education sector groups an opportunity to have some input on critical legislation to introduce national standards for literacy and numeracy. The National government appears poised to push through the Education (National Standards) Amendment Bill under urgency, without the sector knowing what the detail of the legislation is, and what effect it will have on teaching and learning.

NZEI has a strong history of working closely with government, the Education Ministry and other sector group to ensure that all New Zealand children have the very best learning opportunities that the system can provide. In the run up to the election, the National Party campaigned on a platform of collaboration and inclusiveness, yet at this early stage it appears to have slammed the door on those at the chalkface.

NZEI President Frances Nelson says “successful implementation of any new system relies on the commitment of the teaching profession. Teachers will be very willing to implement a process that is educationally sound, but a system of national standards and testing that doesn’t assist in the teaching process, is fraught. It has the potential to take the focus away individual children’s learning needs and move it to meeting the requirements of the standards.”

NZEI believes transparency and openness is critical to ensure that any decisions around teaching and learning are educationally sound and will lead to increased student achievement.

“By shutting the door, the government is ignoring a golden opportunity to utilise the skills and expertise of the sector and forge positive relationships with the very people it will be asking to make its policies work,” says Ms Nelson.

The results of an international study showing a marked drop in student achievement levels in science comes as no surprise, according to the education sector union NZEI Te Riu Roa. The Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study is conducted every four years. It measures achievement levels among Year 5 students in 59 countries and the results for 2006/7 have just been released.

It shows that achievement levels in mathematics have risen steadily, and New Zealand students were well above the average compared to the other 36 English speaking countries. However in science, achievement levels have dropped back to 1994 levels, and New Zealand students were, on average, lower than 21 of those 36 countries.

NZEI says those results reflect the focus primary schools have put on literacy and numeracy in recent years and that focus has paid off. NZEI President Frances Nelson says in many ways science has fallen victim to curriculum crowding and schools need to prioritise the work they do.

“Primary school classrooms and property entitlements also aren’t set up to dedicate space for teaching specialty subjects such as science. Secondary school results show that students are doing well in science. This indicates that the work being done in primary schools is being used as a springboard for success once students have specialist teachers and programmes available at secondary level,” she says.

NZEI believes one of the most compelling indicators of student achievement is socio-economic, and the TIMMS study confirms that link. It shows that achievement in science was higher among students from higher socio-economic backgrounds.

NZEI continues to argue that poverty has a major effect on a child’s learning and greater government and community commitment is needed in tackling it if schools and communities are to successfully raise student achievement levels across all learning areas.

The Rutherford Foundation of the Royal Society of New Zealand has awarded two PhD scholarships to students of The University of Auckland: George Gordon and Rachael Shaw, both of whom have shown exceptional academic ability.  They each have clearly defined research projects and supervisors in place for their doctoral research at the University of Cambridge. 

The announcement was made by Royal Society of New Zealand President, Neville Jordan, at a special function on 10 December at the NZ High Commission in London, to celebrate the 100th anniversary of Ernest Rutherford receiving the Nobel Prize.  He won an 1851 Exhibition Scholarship to study at Cambridge, and spent the latter part of his career as director of the Cavendish Laboratory.

George Gordon is an engineering graduate whose studies will be part of an intelligent airport project, using fibre optic and radio frequency technologies to connect information from many independent electronic sources.

Rachael Shaw will undertake psychological studies of mental time travel in a bird – specifically the Western Scrub Jay.  She will study consciousness and memory, contributing to the field of evolutionary biology and psychology.

Professor Paul Callaghan, trustee and convenor of the Rutherford Foundation selection panel, said, “Both these young people will be wonderful ambassadors for New Zealand science. They also have a strong desire to return home and make their careers here.  That is great to hear.  The Rutherford Foundation trustees plan to increase the number of research opportunities here so that more of our bright young scientists can return home.”

The Royal Society of New Zealand wishes to thank the Cambridge Commonwealth Trust for their generous support of these doctoral scholarships.

KiwiSaver changes introduced to parliament last week will make the scheme more affordable for members, employers and taxpayers, especially in the current economic climate Finance Minister Bill English said. The KiwiSaver changes are included in the Taxation (Urgent Measures and Annual Rates) Bill.

“The Bill includes changes to National’s pre-election policy, restoring the member tax credit to a dollar-for-dollar subsidy up to $1040 for low and middle income earners. The government has decided to abolish the member fee subsidy of $40 per year to help manage the cost of this decision,” Mr English said.

The main changes to KiwiSaver are:

• The minimum member contribution rate will reduce from 4% to 2%, and 2% will be the default contribution rate for new employee members from 1 April 2009.

