Recent Developments in Rural and Distance Education in New Zealand and their Implications

Abstract

New Zealand is one of the most geographically isolated countries in the world and has one of the smallest populations of any of the western democracies, much of it scattered over a variety of remote locations. In this isolated country, rural, and more recently, distance education have made important contributions to the development of the national way of life. Although rural and distance education do not serve the same functions in New Zealand society, each provides a service to people who, for a variety of reasons, mostly relating to the location of their homes, cannot attend schools in major centres on a daily basis. In the recent past, small schools, most of which are located in rural areas, have been reviewed in New Zealand as has one of the country’s most prominent distance education institutions, the Correspondence School. Accordingly, the 1991 Report of the Economic and Educational Viability of Small Schools Review and the recent Review of the Correspondence School form the basis of this survey of recent developments in rural and distance education in New Zealand...