The BERL research
BERL (Business and Economic Research Ltd) is a leading provider of a broad range of economic research, analysis, advice and consultancy for business enterprises, organisations, institutions, community groups, industry associations and public sector clients in Aotearoa New Zealand.
PPTA commissioned BERL to provide an independent evidence base, supported by both qualitative and quantitative data, on the resource implications and impacts on students of the proposed qualification reforms. The research combined analysis of achievement data with focus groups and interviews involving students, teachers, principals and Māori-medium education settings.
Key findings:
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14,930 students (32.3% of current L2 achievers) exposed to failure risk
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The equity finding: 3x more likely for high-deprivation schools; 4,400 Māori and 2,300 Pacific learners at risk annually
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Cost estimates: $29–34k (small school) to $222–260k (large school)
What the research tells us:
Students
value choice, diverse pathways, and learning connected to future study and employment. They overwhelmingly prefer assessment spread across the year over a single exam event, and want clearer communication about the changes.
Teachers and principals
are concerned about reduced curriculum flexibility for vocational and applied learning, implementation readiness (workload, staffing, resourcing), and greater reliance on high-stakes external assessment.
Māori-medium settings
support improvement but stress that curriculum and implementation must reflect kaupapa Māori principles, not translated English-medium models — with concerns about workforce, resourcing and kura autonomy.
"The current design of the changes risk increasing failure, reducing student engagement and widening inequity."
The PPTA response
We are not opposed to change, but it must be planned carefully and resourced adequately. And it simply cannot be allowed to fail tens of thousands more of our most vulnerable young people. It is not too late for the Minister to make changes to the new qualifications system considering what the research shows.
PPTA calls on the Minister of Education to:
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Provide modelling of the proposed changes, including their likely impact on student achievement and teaching workforce requirements.
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Urgently fund a comprehensive package of support for schools to prepare for and implement the qualification and assessment changes.
BERL report summary
BERL report Kura Kaupapa summary
Tirotiro Anō – looking again with fresh eyes
PPTA Te Wehengarua has commissioned a panel of highly experienced and diverse educationalists to monitor and review the changes to New Zealand’s national secondary school qualifications.
The panel includes respected educators, academics, sector leaders, and people with a sound understanding of Māori education and the equity index. It represents a wide range of opinions on senior secondary school assessment.
Kate Gainsford, former PPTA president, former chair of the Secondary Principals’ Council and former principal of Aotea College, and Melissa Denzler, Kaitohu Mātauranga/Education Advisor for the NZ Council of Educational Research, will co-chair the panel.
Kate Gainsford says she looks forward to working with panel members to help ensure that these far-reaching changes are being developed and implemented thoughtfully and comprehensively.
The panel’s work will be completed in two phases.
The first phase consists of an analysis of what is currently known about the changes, what concerns emerge, what evidence is missing and what further work is required before sound decisions can be made. This work will be completed before PPTA’s Annual Conference in September.
The second phase depends on the availability of new information which will be analysed with findings and recommendations developed. This work will continue after Annual Conference.
The name, Tirotiro Anō, provides a link to a report initiated by PPTA almost 30 years ago that reviewed major changes to the secondary school qualifications which resulted in the National Certificate of Educational Achievement.
More about Tirotiro Anō
NCEA replacement proposals - some analysis & considerations
Every young person in Aotearoa New Zealand deserves the chance to succeed in a qualifications and assessment system that meets their needs and keeps them at the centre. NCEA is not perfect but evolution will produce the most settled environment and best outcomes for our learners.
Secondary school qualification details announced - will the kids be alright?
The Minister of Education, Erica Stanford, has announced more details about the new qualification to replace NCEA. Will it actually help students to get where they want to go in life, asks Chris Abercrombie.