• The member fee subsidy will be discontinued from 1 April 2009.

• Compulsory employer contributions will be capped at 2% from 1 April 2009.

• The employer tax credit will be discontinued from 1 April 2009.

• The employer superannuation contribution tax exemption will be capped at the compulsory employer contribution of 2% from 1 April 2009.  (That is equivalent to 2% of the employee’s gross salary or wages.)

• The KiwiSaver Act will be amended to make it clear that upon joining KiwiSaver, no employee can have their gross pay reduced as a result of employer contributions.  This will ensure that when employees join KiwiSaver, the compulsory contributions from their employer are a genuine addition to their existing pay.  The changes will also provide employers and employees with the ability to negotiate their own arrangements in good faith. The Employer Relations Act amendment relating to KiwiSaver will then be obsolete, and will be repealed from the date of assent of the Employment Relations Amendment Bill.

• The KiwiSaver Act will also be amended to provide a limited exemption from compliance with securities and other related legislation for a limited period so that providers have time to update prospectuses and investment statements, for example.

“We have retained the main features that have made KiwiSaver a popular means of saving for a better standard of living in retirement –the member tax credit of up to $20 a week, the $1000 kick-start, mortgage diversion, deposit subsidy and the first-home withdrawal provisions. And we have ensured that it is a more affordable scheme for low income earners and a more sustainable scheme for New Zealand,” Mr English said.

Moving from National’s pre-election policy of the member tax credit matching the minimum member contribution rate of 2%, to matching dollar-for-dollar up to $1040, would have come at a cost of $791 million over five years. This would have meant the final tax and KiwiSaver package would have gone from saving $566 million to costing $225 million over five years.

To help manage this cost and to ensure the package is fiscally neutral, the government has decided to remove the member fee subsidy and reduce costs by $203 million. This brings the total net cost of the package over five years to $22 million.

An information sheet on the changes to KiwiSaver is available from the Beehive website:
http://beehive.govt.nz/sites/all/files/KiwiSaver_info_sheet_0.pdf

Rotorua secondary school student Tracey Bates celebrated her birthday on 6th December, with an extra special present courtesy of Crown Research Institute Scion. The John Paul College graduate not only turned 18, but also had a cheque in her hand for $2,000 towards the next stage in her science studies, and the guarantee of summer vacation work at Scion for the duration of her undergraduate degree.

Tracey has been awarded the 2008 Scion Suffrage Centennial Scholarship, an annual award to promote science as an attractive career option for women. Tracey will be starting a conjoint Bachelor of Science and Bachelor of Arts degree at Victoria University of Wellington in February 2009. She says winning the award means a lot to her.

“Not only is it offering guaranteed summer work throughout my tertiary education, but it is also offering the chance to gain skills and knowledge that I could not get anywhere else,” says Tracey. “It means that I will be leaving university with a lot of experience that other graduates will not have. I am also really looking forward to the fact that the work is so different and interesting compared to the general summer student jobs. Also, with increasing concerns about the environment and our effect on it, I think the work that Scion and its scientists do has become increasingly important.”

Previous scholarship recipient Kerry Charles is also a former John Paul College graduate and currently at Victoria University of Wellington undertaking a conjoint BSc/BA. Kerry says she is fortunate to have had the opportunities the scholarship has offered.

“To have a job for the summer where you can keep thinking instead of switching off your brain is great,” says Kerry. “Also, to be able to apply what you have learnt in a lecture theatre during the year to a real world situation is really valuable. The scholarship has given me the chance to work with, learn from and get to know some incredibly talented, knowledgeable and fun people. The interesting, challenging and enjoyable work I have experienced at Scion has only reinforced that science is what I want to do with my life.”

John Paul College Principal Patrick Walsh is delighted with Tracey’s award.

“Tracey has always been a top performing student, but she is also a very well rounded individual,” Mr Walsh says. “As well as academic studies, she has excelled in areas such as sport and community work, and is an excellent role model. I am sure she would have succeeded in any tertiary studies she chose, so it is great that she has chosen to pursue science. Science research is fundamental to the success of New Zealand’s economy. We are a small country and it is only through the work of our scientists that we can hope to compete in the global marketplace.”

Dr Christine Todoroki, Scion senior scientist and scholarship judge, says the calibre of every applicant was excellent this year, but that Tracey was outstanding.

“She has exceptional academic, sporting and community achievements, including gaining Scholarship English while in year 12, and being a water polo, swimming, cycling and track champion,” says Dr Todoroki. “She is also clearly passionate about science, particularly biology and ecology, and has a strong desire to learn. She was the perfect fit to what we look for in a scholarship candidate.”

