October 13, 2025 • 5 mins
Erica Stanford believes mandated structured literacy is turning reading and writing skills around.
The Education Minister's revealed new data showing 58 percent of students are at or above phonics expectations after 20 weeks at school - up from 36 percent in Term One.
The number exceeding expectations is more than double Term One's figure.
Newstalk ZB senior political correspondent Barry Soper says this data shows the Government's education plan is working.
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Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
Barrrisober, Senior Political Correspondence with us Aloe Barry Afternoon, Heather, Okay,
so it looks like the old structured literacy is doing
what we thought it would, which is teaching.
Speaker 2 (00:07):
Now. Like you said, you're editorial, it is much better
than what was anticipated in such a short time because
it hasn't been going that long. It's amazing that phonics
has been phased out from the seventies, eighties and the nineties,
and then we had this new structure that clearly wasn't working.
When you see how behind kids were getting so early figures. Well,
(00:30):
I'll basically say it all and reinforce why the Prime
Minister says change had to happen, and you can't argue
with that.
Speaker 3 (00:36):
The truth is that over the past couple of decades
we simply haven't done well enough. Student achievement has been
on a steady decline and New Zealand's results have fallen
compared to other countries we like to measure ourselves against.
Data from last year showed that just fifty six percent
of our year eight students were at the expected level
for reading and only thirty five percent for writing. And
(00:56):
that's a really sobering reality, So teaching the basic brilliantly
and turning those results around as one of our government's
biggest priorities. In fact, it's one of the most important
things that we can do to set New Zealand up
for long term success.
Speaker 2 (01:11):
It is true, isn't it. You've got to instill the
confidence at a very early age and then they go
on to better things. That's all.
Speaker 1 (01:16):
Yeah, what I mean. But remember these are also just
fundamental skills we're talking about, like how can you even
survive in this economy or in this world if you
cannot read properly.
Speaker 2 (01:25):
Exactly or yeah, that's right, read or write.
Speaker 1 (01:28):
It's just remarkable. Yeah, Now, what did you make of
the local body elections.
Speaker 2 (01:32):
Well, I've just seen figures that have come out from
local government New Zealand. Now they probably have done what
I've been counting all the time, and I think we
initially said it was thirty two percent. Was thirty eight percent,
which represents though if you ever listened from it, one
point three million votes or almost one point three one
(01:54):
four received from thirty three point four five million votes.
So the turnout was really so small when it compares
to the number of people that are getting out, and
I think I've got to say that. I was listening
to the Prime Minister this morning talking about it, and
I think he hit the nail on the head that
when you go to vote in these elections you have
(02:16):
to read the biographies of the candidates because when I
voted here in Auckland, I didn't know half them, so
I had to go through them and read them. But
then that's their own opinion of themselves if you like,
and you've got to then produce your own opinion. And
if there's got to be a better way of local
(02:36):
body elections, and he says he's in favor of looking
at doing other ways like electronic, like the internet, like
using email, and that.
Speaker 1 (02:47):
It doesn't but that doesn't solve the problem, does it, Because.
Speaker 2 (02:49):
We don't have any polling boods at the moment.
Speaker 1 (02:51):
But it doesn't solve the problem because whether you vote
by post, or whether you vote in person, or whether
you vote via the internet, you're still having to vote
for a bunch of numpties you've.
Speaker 2 (03:00):
Never heard, don't I agree with you? That is the
problem that you know, there are so many people and
so many wards, And when I was voting, I thought, well,
I don't know half these. Yeah, And I guess the
problem is that we don't follow local body government enough
as people. We don't look at our counselors, who arguably
(03:24):
are probably more important to us in many ways. Politicians
are well because you pay your rates.
Speaker 1 (03:30):
And because there are like a thousand of them across
the country, right, there's so many of them, and there's
just no media resource to be able to cover that
much politics. Nor frankly, do I have the personal bandwidth
to deal with that much. I just I think we're
kind of it's just too much, isn't it.
Speaker 2 (03:47):
Well, See, I like there's some I agree with you
there totally.
Speaker 1 (03:50):
And also if you've got a whole bunch of seats
that are uncontested, we just clearly have.
Speaker 2 (03:55):
Too much true democracy. No really, but I like the
Western west Land District Council mayoralty that's come down to
four votes. One of them is an eighty two year
old transgender woman by the name of Jackie Grant. Now,
she's the most amazing person. I wouldn't have a look
at her. She's at the moment ahead of the incumbent,
(04:16):
Helen Lash. Grant has been living as a transgender woman
since nineteen seventy one. She came to New Zealand from
Australia basically because she wanted to feel safer. And I
guess you can imagine what the Australians are like well
in those days of transgender woman. I think they wouldn't
be markedly different from what the Kiwis were. But she
(04:39):
moved to New Zealand in the early seventies and she
basically fostered many, many children, more than seventy five I read.
So she's a very interesting candidate and what a good
woman at eighty two to be standing for politics.
Speaker 1 (04:57):
Brilliant Barry, Thanks very much, Barry so Per, Senior political correspondent.
