NZALT 2025 Newsletter no 4
Tēnā koutou! 你好! 안녕하세요 Kia orana! Bonjour! Guten Tag! こんにちは。Salvete! Faka’alofa lahi atu! Talofa lava! ¡Buenos días! Mālō e lelei! Malo ni!
Kia ora koutou, Mālō e lelei!
Happy Tongan language week! We hope that everything is going well for you mid Term - a very busy time of year. Please keep in touch.
Ngā mihi nui,
The NZALT Team
Juliet Kennedy
Annabelle Sinclair
Focus for this Newsletter:
In this newsletter you will find information about:
- Remembering Leola Finau and Karen Stockill
- Please attend the NZALT AGM this Thursday 21st August 4.30pm - to 5pm
- Te Reo Māori Teachers Association - TRMSAA
- Curriculum Writing Roles – Samoan Education at Te Kura
- Curriculum change and proposal for national qualification changes
- Conditions of Assessment updates
- Spanish Gastronomy Competition for Students
- Learning Languages coverage in the media
- Podcast for language teachers - Language Teaching Matters Aotearoa
Remembering Leola Finau and Karen Stockill
NZALT would like to acknowledge the recent passing of two much loved teachers in the language learning community this year. Leola Finau was a member of the Tongan teaching community. Karen Stockill was a French teacher, former president of NZAFT, and most recently a member of the MoE Learning Languages team. Both of these amazing women have been role models, colleagues and friends to us for many years and their loss is felt widely. Our thoughts are with their families, friends, colleagues and communities.
Please attend the NZALT AGM this Thursday 21st August 4.30pm - to 5pm
Our AGM is being held at Papanui High School at 4.30 pm. You can find the agenda, and a link to join remotely here. The 2024 AGM Minutes, President’s and Treasurer’s report have been attached for you to read prior to the meeting. We hope to see as many members in person and online in attendance as possible. We are aiming to keep things short and succinct.
Te Reo Māori Teachers Association - TRMSAA
A new Te Reo Māori teacher’s association has been formed. The TRMSAA
is catered for teaching of the Māori language and aspects of Māoridom.
To register, individuals should complete this form: TRMSAA Membership Registration form
After this a second form will be sent for teachers to state what's on top for them. That information guides what is put on the website. Within that email will be a link to the TRMSAA website, which includes x36 (50-minute) relief lessons for Year 9 and 10s, x48 (50-minute) relief lessons for Years 11-13, practice exams, and so much more.
Only members have access to the website. Membership is free for 2025! NZALT is looking forward to working closely with TRMSAA in the future.
Curriculum Writing Roles – Samoan Education at Te Kura
Te Kura is looking for 1–2 curriculum writers to help develop its new Year 1–10 Samoan online course for 2026. These fixed-term roles offer flexible working arrangements and up to 1.0 FTE, based at any Te Kura location (with remote working a possibility).
Ideal for registered teachers with recent Samoan teaching experience, this is a chance to shape inclusive, culturally rich learning resources for ākonga across Aotearoa.
For more information and to apply please go to the full advertisement.
Curriculum change and proposal for national qualification changes
There is a lot going on at the policy level for education at the moment. The Ministry of Education is keeping in touch with the subject associations and we will communicate any updates as soon as we can. We encourage you to keep in touch with us about any concerns or questions and also fill out the feedback form on the new proposed changes. This closes on 15th September.
Spanish Gastronomy Competition for Students
The Education Office in Wellington and the Embassy of Spain in New Zealand announces the first edition of the gastronomic video contest in Spanish, aimed at Spanish language students from 14 years old, in collaboration with STANZA (New Zealand Association of Spanish Teachers) and Cervantes Institute in Sydney. Themes: How to prepare a typical dish, including ingredients and preparation, popular, cultural and culinary traditions.
- Registration: free; opens on 4th of August and closes on 22nd of September. Registration form must be sent directly to asesoria.nz@educacion.gob.es.
- Video submission: by 30th of September. The video must be sent via a file transfer system (WeTransfer, Dropbox, Drive, etc.) to asesoria.nz@educacion.gob.es
For more information, visit the STANZA website
Podcast for language teachers - Language Teaching Matters Aotearoa
A new podcast for language teachers has been launched: Language Teaching Matters Aotearoa | New Zealand. This is a brand-new podcast created by language teacher educators from universities across Aotearoa | New Zealand! For more information please see this flyer.
Upcoming Cluster Dates
NZALT clusters are regional networks of support for language teachers where you can meet with other language teachers in your area to share experience, ideas, resources, and moderation. Afternoon tea is provided, and petrol costs are able to be covered if you need to travel further afield to attend the cluster.
If you would like to facilitate a cluster group in your area, please contact Juliet Kennedy to find out more. For further information on existing NZALT clusters, please visit our website.
Upcoming clusters:
Canterbury
- Thursday 21 August, 4.30pm,
- Papanui High School
- Facilitator: Michelle Dalley
Nelson
- Thursday 21 August, 3.45pm
- Nelson College for Girls
- Facilitator: Mika Sandford
Posting Notices
If you would like to post any notices in our newsletter or on our website please contact Juliet Kennedy.
If you no longer wish to receive the NZALT newsletter, please contact membership@nzalt.org.nz
NZALT Networks of Expertise Newsletter, Number 1, February 2025