Caption:
Tracey receives her cheque from Scion CEO Dr Tom Richardson

Be safe on the roads this Christmas and give alcohol a miss if you plan to drive after attending festive season functions. Inspector Peter Baird, Wellington District Road Policing Manager, says there's no excuse for drinking and driving and people need to be responsible for their actions.

A police Traffic Alcohol Group operation on night one night earlier this month resulted in over 2200 vehicles stopped and drivers breath tested near Tawa on State Highway 1.  Fifteen people are facing drink drive charges, four are facing disqualified driving and other traffic charges, and four men were arrested for unlawfully taking a motor vehicle.

Inspector Baird said police were very concerned by the number of people caught drinking after attending Christmas parties.

"It really is a no brainer," he says.  "Alcohol and driving don't mix.  There's plenty of alternative transport options that will get you home safely without having to drink and drive. People want to have fun but we want them to get home safely without putting themselves or the lives of others at risk."

Inspector Baird says more drink drive operations are planned between now and New Year.

He urges people to:

• be a responsible host and ensure food and non alcohol drinks are available.

• pre-arrange taxis, shuttle buses or other safe transport alternatives to get people home

• appoint someone in your group as the sober driver for the night.  They're in charge of the car keys.

• think safety. Look after your friends and family members to make sure they don't drink and drive.

"This is simple common sense advice which everyone should follow," Inspector Baird says.  "Don't ruin your Christmas or that of others by becoming a drink drive statistic."

On Friday 12 December Toko School in Taranaki was the first school in New Zealand to have a new bus shelter installed as part of the Totalspan Undercover Kids Bus Shelter Programme. The rural school is just one of 120 across New Zealand that will receive a bus shelter in the coming months.
 
The Toko School shelter will be located close to the school at a large new bus turn-around area that is designed to keep students safe when they come and go from school. Toko School Principal Richard Bradly says the school was delighted to hear it would receive a new shelter in time for Christmas.
 
“We had been concerned for some time about the safety of Toko School children, parents and high school students all combining in one area before and after school. The school decided a new area was required where the bus could turn around and children could get on and off the buses safely,” he says.

“The Totalspan shelter will be invaluable to our school as it will ensure the safety and shelter of school children in the area. The school is in close proximity to a 100 km/h highway so it is vital that we minimise the dangers at the school gate. The bus shelter from Totalspan will help to do this,” he adds.
 
A total of 209 schools submitted applications for bus shelters. The Totalspan Undercover Kids Programme had planned to provide 112 shelters valued at around $2000 each, but the applications were so impressive that the company decided to allocate eight additional shelters. Leon Skylakis from Totalspan says the programme is a great way for the company to give something back to rural communities, which are an integral part of their business.

“Many parents and communities worry about children waiting by the side of the road for their bus. The Undercover Kids Programme is designed to reduce the risk to our children. The new shelters will be highly visible to motorists and will provide excellent shelter for children,” he says.

“The feedback we have had from schools and community members has been amazing. We were taken aback by the number of applications we fielded. This proves that this programme is needed in the rural community. We will be doing everything we can to meet the needs of schools around the country in the years to come,” he adds.

Totalspan aims to provide another 150 shelters next year and to keep increasing the number supplied in the years following. Leon Skylakis says the programme would not have been such a success without the support of their suppliers.

“The support from all of our suppliers has been invaluable. Without the help from New Zealand Steel, Allied Concrete, Duffill Watts, Australasian Agricultural Publishing – NZ Rural Press and PBT, the programme would not have gone ahead,” he says.

“The support for the initiative from key organizations, such as the New Zealand Principals’ Federation, the New Zealand School Trustees Association and Rural Women New Zealand, has also been overwhelming,” he adds.

Digital New Zealand, a nation-wide project to help make New Zealand digital content easier to find, share and use, was launched at the National Library of New Zealand on 3 December 2008. Among the list of speakers was a video presentation by the children from Room 5, Nelson Central School. The children of Nelson Central School were one of the first to create and share digital content using the ‘Memory Maker’ tool from DigitalNZ. They shared their stories of that experience by producing a video which was broadcast at the event.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cutQ8oU9scA 

Evie, Room 5, Nelson Central School said, "I loved making my own movie at home and I was very excited when Digital New Zealand asked us if we could make a video to show at their launch."

The ‘Memory Maker’ tool was one of 2 online experiences released by DigitalNZ to mark the 90th anniversary of Armistice Day. Working with members of the National Digital Forum to collect special and unique New Zealand content relating to the end of the First World War, Digital New Zealand built a search widget (the Coming Home search) that lets people explore this content, and a video remix tool (the Memory Maker) that lets them create and share a multi-media clip using video, music, still images and more.

