The Control of Education in New Zealand: Centrality with Minimal Recourse to Party Politics

An attempt is made to examine and assess the extent to which general politics influence decisions on major educational issues in a country, comparatively small, whose total population is 2.8 million. Education is centrally financed although locally administered, and professional supervision is largely the responsibility of a central agency. Educational decisions of any importance are made centrally yet the intrusion of party politics into the governance of education is seen to be minimal. A further conclusion is that the various groups involved in public education have through consultation and negotiation achieved a workable balance of power. The “politics of education” in New Zealand is to he found in the relationships of these groups and the pressures they are able to exert. This is an area that offers considerable opportunity for research.