Who should you vote for in 2011? If Gifted Education is important to your decision making, read on! We've asked the major parties their policies towards Gifted Education, and collated them below.

Please note all comments below are fact only, and are not intended to show any party in a favourable or unfavourable light. If you have any further information about a Party's policies which are not shown below please contact webmaster@giftededucation.org.nz and we will ensure the website is updated accordingly.

"Under Labour, gifted education received substantial recognition and support. Minister Trevor Mallard set up a Ministerial Working Party which made a number of major recommendations for changes in provision for these children. As a result, the Ministry was funded to undertake a national review of what was happening in gifted education, and these findings guided further developments. Changes to the education regulations were implemented in 2005 which, for the first time ever, made it mandatory for schools to identify and cater for their gifted pupils. Contestable funding was introduced, funding a wide range of Talent Development Initiatives. The number of advisory positions was increased from the equivalent of four full-time positions to the equivalent of twelve full-time positions. A national conference was held, bringing leading international figures to this country and attracting some hundreds of teachers.

Gifted education has never at any time in New Zealand's history received the support that it did under Labour. Under National, most of these gains have been lost, replaced with an inappropriate emphasis on the "one size fits all" National Standards.

Labour recognises that gifted individuals come from all socio-economic backgrounds and from all cultures and ethnicities, and also that people can be gifted in any sphere of human learning, production and creativity, not just in academic areas. Therefore:
Labour will support the development of better identification processes for gifted children so that their different learning needs can be recognised and met.
Labour will include giftedness as an element in its development of early childhood education."

Authorised by Sue Moroney MP, 15.11.2011.

In the past 12 months we have had One Day School visits from Sue Moroney, Kris Faafoi, Louisa Wall, David Shearer, Iain Lees-Galloway, Darien Fenton and Christine Rose.

• Introduced Aspire Scholarships, allowing disadvantaged children to access any school of their choice, public or private;
  
• Undertook a review of education in New Zealand, leading to the ACT Party's minority report Free to Learn, a comprehensive roadmap for reforming education towards a more market-like and entrepreneurial service;

• Continue awarding Aspire scholarships to underprivileged children;
  
• Increase the autonomy that local principals and staff have in running their school. Boards and principals should be able, for example, to set teacher remuneration at their discretion like any other employer, rather than having a rigid, seniority based pay scale;
  
• Further increase the subsidy for independent schools so that parents who choose independent schools for their children do not lose so much of their child's share of education funding;
• Encourage choice in assessment systems, whether they be NCEA, Cambridge International Examination, International Baccalaureate, or other qualifications.
  
  ACT believes that by increasing the autonomy given to parents and education providers alike, by increasing choice in education, allowing the education to fit the child rather than the other way around, we can achieve excellence in education for all students."
  

David Seymour, ACT Party spokesman for Education

• Provide resources to schools and Group Special Education to ensure the Government meets its legal obligations to all children with special education needs, including gifted and talented learners..
• Adequately fund the research and implementation of innovative ways to change whole schools, and provide professional development programmes to teachers, so that New Zealand teaching and schools can fully progress towards inclusion.
• Ensure that inclusive education is taught in mandatory papers in all pre-service teacher education and training programmes.
• Continue to support the Gifted and Talented Advisory Group.
• Support targeted funding for gifted and talented learners and the provision of additional gifted advisers and other professional development initiatives.
• Research and support further initiatives for home based services, schools, and early childhood services to develop appropriate educational services to learners who are gifted and talented.

• Better educate student teachers and current classroom teachers on how to identify and respond to the needs of gifted children
  
• Due to the small number of gifted children ensure that funding and resources are regionally managed in collaboration with schools in that region that have gifted students on their role.
  
• Fund full-day programmes, such as The Gifted Education Centre's One Day School, for children assessed as requiring such provision.
  
• Provide regional resource teachers to support the learning of gifted students and their classroom teachers
  

Tapapa Matauranga
We will take a values and virtues approach to schooling, expecting excellence and achievement for all students. We will promote the concept of self-managing schools which focus on whanau achievement and success. We will support:

• Roadshows to promote educational pathways in areas where Maori are under-represented - ie health science academies (Te Kura Putaiao Hauora) or science camps.
  
• Arts and performance institutes to nurture our creative potential; or sports academies to grow our talent.
  
• Initiatives to advance Maori academic leadership and scholarship excellence.
  
• Diversify the current service academy model to include trade skills, culinary arts, medical, horticultural and agricultural studies.

Authorised by Te Ururoa Flavell Education Spokesperson