Michael is a Senior Fellow at The New Zealand Initiative. He leads the Initiative’s work on education. He is a cognitive psychologist with a background in literacy research, educational assessment and psychometrics.
Prior to his time at the Initiative, he was the Associate Dean (Academic) of the Faculty of Education at Victoria University of Wellington. Between 2005 and 2011, he worked at the New Zealand Qualifications Authority (NZQA), where he developed a new, more reliable, marking system for NCEA examinations. In 2024, Michael chaired a Ministerial Advisory Group (MAG) for Education Minister Erica Stanford. The MAG advised on the development of a knowledge-rich curriculum for English and mathematics. Following that work, Michael is currently a member of the Curriculum Coherence group, which advises on the development of knowledge-rich curricula across all school subjects. Michael is also a member of a technical advisory group to NZQA on assessment for NCEA and New Zealand Scholarship.
In his time at The New Zealand Initiative, Michael has published reports on Modern Learning Environments, systems reform in education, teacher education, the use of AI in education, and pathways for industry training and apprenticeships.
Phone: 044990790
It can be hard for a country to admit that one of its idols has feet of clay. As it happens, one of New Zealand’s educational idols not only had feet of clay, but her name was Clay. Read more
‘Administrative bloat’ – the idea that universities have too many administrators – is hot topic in debates around higher education in the US and elsewhere. Is there a similar problem in New Zealand universities? Read more
Wellington (Tuesday, 1 August 2023) – The New Zealand Initiative’s report Blessing or Bloat? Non-Academic Staffing in New Zealand Universities in Comparative Perspective, co-authored by Drs James Kierstead and Michael Johnston shows that a majority of staff at New Zealand universities are non-academics. Read more
Politicians are naturally drawn to top-down solutions. For one thing, they afford Ministers the illusion of control. Read more
In this episode, Michael Johnston talks with Oliver Hartwich about a New Zealand delegation that went on an eye-opening journey to Ireland, a country making impressive strides in nurturing businesses and overall growth. They confront New Zealand's shortcomings in comparison, sparking a conversation about the need for systemic change at home. Read more
Join us in this thought-provoking podcast episode as Drs James Kierstead and Michael Johnston engage in a conversation with Emeritus Professor John Raine, an esteemed academic with extensive experience in the New Zealand education system. We explore the evolution of academic standards and university preparedness, discussing the impact of changes in the education system and the importance of foundational knowledge in subjects like mathematics and sciences. Read more
NZQA would like help deciding what excellence means. The trouble is, too many students have been achieving it. Read more
Sometimes, a debate over the school curriculum gets so heated, it is dubbed a ‘curriculum war’. A new draft science curriculum has been the subject of a national conversation over the past week or so. Read more
Michael Laws talks to the NZ Initiative’s Michael Johnston about the controversial new science curriculum.
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Michael Johnston was interviewed by Rodney Hide on Reality Check Radio to discuss the leaked 'fast draft' science curriculum.
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Newshub has obtained the document, which was sent to a few teachers for their feedback. It has raised major concerns students could leave school without knowing the basics of science if the proposed curriculum is introduced. Read more
Advance draft copies of the new science curriculum for schools have shocked some science teachers. The so-called fast draft contains no mention of the core science subjects physics, chemistry and biology. Read more
The Ministry of Education is being criticised for its new draft of the science curriculum. The proposal doesn't appear to list physics and chemistry, but instead focuses on climate change, biodiversity, the food-energy-water nexus, and infectious diseases. Read more
For most of the 2010s, if schools wanted funding for new classrooms, the Ministry of Education insisted that they build Modern Learning Environments (MLEs). These are large, open-plan classrooms, sometimes housing more than a hundred children and their teachers. Read more
New Zealand has produced some impressive scientists during its short history. Ernest Rutherford, dubbed ‘the father of nuclear physics’, must surely be foremost among them. Read more