Teacher Enrolments Increasing At Te Rito Maioha

With teacher shortages in both Early Childhood Education (ECE) and Primary Schools, Initial Teacher Education (ITE) provider Te Rito Maioha has welcomed the recent increase in enrolments for their ECE and Primary teacher programmes.

“These results are welcome news for parents as quality teachers are the bedrock of our education system,” says Kathy Wolfe, Te Rito Maioha CE.

Total enrolments (minus Teacher Education Refresh Programmes) are up 19 % on 2024 figures. Our primary teaching qualifications are particularly noteworthy, with the Bachelor of Teaching (Primary) up 70%, the Bachelor of Teaching (ECE) 31% and Graduate Diploma of Teaching (Primary) up 89%.

“As a bicultural ITE provider, committed to diversity, equity and inclusion, our focus is on ensuring a quality education so that our tauira (students) are classroom-ready using field-based learning, and secondly, that the needs of our tauira are prioritised,” says Mrs Wolfe.

“We encourage our tauira to focus on the wellbeing of all tamariki in classrooms and ECE services, so as an organisation we need to demonstrate that same manaakitanga (kindness and support) to our tauira. It’s why 98% of our students recommend studying at Te Rito Maioha. That’s something we’re incredibly proud of. Our staff do an outstanding role of balancing high educational standards and quality pastoral care to graduate confident and competent teachers.”

“When Te Rito Maioha offered their first primary qualification, I jumped at the opportunity to retrain as a primary teacher. They offer field-based learning, which is just so much more practical than learning in a classroom for long stretches at a time. That method of learning is really exciting.

Along with the warm, caring and nurturing staff, I felt supported throughout my learning journey and I landed a full-time position in a school instantly. I’d recommend Te Rito Maioha to anyone wanting to study.”
2024 Bachelor of Teaching Primary Graduate

“Our mission to provide ‘quality care’, for our students, is also very important to parents. While its clear choice is important, what parents actually prioritise is ensuring their children are receiving a ‘quality education’, and that they are being cared for in the best possible way by their teachers in both ECE and primary.”

That sentiment is echoed by submitters to the Early Childhood Education review undertaken by the Ministry for Regulation in 2024. When asked what factors drive their decision-making for ECE, most parents rated the portion of staff who are qualified teachers, adult-child ratios, and positive interactions between children and staff, as ‘important’ or ‘very important’.

“Quality ECE in New Zealand has not occurred by chance and it has been underscored by what is known as the ‘iron triangle’ of quality in ECE. This refers to the three key structural elements that significantly impact the quality of a childcare setting: child-to-staff ratios, group size, and degree qualified and registered teachers. These three factors are interconnected and should be considered together when evaluating and regulating the quality of an ECE provider.”

In NZEI’s Te Riu Roa’s 2024 Early Childhood Education Workforce Survey, Kōriporipo, parents surveyed agreed that ‘All children have a right to quality education and care’ and that most parents would have concerns for their child’s safety if the number of children to teachers was increased, or if the number of unqualified teachers relative to qualified increased.

“There is an abundance of academic literature that links the positive outcomes for children to ‘quality ECE’, and we have clear evidence of what is required in the real world to ensure ‘quality ECE’, specifically qualified teachers, child-to-teacher ratios and group sizes, says Mrs Wolfe.

“It’s why any proposal that seeks to replace trained teachers with untrained staff should be avoided at all costs. Teaching is a significant profession and should be treated as such. What are the consequences? No teachers in front of children, no quality education in New Zealand, uneducated future generations!

“No one asks their plumber to install an electrical appliance, and you don’t ask your doctor to file your tax return. If you want your children cared for and educated, your child deserves nothing less than a qualified teacher.”

“As every parent knows, looking after one child is a handful, being responsible for the education and wellbeing of up to twenty five-year-olds or five under-two-year-olds for eight hours a day should be the responsibility of a qualified teacher who has been trained to understand a child’s needs and development, and be able to respond to them.”

“We’re extremely excited that the next generation are committing to become teachers and our growing rolls demonstrate there are plenty of future teachers ready to study. You only have to look at the number of children enrolled across ECE and Primary and then the number of current registered practicing teachers to work out we need more teachers to secure the future of all generations receiving a quality education by a qualified teacher.

“I just hope that our decision-makers continue to value qualified teachers as much as parents do.”

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