Wellington needs to be cured of its Living Wage fever

Later this month the Wellington City Council is expected to require all council-owned businesses and contractors to pay their employees a living wage if they don’t already as part of the long term planning process. To some, it may seem like a sensible measure to pay people on the bottom rung of the employment scale a minimum $18.40 an hour as a means helping low-income families in our society (the exact level is yet to be quantified). Read more

Interest.co.nz
8 June, 2015

Rose Patterson on Radio NZ: Maths teaching in NZ: has the numeracy project failed?

A new report being launched by the Education Minister today has criticised the way maths is taught to primary students, saying there is a lack of emphasis on the basics which is holding children back. The report, written by researcher Rose Patterson, for the business thinktank The New Zealand Initiative, says since the Numeracy Project was launched 15 years ago, maths performance has declined. Read more

Rose Patterson
Radio New Zealand
5 June, 2015

Risks in social bonds

Social bonds have caused quite a stir in the media this week. The model has attracted a deluge of negative feedback. Read more

Insights Newsletter
5 June, 2015
Unaccountable cover border

Un(ac)countable: Why millions on maths returned little

This report documents the 15-year history of the Numeracy Development Project (the Numeracy Project), a nationwide centrally devised approach for improving maths. The Numeracy Project existed officially as a professional development (PD) programme for teachers in most primary schools in New Zealand between 2000 and 2009. Read more

Rose Patterson
4 June, 2015

Media release: $70m maths teaching methods failing kids

Wellington (4 June 2015): If your child is falling behind in maths, it could be because they are learning too many methods for solving maths problems, and are not spending enough time on the vital basics. That is a key finding of Un(ac)countable: Why millions on maths returned little by Rose Patterson. Read more

4 June, 2015

Media release: Government commended for progress on social bonds

Wellington (1 June 2015): The Government should be commended for the introduction of a social bond in the mental health sector, as announced today by Finance Minister Bill English and Minister of Health Jonathan Coleman. It is the first of four social bonds the government aims to introduce. Read more

1 June, 2015

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