The 2023 refresh of the Action Plan for Pacific Education was released in July 2023 by the Ministry of Education.  According to Fatulatetele Tolo - Policy Director at the Ministry of Education, the '2023 refresh of the Action Plan strengthens our strategic commitment to Pacific languages in education and commits to a further set of Government actions'.

The refresh of the Action Plan for Pacific Education 2023 includes the Government’s current investment, further actions and captures the focus on Pacific languages in education.  The Minister for Education, The Hon Jo Luxton has stated that the '2023 Action Plan sets out the new actions we started since 2020 to further support Pacific success, as well as the actions we are continuing from 2020. It articulates the Government’s commitment to Pacific languages in education and to growing Pacific bilingual and immersion education'.

The 2023 refresh of the Action Plan includes:

• a strengthened focus on Pacific bilingual and immersion education and Pacific Languages in Education through a change to Key Shift 1
• the next set of Government actions that will further contribute to achieving the vision and five key shifts for Pacific education success.

Hard copies of the 2023 refreshed Action Plan for early learning centres, schools and tertiary institutions will be available to order from the end of September 2023. To order, go to www.thechair.co.nz or email - orders@thechair.minedu.govt.nz

You can find the 2023 Action Plan online at to the Ministry of Education website as well as information about supporting Pacific languages in education.

The Centre for Pacific Languages welcomes the 2023 Refresh Action Plan for Pacific Education and its commitment to Pacific languages in education.  The updated Action Plan 2023 reinstates the original Key Shift 1 focused on "working reciprocally with diverse Pacific communities to respond to unmet needs, including growing and supporting Pacific bilingual and immersion education pathways". The Centre for Pacific Languages has the view that it is essential that Pacific adult language revitalisation is complemented by bilingual/immersion education provision for tamariki in the compulsory sector to enable all Pacific languages to thrive across all age groups and extended whānau.

We urge all our Pacific communities of learning to respond to the Action Plan by using the Ministry of Education pre-set templates and guidance as a starting point.  This will support you to respond to the Action Plan within your own early learning service, school or tertiary institution.  You can also email them on - http://pacific.educationconversation@education.govt.nz