John Gerritsen

Today's historic strike by primary, secondary and area school teachers will close nearly every state and state-integrated school in some regions.

The government is going into this week's Budget under massive pressure to boost its $16-billion-a-year spend on education and student allowances.

Education Minister Chris Hipkins says secondary principals' claim for a 15 percent pay rise is unlikely to be successful.

The Education Act already stops state schools from awarding the NCEA to students in other countries, but that prohibition doesn't cover private schools and tertiary institutions.

The Qualifications Authority isn't confident in Unitec's educational performance or its capability in self-assessment.

NCEA fees will be scrapped and the qualification's literacy and numeracy requirements will be increased in a major overhaul of the qualification, the government has announced. Video

Polytechnics are facing another tough year and the government has warned that some might need financial bailouts because of falling enrolments. Audio

Nearly half of primary school children and a third of teenagers reported being bullied in an Education Review Office survey of more than 10,000 children around the country.

Auckland's dire teacher shortage will not improve until the government boosts teachers' pay and reduces their workloads, the city's principals say.

Primary and secondary teachers will vote next week on whether to join forces and hold a joint strike at the end of this month.

Teachers who fail to adapt their teaching for children with learning and behaviour problems need to be held to account, parents and education experts say.

The government has announced a $95 million package to train or support 3280 extra teachers over the next four years.

An assessment used to allocate $1 billion in research funding has found Auckland University has the most world-class researchers, but Victoria University has the greatest concentration of good…

More schools in Auckland are bursting at the seams than anywhere else in the country, but many are making the problem worse by enrolling children from other neighbourhoods.

A proposed "national interest" test for large-scale foreign investment could deter potential investors, critics of the plan warn. Audio

National Party MPs crossed the floor of Parliament to congratulate Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern and Police Minister Stuart Nash after MPs voted near-unanimously to approve the government's gun ban. Audio

Education Ministry figures show Tauranga schools enrolled so many children they reached 98 percent of their official classroom capacity by the middle of last year, the highest figure of any city.

Schools in economically disadvantaged communities are doing just as good a job as those in the wealthiest, a study of NCEA and University Entrance results for 400,000 people has found. Audio

A parliamentary select committee is giving gun owners one day to make oral submissions on the government's fast-tracked firearm law changes. Audio

Is the government's goal for New Zealand to be smokefree by 2025 a pipe dream? Anti-smoking groups want bold action, writes John Gerritsen.

A Palmerston North teacher is urging students to take down white supremacist signs popping up around the city in the wake of the 15 March attacks.

Secondary school teachers have cancelled next week's nationwide strike, but are not abandoning their claim for better conditions and higher pay.

First Person - There's fresh paint on the walls, but the new carpet hasn't arrived yet. John Gerritsen visits the Al Noor Mosque as it reopens its doors, and is reclaimed by its community.

Christchurch people are hoping to find solidarity, hope and love today when they mark a week since the deadly mosque attacks in their city. Video

Christchurch schools are reviewing their security procedures after angry parents took children from schools locked down after last week's mosque attacks. Audio