Equality of Opportunity
By Trevor Bills
I have been cogitating over what Christopher Luxon said about Article Three and Equality of Outcomes: that they cannot and should not be guaranteed, because that is socialism. The statement was so asinine it obscured the real issue that I should have been focusing on. The myth of Equality of Opportunity (EoO).
Contrary to what Chris Luxon believes we do not have (EoE) in New Zealand and we will never have (EoO) until equity in education and equity in society is adressed. This unfortunately for the prime-minister may require a little more of that socialism that he finds so distasteful. However, how bad can that be when New Zealand has (albeit declining at a precipitously disturbing velocity) a history of strong social-democratic policies, such as a welfare state and public health and education systems.
Social democratic countries primarily feature a capitalist market economy combined with a strong welfare state, high taxation, and robust workers’ rights. A bit like how Aotearoa was like prior to Neo-Liberalism and Roger-nomics. This degeneration has occurred regardless of who was in government. The current government however, have taken a radical paradigm shift away from social democracy exacerbating the divide between the haves and the have nots.
If we were to change to the Nordic model which could be described as a hybrid of socialism and capitalism, we may get a bit closer to the equity required to achieve (EoO). However, equity does not matter to Chris Luxon. As he told a reporter in 2024, “Let me be clear: I’m wealthy, I’m - you know – sorted.” His government do not care that the country would be better off if we changed back to a social democracy.
Nordic countries outperform New Zealand with significantly higher GDP per capita, equity, higher educational outcomes and excel in income equality and social trust. Unfortunately, Chris Luxon and his coalition prefer a system that widens the gap between their privilege and the struggles of average New Zealanders.
To return to being a truly social democratic country with greater equity all we would need to do is:
Improve our welfare system making it comprehensive.
High Taxation & Redistribution: Progressive tax systems to reduce income inequality.
Have strong labour unions
Maintain a market system with high public spending but allow for government participation. The amalgamating of socialism and capitalism.
Have an electoral system based on proportional representation that foster coalition governments. In theory this would lead to consensus-based politics.
We have one of the five and we don’t seem to get that right either. High taxation & redistribution is the point of contention. The “Let me be clear: I’m wealthy, I’m - you know – sorted.” attitude and lack of empathy that has permeated the psyche of so many New Zealanders to the point where there is only me, not we, stands in the way of the equity needed to obtain equality of opportunities.
I once had a year 13 student join our lesson via zoom. He was standing in front of a Michael Hill Jewellery store that had been ram-raided. He wasn’t working to buy new shoes or a phone. He was working because his parents who were both working two jobs could not make ends meet.
I soon discovered that there were numerous students in my year 11 to year 13 classes that worked nightshifts for the same reason. They would turn up for school but were too tired to learn so I took to videoing lessons and putting them in the student portal. Having zoom discussions with them in the evening to clarify understanding before they went to work.
These tauira wanted to learn, wanted to succeed so they could help their Aiga but where was there equality of opportunity compared to your average student at a school in a wealthier community?
Socio-Economic Inequality alone makes (EoO) is a myth:
Poverty directly impacts attendance, nutrition, housing stability, and access to learning resources.
Needing to work to support your family is a barrier to success.
Overcrowded or unstable housing reduces study space and sleep quality.
Families with limited income cannot afford tutoring, devices, transport, or enrichment activities.
Unlikely to have a parent who went to university
Schools in wealthier communities benefit from:
High voluntary donations
Strong PTA fundraising capacity
Alumni networks and sponsorship
Wealthier schools can offer broader subject options, extracurriculars, and smaller class sizes.
Students may work but through choice not necessity
At least one parent has a university degree
Cultural Capital, Class Habitus, Embodied Capital, Social Capital, call it what you like are all embedded into our education system to achieve Cultural Reproduction: The transmission of existing cultural values and norms. Schools are white middle-class institutions designed to benefit white middle-class students. They also attempt to assimilate ‘others’ in to the cultural norms of the dominant culture.
Despite tweaks here and there and good intentions from numerous academics and educators over the years this has not changed. Having your schools value in Te Reo Māori and saying karakia are a token gesture and does not make the school culturally enhancing unless that Kaupapa is lived in the classroom. I feel for Anne Milne whose coloured in spaces are all being whitewashed.
The Funds of Knowledge, Identity, Family knowledge, Ancestral Intelligence, lived reality and home-based knowledge are generally left at the gate as they are given no value by school. They are seen as deficits not strengths. They are not used to connect the child’s culture to the curriculum or assets to learn from. Students will disengage when curriculum does not reflect identity or lived experience.
I was doing PLD at a school that Laurie Thew was the principal of and a group of his teachers were bemoaning that their children couldn’t do the mathematics I was presenting on as they were below standard. Laurie asked “whose standard?” He then asked the teachers if at least 80% of their class could speak two or more languages. Every teacher put up their hand. He then asks the same question of the teachers and only three teachers could.
Laurie then laughed and said I am making speaking two languages the standard at school. Most of your students are above and all but three of you are below. “Standards are arbitrary”, Never describe a student as below as that will only lead to a deficit view of them.” Equality of opportunities Christopher do not come from deficit thinking or a narrow euro-centric view of what counts as success.
