Political influences on teacher education in New Zealand

Over the last decade the New Zealand education system has undergone dramatic administrative and curricular reforms. The last serious scrutiny of teacher education was in 1985, but the current focus on reform in the tertiary sector, combined with a crisis in teacher supply, has brought renewed attention to the issue. The government's current Green Paper 'Quality Teachers for Quality Learning' is provoking widespread debate about the principles and practices of teacher education. This paper outlines and critically discusses key elements of the government's proposals for reform, and highlights some future policy issues for teacher education.