Education Ministry reverses plan to remove agriculture subjects from schools

Education Minister Erica Stanford's plans to change the teaching of agricultural subjects have been revised. Photo / Mark Mitchell

The Government’s change of heart on plans to cut agriculture-related school subjects from 2028 has been welcomed by those in the sector.

Last week, Education Minister Erica Sanford announced several curriculum changes.

This included agribusiness, agriculture and horticulture science being taught as a vocational hands-on pathway, rather than standalone curriculum subjects.

The move caused concern among educators and primary sector leaders, including Shane McManaway, the founder of the Zanda McDonald Award, which recognises future leaders in the industry and helps them progress in their careers.

McManaway said several people contacted the Government with their concerns, especially Kerry Allen, the curriculum director of AgriBusiness in Schools.

Allen, who is also an agribusiness teacher at St Paul’s Collegiate, told RNZ that not every student wanted to do hands-on training out on the farm, because many were interested in other parts of the sector.

“She’s done a fabulous job,” McManaway told The Country’s Jamie Mackay.

“She grabbed hold of it, and she’s got a lot of contacts and is obviously very passionate about this particular area in education.”

McManaway also made a few calls.

“I got stuck in on the Friday afternoon and rattled a few cages,” he said.

McManaway said he was texted by Acting Secretary for Education Ellen MacGregor-Reid, asking for a call, which he appreciated.

“I’ve spoken to her probably three or four times since the announcement went back out.”

Even though the curriculum plan was “a very bad decision in the first instance”, McManaway said the outcome had led to positive changes.

Listen to Jamie Mackay interview Shane McManaway on The Country below:

“I don’t know that we’ve got a good voice into those places like the Ministry of Education, we’ve got a lot of people doing a lot of stuff, but we’re fragmented, and they were really keen to talk to us.

“So, I think we’ve now set up a better communication platform.”

Prime Minister Christopher Luxon said that, while his Government was replacing NCEA with a “much stronger education programme”, the ministry’s handling of the agricultural changes had missed the mark.

“The ministry got that wrong,” he told Mackay.

Listen to Jamie Mackay interview Christopher Luxon on The Country below:

“I think what’s really impressive is within a 48-hour period, our own ‘Rural Nats’, as we call them, our National MPs, made it pretty clear they thought that was a mistake.”

He said feedback from the sector was a key factor in the process.

“The minister then directed the ministry to revisit it, and they reversed that decision.”

Luxon said that’s what people wanted to see in Government.

“You want to see a Government that listens to the sector, responds and actually does something and takes action rather than just sort of dribbles along and lets it carry on.”

The National Government had four ministers in agriculture, Luxon said.

“Which underscores the importance of the sector to us.”