Thomas, Room 5, Nelson Central School said "I thinks it's clever how children can learn about World War 1 by having fun with the ‘Memory Maker‘ on the DigitalNZ site. It took me a few goes to get my part of the video right but it was worth it in the end. It was fun being involved in it."

A primary aim of the Digital New Zealand project is to increase the amount of New Zealand digital content available online. About two thirds of New Zealanders access the internet and of these approximately 84% browse the web using search engines. Ease of use and ease of discovery is crucial to web browsers: content that can’t be easily found won’t be used. Digital New Zealand will be working with content creators (including government, the education sector, cultural institutions, community groups and more) to help them get their content online in a form that can be easily found and used by web users.

Fiona Rigby, DigitalNZ Project Manager says "We are delighted to see the work of DigitalNZ uncovering New Zealand's digital treasures... to have schools like Nelson Central School using the 'Memory Maker' to create their own digital content and share that with a wider audience is just fantastic."

The 3 December launch marked the official unveiling of the Digital New Zealand website DigitalNZ.org. The website underpins several important parts of the Digital New Zealand project:

• organisations and individuals can get expert advice on creating, sharing and preserving digital content on the website

• web developers can access the Digital New Zealand API (an Application Programming Interface that makes digital content contributed by owners available to people who want to use it to build new online tools and experiences)

• the public can access search tools and online experiences that use New Zealand digital content.

Digital New Zealand is a collaborative project, led by the National Library and funded by the New Zealand Government, which aims to test new ways to create digital content, collect and share existing digital content and build smart, freely available search and discovery tools.

Photo 1
Stars of the show!.The audience at the DigitalNZ launch enjoying the video presentation by Room 5, Nelson Central School.

Photo 2:
Stars of the show!.  The video by Room 5, Nelson Central School at the DigitalNZ launch.

DigitalNZ is a nation-wide project to help make New Zealand digital content easier to find, share and use. It was launched at the National Library of New Zealand on 3 December 2008. Digital New Zealand, a collaborative project led by the National Library and funded by the New Zealand Government, aims to test new ways to create digital content, collect and share existing digital content and build smart, freely available search and discovery tools. The 3 December launch also marked the official unveiling of the Digital New Zealand website http://www.digitalnz.org. 
Images courtesy of National Library Imaging Services

In selecting the last weekly wine for 2008, I wanted to select a wine that goes well with summer, and in particular a variety of summer events including enjoying picnics, freshly caught fish and light summer lunches on hot summer days. The wine I have chosen is the Saint Clair Pioneer Block 7 Berry Block Sauvignon Blanc.

The name Berry Block conjures images of fresh summer berries growing beside the vineyard, and flavours of those berries in the wine. It is therefore a bit disappointing to learn that the wine doesn’t get its name from an abundance of summer fruit nearby but from the owners of the vineyard, the Rowberry family.

The vineyard is located in the Lower Wairau, and experiences a slightly cooler climate with a longer growing season than most of Marlborough. The soils are even, fertile, deep free draining silt loams. It is the fourth year that these vines have produced crops.

To make the 2008 vintage, the fruit was carefully monitored during ripening and harvested in the cool of the evening when the fruit reached maximum flavour and physiological ripeness. Once at the winery, the juice was pressed off immediately to minimise skin contact and juice deterioration. After settling, the juice was fermented using a variety of selected yeasts in 100% stainless steel. This batch was selected as a Pioneer Block wine due to its power and intensity of flavour.

The resulting pale straw coloured Saint Clair Berry Block Sauvignon Blanc of 2008 doesn’t have many berry characters I could detect besides blackcurrant, but it does have a wonderful aroma combining the blackcurrant with ripe peach, guava and passionfruit plus distinctive nettle notes. I found the flavour to be of blackcurrant and passionfruit, with distinctive citrus characters and underlying mineral notes. It is an intense palate with a long lingering finish.

I would recommend this wine with pan seared scallops or freshly caught ocean fish. It is also in my opinion a good wine to take chilled on a picnic to enjoy with chicken, or to enjoy with a milder Thai meal.

Remember: If you want to make any comments or have any questions, send them to Stephen@tstnz.com our resident wine guru.

Salut!

Yes it is another Christmas themed game, just help Santa collect all the presents in his sled. This does require some thought and application of physics though
Visit: http://www.miniclip.com/games/snow-line/en/

Remember if you know of a fun or interesting website, email newsroom@tstnz.com with the link and we can share it with educators throughout New Zealand.

If you are looking for more interesting or informative websites, even ones that will help you with the school curricula why not check out our free resources and downloads. You would be surprised how much information is there.