CRT Eligibility Threshold and Curriculum Implementation Workload – Advice and Engagement with NZEI
SPENCER JONES made this Official Information request to Erica Stanford
Currently waiting for a response from Erica Stanford, they must respond promptly and normally no later than (details and exceptions).
From: SPENCER JONES
Dear Erica Stanford,
Office of the Minister of Education
Subject: CRT Eligibility Threshold and Curriculum Implementation Workload – Advice and Engagement with NZEI
Dear Minister,
I write under the Official Information Act 1982 to request the following information.
1. Advice regarding CRT eligibility thresholds
Please provide all briefings, aide-memoires, Cabinet papers, internal correspondence, reports, or advice (1 January 2022 to present) that discuss:
a) The ≥0.8 FTTE classroom release time (CRT) eligibility threshold under clause 3.28 of the Primary Teachers’ Collective Agreement;
b) The impact of that threshold on part-time teachers below 0.8 FTTE;
c) Any consideration of extending CRT eligibility below 0.8 FTTE during implementation of the refreshed curriculum (including English, mathematics, and structured literacy changes).
⸻
2. Curriculum implementation workload analysis
Please provide:
a) Any workload impact assessments undertaken prior to or during rollout of the refreshed curriculum;
b) Any modelling or estimates of additional planning or redesign hours expected of classroom teachers;
c) Any risk assessments relating to teacher workload, retention, or wellbeing connected to curriculum implementation timelines.
⸻
3. Engagement with NZEI Te Riu Roa
Please provide:
a) Any correspondence, meeting notes, aide-memoires, or advice between the Minister’s office (or Ministry officials advising the Minister) and NZEI Te Riu Roa relating to:
• Curriculum implementation workload;
• CRT eligibility thresholds;
• Requests for additional teacher release time or change-management recognition.
b) Any advice provided to the Minister summarising NZEI’s position on CRT eligibility or teacher workload in relation to curriculum refresh implementation.
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4. Comparative advice – Principals vs Classroom Teachers
Please provide any advice or briefing that:
a) Compares the $15,000 curriculum or NCEA implementation allowance provided to principals with measures available to classroom teachers;
b) Assesses equity implications between leadership-level allowances and classroom teacher workload mitigation measures.
⸻
Administrative clarification
This request is for existing documents only. I am not requesting creation of new analysis.
If any part of this request is likely to be refused under section 18(f), please contact me so I may refine the scope.
If any information is withheld, please specify the precise statutory grounds relied upon and the public interest considerations applied.
Kind regards,
SPENCER JONES
From: Erica Stanford (MIN)
Erica Stanford
Thank you for contacting the Office of Hon Erica Stanford, Minister of
Education, Minister of Immigration, Lead Coordination Minister for the
Government's Response to the Royal Commission's Report into Historical
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Thank you again for writing to Minister Stanford.
Kind regards,
Office of Hon Erica Stanford
Reception: +64 4 817 6805 | Ministerial Email:
[1][Erica Stanford request email] |
Web: beehive.govt.nz | Post: Freepost Parliament, Private Bag 18 041,
Parliament Buildings, Wellington 6160, New Zealand
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Public Interest Framing Note (For FYI Publication)
Title: Curriculum Implementation Workload and CRT Eligibility – Public Interest Clarification
This Official Information Act request seeks technical advice held by the Ministry of Education relating to two intersecting issues:
1. The ≥0.8 FTTE classroom release time (CRT) eligibility threshold under the Primary Teachers’ Collective Agreement; and
2. The workload implications of implementing the refreshed curriculum (including structured literacy and mathematics changes).
Recent settlements have publicly recognised the leadership workload of principals through targeted implementation allowances. At the same time, classroom teachers are responsible for day-to-day programme redesign, assessment alignment, and instructional delivery under the refreshed curriculum framework.
The public interest questions are:
• Was formal workload modelling undertaken prior to rollout?
• Was the CRT eligibility threshold analysed in light of curriculum redesign demands?
• Was the impact on part-time teachers (below 0.8 FTTE) assessed?
• Were fiscal options for additional release-time support considered?
• Were workforce retention or wellbeing risks formally evaluated?
The purpose of this request is not adversarial. It is to clarify whether technical modelling and equity analysis underpin implementation decisions affecting thousands of classroom teachers.
The refreshed curriculum represents a significant system-wide change. Transparent disclosure of workload modelling and equity assessment contributes to:
• Informed public understanding;
• Workforce sustainability discussions;
• Evidence-based education policy debate;
• Accountability in public expenditure decisions.
The request is confined to existing documentation and does not seek creation of new analysis.
Given the scale of curriculum reform and its implications for teaching practice, there is a clear and ongoing public interest in understanding the evidentiary basis for implementation settings.
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