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The establishment of Te Pukenga--New Zealand Institute of Skills and Technology, in 2019 was a result of the Review of Vocational Education (ROVE) undertaken in Aotearoa New Zealand. ROVE was committed to hearing the voices of all stakeholders to ensure excellence for all New Zealanders in vocational education. Against the backdrop of this review, research was undertaken by an Institute of Technology Polytechnic to learn more about how academic staff perceive they respond to their learners needs. In particular, the research focussed on the relationships academic staff have with their students; current feedback practices; and how authentic and engaging opportunities for learning occurs. Findings, as reported on in this article, showed academic staff are acutely aware of the central role they play in meeting their students' needs and have a strong commitment towards student success. Nonetheless, data also highlighted some clear tensions and constraints for academic staff, including lack of time, high workloads, insufficient support, and inadequate resources. The authors suggest in addition to accessing professional learning opportunities, that overcoming some of these challenges may require fundamental, high level changes within vocational education institutions.

This article reports on the results of a study which explored teachers transitioning from one year level to another in primary schools in New Zealand, and in particular the impact of this transition on teachers' professional identity. While this transition could be considered to be a commonplace occurrence in schools, the lack of literature indicates that it is currently under-researched. Findings from the study indicate that teachers can strengthen their professional identity as they experience positive outcomes in terms of their practice, pedagogy and relationships when they transition from one year level to another. However, attention is drawn to contextual factors which, if not fully understood and addressed, can lead to teachers having negative outcomes from transition. Finally, the important role that school leaders play to help alleviate these negative outcomes and ensure that teachers can successfully transition is also highlighted.

Literacy skills acquired during the first years of schooling have been recognised as the key to students' learning success. However, despite the continuing efforts by the New Zealand government and teachers there is still a large proportion of students who struggle to become literate. To address this issue the Ministry of Education funded selected New Zealand schools to take part in 10-week programmes designed to provide an intensive intervention in literacy (i.e. reading and writing) and numeracy. This article summarises the results from the part of the programme which focused on reading. The findings indicate that Year 1 and Year 2 students significantly increased their reading ability over the 10 weeks. The survey data, interviews and teachers' journals revealed that the critical aspect of this success was teachers having time to meet individual students' specific learning needs. At the school level the programme was lauded as successful. Importantly, these findings have implications not only for how principals allocate teacher time but also for policy-makers when considering how to support schools in addressing the needs of those students who have not made the expected progress in their literacy development in their first years of education.

Teacher transition between year levels is common practice in many primary schools in New Zealand; however, it is not always perceived as an opportunity for teachers' continuing professional development (CPD). This article reports on a case study that explored four primary school teachers' experiences of transition between year levels. The teachers all experienced CPD and identified that transition between year levels improved their teaching practice and knowledge of The New Zealand Curriculum. In general, the teachers felt they benefitted from their transition in terms of gaining a broader understanding of their schools, respect from their peers and career advancement. Two important factors that emerged from the study as having a significant influence on teacher transition were: the role of mentors, and school culture and leadership. The article concludes that because transition between year levels seems to provide a variety of opportunities for teachers' positive CPD, this practice could be more widely acknowledged and promoted.

One of the most challenging decisions for primary school principals is to decide what class level each of their teachers will teach. It seems there is very little research on the way principals go about making these decisions. Government reforms have had significant impact on the role of the primary school principal in New Zealand, and a trend has emerged that some teachers are choosing to remain in the same school and class level. This study focused on eight primary school principals, and how they made decisions in relation to teacher class placement. A review of literature around leadership styles highlights the importance of relationships when implementing change such as teacher placement in different class levels. This study reveals that these principals practised an authentic style of leadership and highlights some important factors to be considered in determining teacher placement. (Contains 1 figure.)