Education Minister Nikki Kaye says cancer has made her hungrier than ever for positive change.
Kaye, who only stepped into the role as Education Minister in early May after undergoing treatment for breast cancer last year, visited Pakuranga College last week to meet the students and principals from local schools.
The Minister says her cancer diagnosis has taught her a valuable lesson about not sweating the small stuff, which she is using to help her create the greatest amount of change.
“In a ministerial portfolio, you have so many issues happening on any given day and it’s easy to get caught in the weeds,” says Kaye.
“Now I say, ‘why would I spend an hour worrying about that, when the bigger issue is how we ensure more young people have a passport to life because they have a qualification or ensuring that they are digitally fluent?’ You end up focussing on the big stuff.”
Kaye, 37, says she is happy to back fighting for youth and education. “I’m very fortunate; I’ve had a lot of support from the Prime Minister and my colleagues,” she says of her return to work.
While she says it was difficult taking time off work, it was something she needed to do to focus on her recovery and reconnect with family. “It was hard to recalibrate life and think of all the things I might not be able to do in the future, but it’s lovely to be given a second chance.”
When asked what she would be doing if John Key had accepted her resignation, she laughs and says that she would be “sitting on a hill on Great Barrier in running gear… much fitter and probably still helping out at the local school”.
Kaye says that the last year has reminded her that life can change at any time, and if you have a list of things you want to achieve, now is the time to do it. “I emphasis a little bit more, which probably makes a few teachers and parents frown, make sure you do what makes you happy.”
Kaye says her visit to Pakuranga College has given her better insight into the needs of teachers and students in east Auckland. The biggest part of her conversation with local principals, she says, was about how to ensure the best people are coming in to teaching in the areas that need them.
“There’s nothing better I think in terms of experience than hearing from individual teachers and local principals about the issues they face.”
Kaye visited the college’s robotics lab and computer lab where students were building and creating video games from scratch.
“One of the students said to me that what is great about Pakuranga College is that it taught young people how to think rather than just teaching them what they need to know.”
Kaye says that Pakuranga and other schools in the area are leading the way in digital fluency. “You’ve clearly got young people here who are living and breathing what is going to be the new curriculum,” she says.
The new curriculum, announced by Kaye last month, will see the Government invest $40 million into raising teachers’ skills to deliver a new digitally-orientated curriculum for students from years one to 10.
“When there are estimates that half of the jobs that exist now won’t exist in 20 years, if we want to have high standards of living and be able to fund public services, we need young New Zealanders to be solving those problems or creating economic wealth via technology.”
Kaye says she is determined to help make this happen.
