A Message from the Rector

By Richard Hall | Posted: Wednesday August 6, 2025

NCEA changes and OBHS.

I believe that the proposed changes to New Zealand’s secondary school qualification system, set to take effect in 2028, are a positive step forward.

Rather than focusing on the faults, which exist in every system, I have chosen to look ahead.

At present, I lack the detail necessary to make a deeply informed comment, but what I have seen so far makes good sense. Simplification, and a return to teaching the curriculum before leading into assessment, will offer teachers the opportunity to engage more deeply. They’ll be able to explore interesting tangents (if that motivates the boys), and feel they can breathe a little more, with more time and less assessment pressure. This is a positive shift.

Examinations are likely to feature more prominently. However, we have always retained examinations, even in the face of pressure to drop them, because we believe they are something our boys can, and do, perform well in. There is no need to fear them.

On the surface, there will also continue to be alignment between ‘academic’ subjects and those with a more practical focus. The new Vocational Education and Training pathway, which incorporates industry-driven learning into schools, connects what a boy learns here to what will make him employable beyond the archway. Combined with a strong literacy and numeracy qualification, I see no reason to believe there has been any lessening of opportunity.

Time will tell, but I will finish as I started: I believe these proposed changes are a positive step forward.