Speaker 2 (05:00):
For more from Hither Duplessy Allen Drive, listen live to
News Talk SETB from four p m. Weekdays, or follow
the podcast on iHeartRadio.
Barrrisober, Senior Political Correspondence with us Aloe Barry Afternoon, Heather, Okay,
so it looks like the old structured literacy is doing
what we thought it would, which is teaching.
Speaker 2 (00:07):
Now. Like you said, you're editorial, it is much better
than what was anticipated in such a short time because
it hasn't been going that long. It's amazing that phonics
has been phased out from the seventies, eighties and the nineties,
and then we had this new structure that clearly wasn't working.
When you see how behind kids were getting so early figures. Well,
(00:30):
I'll basically say it all and reinforce why the Prime
Minister says change had to happen, and you can't argue
with that.
Speaker 3 (00:36):
The truth is that over the past couple of decades
we simply haven't done well enough. Student achievement has been
on a steady decline and New Zealand's results have fallen
compared to other countries we like to measure ourselves against.
Data from last year showed that just fifty six percent
of our year eight students were at the expected level
for reading and only thirty five percent for writing. And
(00:56):
that's a really sobering reality, So teaching the basic brilliantly
and turning those results around as one of our government's
biggest priorities. In fact, it's one of the most important
things that we can do to set New Zealand up
for long term success.
Speaker 2 (01:11):
It is true, isn't it. You've got to instill the
confidence at a very early age and then they go
on to better things. That's all.
Speaker 1 (01:16):
Yeah, what I mean. But remember these are also just
fundamental skills we're talking about, like how can you even
survive in this economy or in this world if you
cannot read properly.
Speaker 2 (01:25):
Exactly or yeah, that's right, read or write.
Speaker 1 (01:28):
It's just remarkable. Yeah, Now, what did you make of
the local body elections.
Speaker 2 (01:32):
Well, I've just seen figures that have come out from
local government New Zealand. Now they probably have done what
I've been counting all the time, and I think we
initially said it was thirty two percent. Was thirty eight percent,
which represents though if you ever listened from it, one
point three million votes or almost one point three one
(01:54):
four received from thirty three point four five million votes.
So the turnout was really so small when it compares
to the number of people that are getting out, and
I think I've got to say that. I was listening
to the Prime Minister this morning talking about it, and
I think he hit the nail on the head that
when you go to vote in these elections you have
(02:16):
to read the biographies of the candidates because when I
voted here in Auckland, I didn't know half them, so
I had to go through them and read them. But
then that's their own opinion of themselves if you like,
and you've got to then produce your own opinion. And
if there's got to be a better way of local
(02:36):
body elections, and he says he's in favor of looking
at doing other ways like electronic, like the internet, like
using email, and that.
Speaker 1 (02:47):
It doesn't but that doesn't solve the problem, does it, Because.
Speaker 2 (02:49):
We don't have any polling boods at the moment.
Speaker 1 (02:51):
But it doesn't solve the problem because whether you vote
by post, or whether you vote in person, or whether
you vote via the internet, you're still having to vote
for a bunch of numpties you've.
Speaker 2 (03:00):
Never heard, don't I agree with you? That is the
problem that you know, there are so many people and
so many wards, And when I was voting, I thought, well,
I don't know half these. Yeah, And I guess the
problem is that we don't follow local body government enough
as people. We don't look at our counselors, who arguably
(03:24):
are probably more important to us in many ways. Politicians
are well because you pay your rates.
Speaker 1 (03:30):
And because there are like a thousand of them across
the country, right, there's so many of them, and there's
just no media resource to be able to cover that
much politics. Nor frankly, do I have the personal bandwidth
to deal with that much. I just I think we're
kind of it's just too much, isn't it.
Speaker 2 (03:47):
Well, See, I like there's some I agree with you
there totally.
Speaker 1 (03:50):
And also if you've got a whole bunch of seats
that are uncontested, we just clearly have.
Speaker 2 (03:55):
Too much true democracy. No really, but I like the
Western west Land District Council mayoralty that's come down to
four votes. One of them is an eighty two year
old transgender woman by the name of Jackie Grant. Now,
she's the most amazing person. I wouldn't have a look
at her. She's at the moment ahead of the incumbent,
(04:16):
Helen Lash. Grant has been living as a transgender woman
since nineteen seventy one. She came to New Zealand from
Australia basically because she wanted to feel safer. And I
guess you can imagine what the Australians are like well
in those days of transgender woman. I think they wouldn't
be markedly different from what the Kiwis were. But she
(04:39):
moved to New Zealand in the early seventies and she
basically fostered many, many children, more than seventy five I read.
So she's a very interesting candidate and what a good
woman at eighty two to be standing for politics.
Speaker 1 (04:57):
Brilliant Barry, Thanks very much, Barry so Per, Senior political correspondent.
Speaker 2 (05:00):
For more from Hither Duplessy Allen Drive, listen live to
News Talk SETB from four p m. Weekdays, or follow
the podcast on iHeartRadio.
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