Boosting New Zealand’s education standards with Artificial Intelligence

On International Day of Education, we are reminded of the need for innovation in education to ensure that all students have equal opportunities to succeed.

In New Zealand, while the public system aims to provide access for all, significant gaps in educational outcomes remain. Many students struggle with essential skills and these disparities are even more pronounced among certain communities. 

This year, UNESCO has dedicated the International Day of Education to Artificial Intelligence (AI) which has the potential to support both students and teachers. There is an opportunity to bridge these gaps and improve educational outcomes for New Zealand students. The question now lies in how schools and education leaders can harness AI to ensure a brighter future for education in New Zealand. 

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The current state of NZ’s education

New Zealand’s education system, while historically valued for its inclusivity, faces growing challenges. Many students are struggling in key areas such as literacy, maths and science. Over a third of 15-year-olds have difficulty with reading and writing. Regular absenteeism, affecting more than 40% of students, further exacerbates the achievement gap.

AI’s role in alignment with the new curriculum

With the new curriculum emphasising structured learning and explicit teaching, AI offers invaluable support in helping both teachers and students thrive. AI can play a critical role in this shift by personalising content to suit individual learning paces, allowing teachers to provide more targeted instruction. Through AI-powered tools, content can be adapted based on real-time data, such as a student’s progress, strengths, and areas requiring improvement.

AI’s ability to identify learning gaps and deliver real-time, tailored feedback is transforming students’ learning experience. It not only helps them catch up on missed concepts, but also reinforces their understanding, enabling them to excel in key areas such as maths, science, and reading. This targeted support equips students to meet international standards, like the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA), and compete globally. When students receive immediate, constructive feedback, it helps them implement improvements and gain confidence, driving academic success. Education Perfect (EP) often refers to this reiterative process as a “learning loop”, and based on an internal study of our AI-powered feedback technology in New Zealand showed a 34% average improvement in their final response quality. 

For teachers, AI can provide significant relief by automating admin tasks, such as attendance tracking, checking homework completion, and generating lesson resources. With these time-consuming tasks streamlined, teachers can dedicate more one-on-one time with students, offer more in-depth support and refine their strategies to ensure every student benefits from a high-quality education. 

AI’s ethics and safety 

The effectiveness of AI relies on the quality and accuracy of the content it provides. AI systems used in New Zealand classrooms must be grounded in robust, curriculum-aligned resources to ensure they are delivering accurate, relevant information. While AI is a powerful tool, there is always a need for safeguards to prevent misinformation. Both teachers and students must be equipped with knowledge and tools to flag errors and inaccuracies when they arise, ensuring that the learning experience remains reliable. 

The role of teachers remains central in this process. AI should act as a complement to, not a replacement for, the expertise that teachers bring to the classroom. Well-designed AI systems allow teachers to monitor and enhance the feedback students receive, adding a personal touch to the learning process. There needs to be a right balance between AI-driven learning and human guidance, so the technology can be used safely and effectively in educational environments. 

Equitable access to AI 

As a society built on the foundational principles of equality and fairness, we must ensure that the essential building blocks for opportunity and success are accessible to everyone, regardless of their socio-economic background. AI is proving to be a powerful enabler for growth and learning, and as such is rapidly becoming one of these essential building blocks. For policymakers, government and schools, ensuring equitable access to AI in education is essential to address disparities in learning opportunities, especially in a technology-driven world.

AI has the power to level the playing field by offering personalised learning opportunities, but only if it is accessible to all students. Subsidising AI tools for schools, especially those in lower-income areas, would provide students with the tailored support they need to thrive, reducing inequalities and fostering a more inclusive, equitable education system. 

What’s next 

New Zealand is heading into a big step forward in its education system. It is a call to action for schools, policymakers, and education leaders to also have AI in mind to improve education quality, remain competitive and equip future generations with the knowledge necessary. AI’s potential to transform classrooms, raise standards, alleviate teacher workloads and personalise learning for students cannot be overstated, but equitable implementation must remain a priority.

Dr Shane Smith is the co-founder of Education Perfect (EP), a global education technology platform that provides digital learning, assessment, and analytics tools for high schools. Shane’s background in physics, including a PhD from the University of Auckland, laid the foundation for his interest in using technology to support teaching and learning. Shane now leads the EP’s advancements in developing artificial intelligence-driven technology.