Strategy and policy
These briefing papers offer expert recommendations and provide support to build sector capability in the tertiary foundation education sector.
May 2025 | Aotearoa New Zealand’s adult literacy and numeracy decline – Urgent policy considerations
According to the OECD PIAAC Survey of Adult Skills, New Zealand has experienced one of the most pronounced declines in adult literacy and numeracy across OECD nations, with Māori and Pacific learners disproportionately impacted. This briefing paper analyses the issue, identifies key causes, and provides policy recommendations.
May 2024 | Policy settings for supporting foundation learning
A summary of the White Paper presented to the Minister of Education in 2022, This briefing paper outlines the challenges facing tertiary foundation education and calls for action to address these challenges.
Briefing paper | Policy settings for supporting foundation learning (PDF, 172Kb)
About the briefing papers
These Briefing Papers have been collected part of our commitment to good practice in tertiary education.
Sent to the Minister for Tertiary Education and Skills and other key stakeholders, they offer insights into initiatives under the Ako Aotearoa Manako programme that seek to enhance the capability of the tertiary teaching workforce to support the achievement of the educational and learner success priorities under the Tertiary Education Strategy.
Let us know your thoughts
If you have questions, comments, or would like to discuss the Briefing Papers please get in touch: info@ako.ac.nz
Supporting Documents
This briefing paper gives an analysis of Aotearoa New Zealand’s declining adult literacy and numeracy rates with policy recommendations for urgent, culturally responsive interventions.
(PDF, 521 KB)
- 7 May 2025
This briefing paper was presented to the Minister of Education in 2022. It outlines the challenges facing tertiary foundation education and calls for action to address these challenges.
(PDF, 172 KB)
- 17 July 2024
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