HUMAN PROBLEMS IN ADMINISTRATIVE CHANGE: A NEW ZEALAND CASE STUDY

Decisions on changes in administration are as old as recorded history if we may judge from the example to be found in Exodus in which Jethro persuaded Moses to delegate some of his responsibilities so that he would not “wear away”. But the study of such decisions with the idea of deriving principles which may conceivably guide the behaviour of administrators is comparatively recent. For the student of educational administration a case study of the events and influences surrounding a particular administrative act, which can be examined and discussed, so that the springs of action are defined and assessed, offers material for such study. With these thoughts in mind, the authors of this paper have analysed the circumstances that led to the governmental decision to transfer the administrative control of the separate group of Maori primary schools in New Zealand from the central Department of Education to the regional education boards. The mode of decision also raises questions and issues that may be instructive in the study of administrative change.