NCEA qualification to be replaced with new system
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RNZ News
10 hours ago
- RNZ News
Shared housing for elderly a step closer in Rangiora
Waimakariri District Council is helping with a new initiative to provide housing for those in need. File photo. Photo: RNZ / REECE BAKER A social housing initiative, described as ''like flatting for older people'', is a step closer to becoming a reality in North Canterbury. The Waimakariri District Council agreed to enter into an agreement to support and provide land for an Abbeyfields house to be built in Rangiora, at a meeting on Tuesday. An Abbeyfields house offers supported housing for single older people of limited means. Addressing the council meeting, Abbeyfield Waimakariri Incorporated chairperson Valda Reveley said it was "like flatting for older people". She said granting the lease will allow her organisation to get on with raising the funds it needs to build the house. "It will be a one-storey house and from the road it will look like the surrounding houses - only bigger. "We call it a house, but it will be a home for those who don't have many options." The concept is a large house with 12 to 14 studio units, a shared living room, dining room, laundry and often gardens. Residents can share meals together and connect with each other. The trust will employ a housekeeper and a cook to prepare the meals, but it will otherwise be run by volunteers. The Waimakariri District Council is backing an initiative to build an Abbeyfields house in Rangiora. Photo: David Hill / North Canterbury News Deputy Mayor Neville Atkinson, the council's housing portfolio holder, said entering into the agreement is "a huge step forward". "We have been told about the needs of social housing many times and we have a role to play in looking after those in need in our community and by enabling people to look after social housing." Atkinson said he and Mayor Dan Gordon had visited the Abbeyfields house in Hornby, Christchurch, and were impressed with what they saw. Gordon said the council should support social housing initiatives such as Abbeyfields and a recent initiative to provide shared housing for women. "Why wouldn't we be looking after people in our community at a time in their life when they most need it? "Not everyone can afford to go to a Ryman or another model." Councillor Niki Mealings said the council already provides older person's housing, and by working in partnership with Abbeyfields, it can provide housing "with no additional cost to ratepayers". Cr Tim Fulton said the partnership is an example of the council enabling people to do "what they do best". The council has been working with the community to support the establishment of an Abbeyfields house in Waimakariri for the past four years, as part of its efforts to address housing shortages in the district. Under the agreement, the council will enter into a 33-year lease with Abbeyfield Waimakariri Incorporated to lease a site in Kingsbury Avenue, Rangiora. * LDR is local body journalism co-funded by RNZ and NZ On Air.
Scoop
12 hours ago
- Scoop
Parents Cautiously Optimistic About Waving Goodbye To NCEA
A Dunedin mum is hopeful the changes to NCEA will benefit her Year 7 son, but another says she's a "bit scared". The government has pulled the pin on New Zealand's official secondary-school qualification after more than 20 years. The National Certificate of Educational Achievement will be gone by 2030, replaced by a basic literacy and numeracy award at Year 11, and the Certificate of Education and Advanced Certificate of Education at Years 12 and 13. 'Achieved', 'not achieved', 'merit' and 'excellence' will be replaced by marks out of 100 and letter grades A, B, C, D and E. The new certificates would be standards-based, like the NCEA is, meaning every student passes if they demonstrate the required knowledge or skills, but they would have to study at least five complete subjects and pass four of them to get their certificate. A Dunedin mum, who RNZ has agreed not to name to protect the identity of her child, was optimistic about the move. "It will be an advantage to him because it gives that nice, stringent 'I know what I need to head for, I need to study really hard for this'." She called NCEA a "step backwards", saying the change was a return of a more structured way of learning and a focus on core subjects. "As an employer of people coming out of university, I can tell you it kind of sets them up a little bit for failure in real life," she said. "I find that the English levels, the maths levels and science levels coming out for students just isn't quite as good as some of the historical stuff that I've seen coming out of the older styles." Another mum, who has a son just starting university and a daughter in Year 9, said the NCEA system was confusing. "Even I couldn't understand this credit system and achieved system. I always thought 'what is this? Credits? Credits?'. "But one thing I've noticed, if he knows he has got enough credits, then he decides he's not going to work any harder." The new grading system could push them to study harder or discourage them from learning, she said. "As a parent, I am a bit scared, to be honest." She was uncertain how students would respond to the changes, saying it would depend on how they were implemented. A grandmother who lived with her Year 8 grandson said she was on board with the changes if they helped students. "That's what I would be hoping for. Something that makes it easier for the kids to show that they've really, really tried and that they do want to be at school and they want to learn and that they want to get a job when they get away from school, and that they want a better life." But she was worried some students might choose to drop out if they had to pass four of their five subjects to get one of the new certificates. "That does sound a bit tough because if a child or a young adult can't handle exams - to pass four subjects may just be beyond their capability," she said.
RNZ News
12 hours ago
- RNZ News
Community aims to stop Takapuna golf course conversion
"My lifetime's work could be gone". That's the message from the head green keeper of Takapuna's beloved golf course as the community tries to stop a big chunk of it being turned into a wetland. The council has proposed converting half the course into a flood storage and recreational area to avoid a repeat of the suffering caused by the 2023 Auckland anniversary floods. But those backing the alternative proposal are confident keeping the course at 18 holes while safeguarding against flood damage is not only possible, but a better option. Jessica Hopkins reports . To embed this content on your own webpage, cut and paste the following: See terms of use.
