Erica Stanford says the Education Ministry has done a "stellar job", after rating it a three out of 10 last year. Photo: RNZ / Marika Khabazi
The Education Minister is speaking glowingly about her main agencies after giving them dire satisfaction ratings last year.
Erica Stanford told RNZ the Education Ministry - which she last year rated three out of 10 - had done a "stellar job".
She said the Qualifications Authority, which merited four out of 10, was also doing a phenomenal job.
Stanford said she had confidence in both agencies.
Meanwhile, Vocational Education Minister Penny Simmonds said the Tertiary Education Commission was "doing really well".
Last year, as Tertiary Education Minister, she rated her satisfaction with the organisation as five out of 10.
The ministerial satisfaction ratings were included in annual reports published late last year.
For all three agencies, the ratings were considerably lower than under their previous Labour-government minister.
The Education Ministry received a seven, NZQA an eight and the Tertiary Education Commission an eight from then-minister Jan Tinetti.
Stanford did not say what numerical rating she would give the Education Ministry now.
"I'd rate them much higher now. They've done a stellar job over the last year to get the curriculum out, to get change in pedagogical approaches out to schools, we're working on assessment tools. It's been a phenomenal effort over the last year," she said.
Stanford said she was also happier with the Qualifications Authority, which she last year ordered to improve monitoring of its operations following a warning from the Education Ministry.
"They're also doing a phenomenal job of helping us with our change package for NCEA. Can't give you a figure but they're doing a stellar job as well," she said.
Simmonds said she had confidence in the Tertiary Education Commission.
"They are getting really focused on their core business, I've put some new board members in and I think they're doing really well," she said.
The Education Ministry told RNZ it had been "working alongside the Minister and her office as we shifted our focus to deliver incoming government priorities".
"The survey measured ministerial satisfaction since the current Minister took office in late November 2023. We will continue to work with our Ministers to better understand the support they require and meet their expectations," it said.
The Qualifications Authority said: "The Minister and public rightly have high expectations of NZQA, given our broad role in the education sector. We are focused on delivering our core functions well and in a financially sustainable manner."
"NZQA is committed to continuous improvement across our roles and functions.
"Notably, over the last year we have made improvements to our digital assessment platform and processes which avoided a repeat of the issues faced in late 2023, and are realising opportunities to continue doing our work in efficient and effective ways."
The Tertiary Education Commission said: "TEC always aims to exceed its Minister's expectations. During the last year we have worked with our Minister to ensure we are consistently providing timely quality advice and delivering on the government priorities and our core business to a high standard and in a financially sustainable manner."
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