Yesterday, the new Minister of Education, Hon. Erica Stanford, announced the formation of a Ministerial Advisory Group to review the primary school English and Mathematics & Statistics curricula. It is an honour to be named as a member of this Group alongside so many highly respected individuals, including the Group chair, Dr Michael Johnston from the New Zealand Initiative, and Distinguished Professor Gaven Martin, one of the earliest public supporters of my campaign to Bring Back Column Addition to New Zealand’s early primary maths curriculum.

I would like to take this opportunity to express my gratitude to everyone who has supported my endeavours over the past 10 years. That includes the teachers and students who have joined me on this journey to restore confidence in mathematics education in New Zealand.

You may not hear from me for a while, but rest assured that I will be working and thinking hard about important things next year.

Season’s Greetings and a Happy New Year to you all.

Dr Audrey Tan
20 December 2023