Figure 1.--This Catholic school like the other Cathokic schools in New Zealand has integrated within the state system. Many other private schools, however, have decided to remain independent of the state system.
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Figure 1.--This Catholic school like the other Cathokic schools in New Zealand has integrated within the state system. Many other private schools, however, have decided to remain independent of the state system. |
The issue of state support for private schools was a major issue in New Zealand during the 1960s. The Labour Party was ideologically opposed to private schools, especially state funding for private schools. Labour opposition to state assistance was moderated by the fact that large number of Labour supporters were of Irish ancestry and thus Catholic. They were opposed to cutting state funds to Catholic schools. The Catholic Church was finding it increasingly difficult to support its extensive system of parochial schools. The Government finally decided in 19?? to provide supplementary fees to pay teacher salaries at private schools. This was a major decision as teacher salaries are the major operating expense at any school. Private education, however, continued to be a divisive issue in egalitarian New Zealand where many view private schools as elitist. A Labour Government in 197? approved the Integration ????????????????? Act which provides for the voluntary integration of private schools within the state system. The Government guaranteed that each school could preserve their unique character. (See: "Integration.") The Catholic Schools as well as a large number of private schools have since integrated and New Zealand now has one of the smallest private sector of any Western Democracy. A Labour Government ended state support for private schools in 19??.