Deficit Thinking, Unconscious Bias and Systemic Racism
A principal at a meeting I attended insisted well-being came from achievement after I had asserted that we need to focus on well-being if we want our tauira to achieve. The school this principal came from had a roll that consisted of 80% Pacific nations and Māori students. The exchange came up as I was explaining the term Vā or Wā in Māori and its importance in supporting well-being. Vā refers to “the space between”. When it comes to relationships between people, the vā refers to the relational space that connects us. Vā fealoa’i refers to the spaces between places and people and the mutual respect and reciprocity needed to maintain them. It refers to the tapu nature of these spaces and the sacredness of the relationships. Vā fealoa’i encompasses the tradition of collective mutual respect or ‘ava fatafata’.
Vaioleti (2006) asserts, it is important to maintain the personal relationship because relationship is the foundation on which most Pacific activities are built. Linda Smith (2005) also states that the ability to build, maintain and nurture relationships, to strengthen connectivity are important in the indigenous arena and that this requires sensitivity and reciprocity of spirit.
Friere (1970) believed that a deep reciprocity needed to be embedded within the Teacher - Learner relationship. He wanted us to think in terms of a teacher who learns and a learner that teaches. For Māori and Pacific students mutual respect needs to form the basis of the teacher / learner relationship in order to protect the Vā and allow this relationship to occur.
At this point the principal called me a Marxist. How many other principals are there like this one. His school like many other low equity schools had 50% of teachers that were overseas trained. If he is not interested in understanding what is important for his students to build relationships in order to learn what hope do his teachers have. What hope is there for (EoO) Mr Luxon.
I know of a school where every single spare space is being used as a classroom. This includes teachers non-contact work areas, the library, half of the staff room and the entire hall including the stage.
And that is just the start students also have to contend with:
Ethnic & Historical Inequities
Persistent achievement disparities for Māori and Pasifika learners.
Ongoing impacts of colonisation, land loss, and systemic marginalisation.
Curriculum content has historically privileged Eurocentric knowledge over mātauranga Māori and Pasifika epistemologies.
Geographic Disparities
Rural and isolated communities have limited access to specialist teachers and subject choices.
Smaller schools may not offer advanced STEM, arts, or language pathways.
Transport barriers affect attendance and participation.
Streaming & Ability Grouping
Early streaming can lock students into lower academic tracks.
Research shows streaming often reflects socio-economic and racial bias rather than ability.
Lower streams receive less experienced teachers and narrower curriculum.
Digital Divide
Unequal access to reliable internet and devices at home.
Shared devices within families limit study time.
Digital fluency varies widely depending on home support.
Special Education & Neurodiversity Gaps
Limited funding for teacher aides and specialist services.
Long waiting lists for assessments.
Inconsistent support for autistic, ADHD, dyslexic, and other neurodiverse learners.
Access to support often depends on parental advocacy capacity.
Health & Wellbeing Factors
Mental health services in schools are stretched.
Trauma, family violence, and addiction impact learning readiness.
Food insecurity remains present despite school lunch programmes.
Attendance & Punitive Approaches
Attendance initiatives frame absence as parental failure rather than structural poverty.
Chronic absenteeism often linked to transport, housing instability, or anxiety.
Curriculum Narrowing
Increased focus on literacy and numeracy can reduce exposure to arts, critical thinking, and culturally responsive learning.
Students disengage when curriculum does not reflect identity or lived experience.
Privatisation & School Choice Effects
Charter schools and zoning can intensify segregation.
“Choice” benefits families with transport, knowledge, and time.
Market-style competition increases stratification between schools.
Structural vs Individual Framing
Public discourse often frames outcomes as effort-based rather than structurally constrained.
Inequality is frequently individualised rather than understood as systemic.
I could go on however, I am sure that the prime-minister, Erica and David are well aware of all of this. Has your response been to do anything at all about the structural inequity that results in the myth of (EoO)? No, your response has been to weaponize ERO and the Ministry. Schools not meeting Attendance and Achievement standards are having LSM’s brought in or are now under strict Ministry control with a toxic transparency to the media.
You are not interested in whether or not these schools have made improvement and are achieving an upward trend in addressing the issue. If they do not meet your standard they are failing. External factors like those mentioned above are not being considered.
Programmes that involve the community that the schools are undertaking that include ensuring food security, housing security, home visits, colouring in the white spaces, Milne (2017) are not considered. There is no carrot, only a stick.
It really makes you wonder if this has nothing to do with the government caring about attendance and achievement in low equity schools and everything to do with control. Taking control of the school and handing it over to market forces because from your Neo-Liberal/Libertarian world view the market is the answer to everything.
Only time will tell however, Equality of Opportunity in schools in Aotearoa does not exist. If it did, we would see Equality of Outcomes.
References
Freire, P. (1970). Pedagogy of the oppressed. Continuum
Milne, A. (2017) Colouring in the White Spaces. Peter Lang Publishing, Inc.New York.
Smith, L.T. (2005). “On tricky ground: researching the Native in the age of uncertainty. In Denzin, N. & Lincoln, Y. (2005). The SAGE handbook of qualitative research.3rd ed. Thousand Oaks, SAGE publications, p. 85-107
Vaioleti, T, M. (2006). Talanoa research methodology: A Developing Position on Pacific Research. Waikato Journal of Education 12: 2006