Ministry of Education

Website address

www.parents.education.govt.nz

Judges’ comment

The three judges found this a solid, good website.

Media statement

Parents come first at the parents’ website

You won’t find any mention of pathways, frameworks, or pedagogy on the parents’ website www.parents.education.govt.nz. The focus is squarely on providing information about education that is factual, practical, and created especially for parents.

‘Parents told us very clearly what they want. They want to be well-informed so they can make the best education decisions for their children, and they want to be able to help their children in practical ways. They told us that when they look to the Ministry they want information which is aimed at them and not anyone else,’ said Rawiri Brell, Deputy Secretary, Early Learning, Parents and Whānau.

Mr Brell says the team made sure that they kept the parents’ perspective the main focus of the project.

‘We put a lot of work into making the messages clear and the language simple and easy to understand. We know that most parents are pushed for time and they skim-read online, so they need the information to be easy to find and read, and they need to know the information is accurate and reliable.

‘There is nothing worse than having to wade through pages of information to get an answer, so we are very conscious of this with the site.

‘We’re continuing to develop the site and work with parents to provide them with what they need to help their children both enjoy and be successful in education.

‘We’re thrilled to be finalists in the WriteMark New Zealand Plain English Awards for Best Plain English Website — Public Sector/NGO. It’s great to have the site recognised in this way, and it will be an important benchmark as we develop the site to keep the language plain and easy to understand.’

Rawiri Brell
Deputy Secretary — Early Learning, Parents and Whānau