ESOL funding#

Period 1 ESOL funding for Terms 1 and 2, 2025 is being paid to schools next week. We acknowledge that this is later than usual and thank you for your patience. The number of ESOL funded students has continued to increase with 87,300 students funded in 1, 755 schools. This is a 4.7% increase from the last funding period.

ESOL Status Lists, which detail the funded students at each school, will be available next week from the Secure Data Portal. Ask your school's secure data portal user to download the document in Excel format.

ESOL funding applications for period 2, terms 3 & 4, are due 1 August 2025. Update your ESOL Status List from period 1 and submit your application via the Secure Data Portal.

If your school did not apply for ESOL funding in period 1, 2025, but you are applying for funding in period 2, follow the guidance on our website.

Apply for English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) funding

Ethnic Academic Awards 2025#

We recently celebrated the outstanding academic achievements of ethnic and culturally diverse students together with their families, community, teachers and school leaders. The Academic Awards events were held across five cities (Christchurch, Wellington, Palmerston North, Hamilton, and Auckland). They were a collaborative effort between four Learning Community Hub providers, host schools and the Ministry’s Community Partnerships team. The events offered a platform to acknowledge students’ progress and high performance in 2024 in NCEA Level 2 (or higher), International Baccalaureate, or Cambridge exams. Learning Hubs and 73 secondary schools participated in nominating the students, and 147 students were awarded.

One student said, “Being recognised feels amazing, it shows that all the hard work is seen and celebrated. It really encourages you to keep going and aim even higher”.

A standout aspect of this year’s events was the involvement of past award recipients who returned as guest speakers. One speaker shared about the value of this event:

“It wasn’t just about recognising academic achievement—it was about recognising the journey behind it. The years of struggle, the moments of doubt, the sacrifices, the resilience. This award reminded me that my efforts were indeed seen”.

Further reflections included a teacher from an Auckland school who said, “It was a great night, and students and families were very happy to be acknowledged”, and a parent who commented that, “This was first time that our child’s success was celebrated”. Such recognition is a valuable part of uplifting students’ success, along with the crucial support from families, community, teachers and schools.

We encourage all schools to partner with their communities to recognise the success of their migrant and refugee ākonga. Our team can be contacted for guidance and advice.

ESOL Online TKI is moving to a new home - Tāhūrangi#

Tāhūrangi is the online hub and one-stop shop designed to house content that supports effective teaching and learning. Teaching Support is a feature of the Tāhūrangi site, and it will soon host resources designed for multicultural learner success and ESOL support.

The ESOL Online TKI website will be discontinued at the end of June 2025 and Tāhūrangi will become the go-to website for resources. We are currently reviewing content from the ESOL Online TKI website and recreating them for Tāhūrangi. We want to make sure that the resources are relevant to your needs, so out-of-date content will not be migrated. We will make a full copy of the TKI website and its contents, however, so that nothing is lost.

If you go to TKI after June, you will be automatically redirected to the appropriate part of Tāhūrangi.

Please note that while the content migration will be complete by the end of June, it will take us a little longer to update the links in our resources, including the ELLP Pathway.

Team profile#

When space allows, we will include a short profile on one of the ESOL, Migrant and Refugee team members.

This profile highlights Senior Advisor Community Partnerships, Awad Hagos.

To start#

• What's your role, and how long have you been with the organisation?
• Can you describe a typical day in your job?

I am a senior advisor in the Community Partnerships team, a group of 5 people within the wider ESOL, Migrant and Refugee Education team. I am based in Auckland but also work with communities in Hamilton, Tauranga and Napier. I have been in the role for just over 2 1/2 years.

My role is to work with ethnic communities to help them understand the New Zealand education system, so they can better support their children’s learning. We do this through a range of activities, including our main programme, the Learning Community Hubs, as well as youth and community events, webinars, and more.

Working with communities often means meeting people in their own environments, for example, a café, a temple, or their office. My days can involve planning sessions or events, visiting hubs, and of course, plenty of meetings and driving. Sometimes the day might start in Auckland and finish in Hamilton in the evening. Most of our Learning Community Hubs are held in the evenings or on weekends to suit parents’ availability. And every hub is totally unique. The work is varied and flexible—not your typical 9–5 job—and that’s one of the things I really enjoy about it.

Professional background#

• What inspired you to pursue this career path?

I began my career in Wellington, working in both volunteer and paid roles in community development and refugee resettlement. Later, I moved to Auckland to take up a position in the education sector, where I spent nearly 11 years supporting international scholarship students to settle, thrive, and succeed.

In my current role, I’ve come full circle - returning to community focused work with an emphasis on education. It feels like the perfect blend of the two areas I’m most passionate and know some things about.

Job insights#

• What do you enjoy most about your role?

The incredible variety of the role and the privilege of talking to parents from the communities we serve – they are from all corners of the world: some newly arrived in Aotearoa and others have called it home for many years. They could be former refugees from a war-torn country or migrants seeking better lives for their whānau. Despite their varied backgrounds, they all share a powerful common goal: a deep commitment to educating their children and helping them succeed.

• What's the most challenging part of your job?

One of the most challenging parts of our job is balancing the diverse needs of the communities we work with. Each group brings unique experiences, expectations, and questions about education, which means we’re constantly adapting our approach. In addition, things like topics, dates, times, venues and even speaker availability can often change at the last minute. So, being flexible and open to change is always helpful and that’s both the challenge and the beauty of the job.

• Can you share a project you're particularly proud of?

Considering our team has only been around for just over three years, I’m incredibly proud of what we’ve achieved in such a short time. I’m especially pleased that the communities we’ve worked with are now in a much stronger position to support and actively advocate for their children’s education, helping to make schooling a more positive and enjoyable experience for both children and their parents.

Advice and inspiration#

• Who or what inspires you in your work?

This role gives me the opportunity of meeting and working with incredible people who bring so much aroha to everything they do. These are individuals who willingly give up their time (often after hours and voluntarily) to meet communities where they are, to talk about education, to listen, and to answer countless, but important, questions. They consistently go above and beyond what their roles require. They are colleagues, managers, community leaders, and external experts in their respective fields. Their commitment is inspiring. He rau ringa e oti ai | Many hands make light work.

Useful links#

English language learning progressions

English language learning progressions pathway

ESOL Online