How can I have my say on Ministry of Education consultations?

You can have your say on Ministry of Education consultations through the "Have your say" section of education.govt.nz, which lists open public consultations with a closing date for each one. The page is aimed at anyone affected by a proposal — parents and whānau, teachers, school and kura leaders, and other education professionals — and it is the entry point for submitting feedback before a consultation closes.

Where to find open consultations

The "Have your say" section sits on the education.govt.nz home page and links to a full list of public consultations. Each entry shows the consultation name, its status (open), and the date it closes.

From the page evidence, the consultations listed at the time of writing were:

This shows the range of things you can comment on: national policy on how teachers are trained, a local school's enrolment zone, and changes to the senior secondary curriculum.

How to submit feedback

1. Open the "Have your say" section from the home page and select the consultation you want to respond to.
2. Read the consultation document or proposal. For the Initial Teacher Education review, this is a discussion document exploring opportunities to strengthen the ITE Programme Requirements.
3. Check the closing date before you start — feedback after the close date will not be part of that round.
4. Follow the submission instructions on the individual consultation page. The format differs by consultation: some ask for feedback on a discussion document, others on a specific proposal such as a new enrolment scheme.

The expected result is that your submission is recorded against that consultation and feeds into the next stage of the work.

What happens to your feedback

The Ministry states what your feedback will be used for on each consultation page. For the Initial Teacher Education review, feedback "will inform the next stage of work." For the curriculum consultations, the subjects are "available for review and feedback," meaning comments shape the updated Years | Tau 11–13 curriculum before it is finalised.

This is the key mechanism: consultations are not a vote, they are an input into a defined next step — a revised programme requirement, a confirmed enrolment scheme, or a finalised subject list.

Practical points before you write

• Note the close date first. The three open consultations above close within about two weeks of each other, so check the specific date rather than assuming a standard window.
• Match your feedback to the document. A discussion document invites views on options and direction; a proposed enrolment scheme invites views on a specific boundary or zone.
• Use the correct consultation. If your interest is in a local school, look for that school's proposal rather than a national review.
• Check back. The list changes as consultations open and close, so the open items you see today may be replaced by new ones.

If nothing on the current list covers your concern, the "Have your say" section is still the place to watch — new consultations are added there as they open.